On a recent trip, a friend and I got into an amazing school of hybrid bass.
My friend hasn’t been fishing that long, so after about an hour or so, and us each catching a few, he finally asked what type of fish it was. He’d caught largemouth before, and had seen stripers and smallies on TV, but this one was new to him.
He said he had heard before of white bass, and wondered if that was what we were pulling in with such regularity. After I explained exactly what a hybrid bass is, it occurred to me that others might also have the same question.
What Is A Hybrid Bass?
A hybrid bass is a genetic mix of a white bass and a striper.
As such, they are often called by the slightly tongue-in-cheek nickname of “wipers.”
The way you can tell the difference between a wiper and a striper is by looking at the stripes—hybrids have broken lines, where a striper will have solid, continuous lines across the body.
They can be a very fun fish to catch if you have the opportunity. They fight well, and will school and hit the surface much the way striped bass will.
Next time you hook into a bass like the one in the picture you will know—that little bugger is a hybrid bass!