New Indiana record hybrid striped bass

[Fishaholic]

Just in from the DNR:

New Indiana record hybrid striped bass
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A new state-record hybrid striped bass has been certified by the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources. Mike Cox from Lafayette, Ind. caught the
fish April 30 below Lake Freeman's Oakdale Dam.

The white bass/striped bass hybrid, often called a wiper, weighed 19.5
pounds, and stretched 31 inches from fish lip to tail. The new biggest-ever
Indiana wiper edged out the previous 19-pound, 3-ounce record wiper caught
below the same dam in 2002.

The huge striped fish attacked a crankbait lure Cox was casting into the
Tippecanoe River below the Lake Freeman Dam during the afternoon of April
30.

"I had just hooked and battled a 15 pounder for about 15 minutes," said Cox.
"I cast to the same area and hooked an even bigger fish."

Cox banked the fish after 15 minutes of reeling, running and holding on. "I
only hooked two fish that day," said Cox.

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View a photo of Cox's record catch at:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/stuff/gallery/hybrid.htm
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The Indiana DNR stocks wipers into some of Indiana's shallow, warm
reservoirs to help control prolific gizzard shad populations, and to provide
challenging fishing opportunities.

"These fish are the linebackers of inland waters," said DNR fisheries chief
Bill James. "They really surprise you with their speed and brute power."

The best lakes in Indiana for adding wiper poundage to your stringer are
Monroe Lake near Bloomington or lakes Freeman and Shafer near Monticello.

Big wipers are also often caught below Ohio River dams.

The tailwaters below Oakdale and Norway dams, the two dams on the Tippecanoe
River that create lakes Shafer and Freeman, have consistently produced the
biggest Hoosier wipers over the last 20 years. Since 1985, 19 of 21 state
record wipers have come from the Tippecanoe River.

The wiper record is Indiana's most often broken sport fish record. The
record has been broken more than 20 times since Jamey Spinks of Shelbyville
set the first record in 1985 with a 3.25-pound Monroe Lake fish.

More than half the record hybrids were caught during April and May. The
wiper record was broken six times in 1988.

Wipers will attack a wide variety of cast or trolled lures or baits. These
powerful fish are a genetic cross between white bass and striped bass and
resemble their temperate bass cousins, striped bass, white bass and yellow
bass.

Big striped bass can be found in Cecil M. Harden, Brookville, Hardy and
Patoka reservoirs, as well as the Ohio River. White and yellow bass do not
grow as large, and are found in many Indiana rivers and lakes.

Any Indiana striper-type bass weighing over two pounds is probably a wiper
or a striper. Look at the fish's tongue to be sure.

Striped bass have two distinct patches of teeth on the back of their tongue,
while hybrids have two patches that are joined. White bass have only one
tooth patch on the tongue. Yellow bass have a gold tinge along their flanks,
and rarely grow bigger than panfish size.

[Chris]

Thats a good lookin Wiper... I dont think Ive ever seen one that big. I think the Louisiana record is about 15 pounds.

[Fishaholic]

I've never caught one over 5 pounds, and it was all I could do to land it...well, on my ultra lite gear of couse...but still...they sure fight hard...great eating too.

[Lipripper]

WOW!!! Fish that's a nice fish that would be fun on your ultra lite gear    

[Fishaholic]

I've caught nice whites on the Tippecanoe, but never a wiper...the only place I ever caught wipers was at Wolf Lake in Hammond