Imagine Striped Bass in the Great Lakes

Imagine Striped Bass in the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes might just be the most human-manipulated ecosystem in the world. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, I’m just saying what is. 

In 1966 coho salmon were introduced in Lake Michigan. They were put there because invasive alewives had gotten into the Great Lakes through the Welland Canal, and when alewives died, they piled up in stinking masses on the pretty (west side) Michigan beaches. Salmon happen to think of alewives as candy and cannot stop eating them, so the problem was solved, for the most part, by introducing Pacific salmon into the Great Lakes, and a multi-billion-dollar non-native sport fishery was created in the process. It now peaceably intertwines with the multi-million-dollar non-native brown trout fishery that was created in Michigan in 1884.

Thank goodness, I think. 

I’m told that when the biologists were weighing the options of how to deal with the alewives, they also gave some serious thought to opting for striped bass as the predator of choice. After all, striped bass, native to the Atlantic, have done pretty well at adapting to lake environs throughout the country–even taking up residence in California’s San Joaquin/Sacramento Delta after having been dumped off a boat from New Jersey into San Francisco Bay in the 1870s. The offspring of stripers mixed with white bass, “wipers,” which can be found in Lake St. Clair and other parts of the Great Lakes, are among the best fish for eating, and fighting, if you’re into eating fish from the Great Lakes.

Having been born and raised on the Great Lakes, I imagine my whole fishing perspective would be a whole lot different had the coin-toss gone the way of the striper. I wonder if they’d have ever blitzed, and if I’d have grown up chasing diving birds. I wonder what the stripers would have done to those brown (and brook) trout, and what the runs up the rivers would have been like. I wonder if they’d have gravitated to certain spots for no apparent reason, like the cohos did when they were released in northern Michigan and made a b-line for Chicago.

I think it would have been fun throwing poppers at striped bass. I bet they would have eaten the Johnson spoons I cast off the pier by my house on Lake Michigan as well as the salmon and steelhead. Surf casting would have gone off in Racine.

I bet Friday night fish fries would have been pretty bad-ass everywhere.

But alas, if there were stripers in the Great Lakes, Pacific steelheaders wouldn’t mock Great Lakes steelheaders for not being real steelheaders. Would Atlantic “stripah” people mock them the same? And native fish people would complain about stripers eating invasive alewives, in addition to complaining about those icky non-native brown trout (that make the entire world of fly fishing possible) and the gross, invasive common carp, that eat invasive gobies, and in doing so comprise one of the best “flats” fishing experiences to be had anywhere on the planet.  

Everything’s perfectly balanced now, right? Hands off, leave it alone.

Wait, did someone say striped bass eat Asian carp? – Kirk Deeter

Your Striped Bass Checklist

A great striped bass primer from Flylords: “Geographically, these fish can be found on both coasts (although they’re introduced in the Pacific), deep in inland lakes and tailwater systems, and in just about every major large river watershed in the country. Hell, there are even stripers in Texas.” Also from Flylords, check out professional chef Ranga Perera’s series Flavor on the Fly Ep 2: Maine.

Required reading for all saltwater striper fishermen: Blues by John Hersey, On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast by David DiBenedetto, The Outermost House by Henry Beston, Cod: A Biography Of The Fish That Changed The World by Mark Kurlansky and Cape Cod by Henry David Thoreau.

Striped Bass media vault: Check out The Fishing Club Journal Issue #28 with some great striped bass fishing content and this classic Nantucket portrait from Badfish. Brad Leone heads to Portland, Maine to meet Capt. Ben Whalley and tie flies and hunt bass–also, check out Capt. Whalley’s custom striper fly drops (they sellout quickly). The classic “Hard Lined” movie from Simms, interviewing well-respected striper guides (Capt. Paul Dixon, Capt. Jamie Boyle, Capt. Kyle Schaefer) and advocates for the fish’s sustainability: “We need to educate people” about not killing everything in the sea.

Gearing up. Some great saltwater gear info from The Saltwater Edge: How to choose a saltwater fly rod, how to choose a saltwater fly reel, how to choose saltwater fly line and favorite saltwater fishing pliers. Ben from Trident Fly Fishing shares some tips about how to choose “The Best Fly Rod” for striped bass–main considerations are fly size, fish size and whether you’re in a boat, or on foot. Also, some good fly line considerations: RIO’s Striper Premier fly line, RIO’s Outbound Short Premier fly line and Scientific Anglers’ Sonar Titan Full Intermediate fly line.

To learn more about how to support and help sustain striped bass populations, head over to the American Saltwater Guides Association: “A community of forward-thinking guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers who understand the value of fish in the water.”

Product Buzz

We review the Simms Men’s G4Z Stockingfoot Waders, Nautilus X-Series Fly Reel, Lamson Purist II Fly Reel and Thomas & Thomas Sextant 9-foot 9-weight Fly Rod. Steven from MyLifeOutdoors goes deep on porous rain jacket membranes and GORE-TEX fabrics. GearJunkie rolls out their “Best in Show” from ICAST 2024: Benchmade’s Water Collection knives and Costa’s Grand Catalina sunglasses (with gold-mirrored lenses) both made the cut. Field & Stream logs their “Best Fly Rods of 2024,” and some rods we like (Sage R8 Core, Epic 476 FastGlass Fly Rod) get on the list. MidCurrent reviews the Rio Gold fly line: “Tougher Than Woodpecker Lips.”

Fly-fishing News

Check out the BONEDALE FISHING REPORTS, featuring legendary guide, Kea Hause, from Colorado’s Roaring Fork valley. Millhouse Podcast talks with Capt. Aaron Snell: “a soft-spoken demeanor that belies his deep knowledge of the waters around Key West, Florida.” New Flylab Pro, Capt. Kyle Schaefer, is profiled for his advocacy work around sustainable fisheries. Some great tips about how to choose the right drift boat from Boulder Boat Works, but the knowledge could be applied to any boat maker. Guide and taco aficionado Mario Guel of ‪Taco Fly Co. joins Mark Raisler of Headhunters fly shop on the Missouri River to drink beers and punt risers. “All That Is Sacred”–a portrait of writer Tom McGuane from the early Keys, along with his cast of uber talented friends: Jim Harrison, Richard Brautigan, Russell Chatham and Jimmy Buffett.

Recent Press

“You guys are absolutely crushing the gear reviews–best in the industry and it’s not even close.” – Dave, Flylab Fan

“Love your guys’ content and no BS approach–I guess I didn’t realize how much bias was out there until I started thinking about it. Super helpful resource.” – Eric, Fly-fishing Beginner

“The BONEDALE FISHING REPORT was absolutely killer. Cannot wait to read the rest…” – Sam, New Flylab Reader

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Scouting Report

We’re hard at work hunting down the coolest new products, brands and partners you’ve never heard of. 

Catchflo

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Flylab discount: 20% off all website purchases.

Partner Spotlight

The Fly Shop

The Fly Shop is a full service fly shop, outfitter and destination travel provider from Redding, CA. As one of the west coast’s oldest and most iconic fly shops, they have been guiding travelers to the world’s finest fresh and saltwater angling destinations for nearly half a century.

Flylab discount: 15% off Fly Shop “Signature” fly rods and reels, 10% off all flies. 

If you’re a fly shop, outfitter, fishing lodge or outdoor brand and interested in becoming a new Flylab partner, learn more about our program here. Join the best partner network in fly fishing.

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