Features: Hybrid bass are a cross between white bass and striped bass. White bass are a small freshwater true bass, native to the southeastern U.S. and not present in Oregon. Striped bass are a salt or brackish water species introduced to the west coast in the 1800s. The color of hybrids grades from silver and black on the back to white underneath. They differ from their striped bass parent by having a deeper body and broken, rather than continuous horizontal stripes. They have two dorsal fins, the front one with eight or nine spines and the rear one with one spine and 13 or 14 soft rays. Maximum size is about 22 pounds.

Habitat: Hybrid bass were originally stocked in Tenmile Lakes on the south coast and in Ana Reservoir in Lake County. They have since been introduced into Thompson Reservoir, also in Lake County. The only established population is in Ana Reservoir. Juvenile hybrid bass spend their first year near shore where they feed on zooplankton and insect larvae. However, by age 1 most have moved offshore to open water and switched almost totally to a fish diet. Because of their size and fish diet, hybrid bass can be effective at controlling populations of forage fish, such as the tui chub in Ana Reservoir. They do not reproduce so their continued presence depends on periodic stocking.

Technique: At Ana Reservoir, fish for hybrid bass early in the year in the deeper water along the west side of the lake. The temperature of the reservoir is moderated by a large deep-water inflow of constant-temperature springwater so that hybrids feed actively and can be caught throughout the winter. During spring and fall, find hybrid bass off shore over deeper water, but actively feeding in the top 5 to 15 feet. As surface temperatures increase in the summer, hybrids move deeper into cooler water. Hybrid bass may be caught by still-fishing near the bottom using sand shrimp, prawns, worms or chicken livers for bait, or by trolling lures or plugs that imitate small fish.