The striped bass is a species that normally spends most of its life in brackish water or saltwater, returning to freshwater to spawn. However, when the gates were closed on South Carolina's Santee-Cooper Reservoir in the 1950s, some were trapped in the riverine system. To the surprise of biologists and fishermen, the hard-fighting fish quickly adapted to life in freshwater. Stocking programs eventually established the fish in reservoirs throughout the Southeast and Midwest, including Kentucky's Lake Cumberland, which has developed into one of the best striper producers in the country. Most freshwater striper fisheries, including Lake Cumberland's, are hatchery-supported.
Striped bass require moving water to spawn.
If the egg sack sinks, the eggs die. Patoka officials have no illusions about their lake ever developing a self-sustaining striped bass fishery. It will never match Cumberland's prowess because it lacks the size and depth of the Kentucky reservoir. However, the fish appear to be prospering at Patoka. Gibson expects the bulk of the striper action to come from the middle and lower lake.