What You Need to Fish for Big Hybrid Striped Bass

Hybrid striped bass, or wipers, as they’re sometimes called, have some of their parents’ best qualities. They’re feisty and hard fighting like white bass, and they grow fast and big and are strong swimmers like striped bass. Wipers are known for powerful strikes, vigorous fights and putting tackle to the test. These fish actively use much of the water column and can be caught a variety of ways. They’re also stocked widely across the region, providing exciting opportunities for anglers, whether they use live bait or artificials or even sight-fish with a fly rod.

FIND THE FISH

Wipers almost always relate closely to baitfish. So, if you understand baitfish movements, you can often track down hybrids. Baitfish, like gizzard and threadfin shad, typically move into shallower water during nocturnal hours, especially during warm summer months. For shore-bound anglers, this is generally the best time to look for shad and wipers. Spot ripples on calm water at dusk and daybreak, and there’s likely a school of shad below and wipers not far behind.

On windy days, fish the wind-driven sides of points where wave action pushes baitfish into shallower water and wipers pursue them. Drop-offs and ledges where predator fish can lay in ambush below baitfish are also good places to look for actively feeding wipers.

When the sun is high near midday, baitfish usually move to deeper water. Boating anglers should utilize electronics to find baitfish (usually schools of shad) and the wipers feeding on them. Search for submerged humps, drop-offs and underwater structures. Shad often relate to the tops of these structures, appearing as large balls or clouds of moving fish on sonar. Hybrids, meanwhile, use the vertical cover to lay in wait and ambush from below, usually showing up just off bottom on sonar. Download lake maps and concentrate on the vertical structure.

Wipers in streams and river systems often run upstream during high-water events. Reservoir spillways and hydroelectric dam outlets are great places to cast to active wipers. And fighting these strong-swimming fish in current is a blast.

Wipers on lakes and reservoirs often travel in schools of like-sized fish, and finding a group of mature wipers actively feeding can yield insane action. Active schools of fish sometimes push shad to the surface, creating a feeding frenzy. Gulls and other birds quickly take notice, circling above and swooping down to snatch up baitfish. This frenzy can end abruptly before sometimes reappearing nearby. Watch for surface activity and for birds looking to strike from above. It can lead to a phenomenal day of fishing.

WIPER WAYS

Many tactics shine for wipers, but various live-bait presentations often prove especially deadly. One of the more effective options is hooking a freshly netted shad (many places don’t permit shad obtained from other waters) through the nose or behind the dorsal fin with a 1/0 or 2/0 wide-gap hook and dropping down vertically to fish. Drop-shot rigs or Carolina rigs with a 1/2-ounce egg sinker work great for this. Hold the rod steady with the bait just off bottom; wipers often can’t resist. This type of tight-line fishing helps anglers feel bites and avoid snags.

When active fish are chasing bait in shallower water, casting plastic jigs, hard-bodied lures, spinners and spoons is hard to beat. Make long casts toward wind-blown points, rocky banks and even weed beds with these baits and hold on tight.

When fish are scattered or you’re trying to determine an effective pattern, turn to trolling. Troll at 1 to 1.5 mph with lipless rattle baits, spinnerbaits and even nightcrawlers (faster trolling speeds can cause baits to roll and run shallower than intended). Using electronics, identify the common depths at which wipers are staging and then work baits near or slightly above that depth.

When wipers feed aggressively on the surface, the sight-fishing that follows is unrivaled. Unweighted plastic flukes, floating jerkbaits and bucktail jigs on spinning or conventional gear, or large, white Clouser Minnows on fly gear work well here. Make precise casts to rising and chasing fish, working shallow baits past the feeding frenzy and keeping ready for a strike. Just angle casts slightly off center from the action to avoid busting the larger group of feeding fish.

WIPER WEAPONRY

Medium-action rods, sensitive enough to detect most strikes yet sturdy enough to handle powerful fish, are ideally suited for wiper fishing. Long casts from shore may require a longer rod, but usually 6- to 7-foot, medium-action rods handle most wiper applications. Six-, 7- or 8-weight rods serve fly-casters, depending on how large a lake’s typical hybrid is. Choose a rod that’s stiff enough to handle long casts, but one with enough flexibility to play a hard-fighting fish.

Reels in the 4000- to 5500-size range mate perfectly to medium-action rods and accept plenty of line for wiper fishing. Choosing between a spinning or casting reel is simply personal preference.

Six- to 8-pound monofilament is a good all-around line choice. Anglers fishing vertically to wipers in deep water may find that 10- to 20-pound braided line helps baits sink quicker and offers increased sensitivity when tied straight to the bait. Braided line tied to an 8-pound mono or fluorocarbon leader is a great option for anglers trolling for wipers.

In terms of live baits, fresh shad reigns supreme. However, crawfish, minnows and nightcrawlers will also catch hybrids. Anglers targeting catfish have even reported catching wipers with chicken livers, preserved shad sides, grasshoppers and many other forms of live bait.

Productive artificial baits are almost endless. Large swimbaits, tube bodies and flukes from 3 to 5 1/2 inches are great when casting plastics mimicking shad and other baitfish. For shallow-water wipers, a 1/0 or 2/0 hook with little or no weight is perfect. You can even try double-rigging (tying on two hooks and plastic baits) if regulations allow. When fishing strong current or when wipers are in deeper water, a 3/16- to 1/2-ounce jig head works great depending on current strength and depth.

Hard baits—crankbaits, jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits like Rat-L-Traps—work well whether casting or trolling. Top shad-matching colors are white, chrome, blue and silver. Baits with rattles replicate the vibrations of schooling baitfish and often attract feeding wipers.

While not as popular among wiper anglers, 2/3- and 3/4-ounce spoons, like Kastmasters and Swedish Pimples, shine when making long casts into the wind. Spinnerbaits can be effective when casting and trolling, too. Try chartreuse, chartreuse-and-white or plain white 3/8- or 1/2-ounce spinnerbaits with single or double Colorado blades. If trolling, clip on a ball weight or bead chain weight ahead of a 2- or 3-foot 8-pound monofilament leader to get the spinnerbait to depth.

For wipers up shallow or chasing shad near the surface, fly anglers should stock up with white No. 2 to No. 6 Clouser Minnows. Those using spinning gear should have 1/2-ounce bucktail jigs.

WIDE APPEAL

Wipers are hatchery-spawned fish stocked for both angler opportunity and to provide a fast-growing predator species for aquatic ecosystems overstocked with baitfish. They do well in many types of environments and are opportunistic feeders, making them available to all anglers regardless of skill level or experience. Learning to identify baitfish habits is the most effective way for anglers to consistently find and catch wipers on a variety of waters.

HYBRID HAVENS

• The Midwest has many great wiper waters, including a few that deserve special recognition.

Wipers are aggressive, strong-swimming fish that readily take a variety of baits and lures and appeal to many anglers. Fortunately, they’re heavily stocked across much of the region, including a quartet of reservoirs offering particularly good wiper action.

SUNFLOWER STATE STUD

At nearly 16,000 acres, Milford Lake is Kansas’ largest reservoir. Its wiper population is on the upswing, with good carry-over numbers and mature fish being the norm. For a turnkey experience, Brad Roether with Grandpa Boone’s Cabin and Outfitters (lakemilford.com) is a long-time guide specializing in group trips. Traveling anglers can stay at Acorns Resort, which offers a boat ramp, beach front, pool, RV sites, cabins and lodge-style rooms. After fishing, grab some drinks and pizza or burgers at Milford Tropics Bar & Grill.

CORNHUSKER COUPLE

Nebraska’s roughly 5,000-acre Swanson Reservoir contains plenty of healthy habitat and ample wipers. Red Willow Reservoir is less than an hour’s drive from Swanson and is known for having fewer fish but better opportunities at larger wipers. For a guided trip on either lake, look to former wiper state-record holder Steve Lytle (stevelytle.com). The town of McCook lies between the two reservoirs and offers lodging options and a great eatery, Ed’s Place, known for its breakfast fare and chicken-fried steak dinners.

SHOW-ME STANDOUT

Located on the Osage River, Missouri’s sprawling 55,000-acre Truman Reservoir is known for its big fish and its clean, clear water. Jack Vanderpool of The Wiper Sniper Guide Service (jackvanderpoolguide.net) has specialized in targeting the lake’s wipers for years and would offer a great intro to the fishery. Anglers can stay at the Grand River Resort in Warsaw and grab a tasty sandwich at the Landing Bar & Grill, which overlooks Drake Harbor.

HYBRID HISTORY

• Get to know the hybrid striped bass, aka wiper.

In the 1980s, aquatic biologists successfully crossed white bass and striped bass, producing the hybrid wiper. Two types of wipers exist: the palmetto bass, made using the striped bass egg and white bass sperm, and the sunshine bass, made using the white bass egg and striped bass sperm. Like its striper parent, the wiper has two rows of teeth near the rear of the tongue instead of the white bass’ single-tooth patch on its tongue. The world-record wiper is a 27-pound 5-ounce fish caught in 1997 on Arkansas’ Greers Ferry Lake.

Many state agencies stock wipers in various lakes and river systems, and they’re fairly common across the Midwest. This hybridized fish species can act as a primary predator in an aquatic ecosystem while providing anglers with an amazing game species to pursue. Pelagic by nature, wipers are generally considered sterile, but they still travel up streams and reservoir tributaries in the spring to participate in spawning activity. These fast-growing fish are opportunistic feeders, with mature fish eating everything from small invertebrates to larger baitfish.

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• This article was featured in the June/July 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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