Wiper

An excellent food fish and popular sport fish, the wiper’s popularity continues to grow among anglers.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A WIPER

The wiper’s appearance is intermediate between the two parents. It has six to eight dark horizontal stripes over a silver-white background with a dark charcoal to black back. It has two dorsal fins, the anterior with 8-10 sharp spines. It is slightly heavier bodied than the striped bass and grows up to 12 pounds in weight and 24 inches in length. Some specimens are known to reach weights of over 20 pounds.

 

WHERE TO CATCH WIPER

Wipers can be found all across the continental United States as a result of fish hatcheries. The wiper is actually a cross between a striped bass and a white bass. This cross, sometimes referred to as the ‘original cross,’ was first produced in South Carolina in the mid-1960’s using eggs from the striped bass and sperm from a white bass. The wiper has gained widespread acceptance as a sport fish, particularly in the large reservoirs of the southeast where it is extensively stocked because of the abundance of forage fish. The following list includes additional details on where to catch this fish:

CLIFFS                           GRADUAL SHORES

INLETS AND OUTLETS              ISLANDS OR SAND BARS

OVERHANGING TREES AND BUSHES    POINTS AND BREAK LINES

SHORELINE SHALLOWS              SUNKEN OBJECTS

FRESHWATER WEED BEDS            FRESHWATER LAKES AND PONDS

HOLES                            INSIDE TURNS AND COVES

OPEN WATER                 PIERS, DOCKS AND PILINGS

ROCKS                       SPRING HOLES

WALKWAYS AND BRIDGES

 

HOW TO CATCH WIPER

Wipers are very aggressive fighters, and tend to stay together in schools. Trolling baits or lures is the most common technique used to target them in many areas but they can also be caught on spin, bait casting, and fly tackle using artificial and natural baits. The following are fishing methods used to catch this fish:

DRIFT FISHING          TROLLING        STILL FISHING

FLY FISHING           BAIT CASTING      SPIN CASTING

WIPER LURES, TACKLE & BAIT

The following are lures, tackle or bait that can be used to catch this fish:

FLIES         JIGS        PLUGS           SPOONS   INSECTS

MINNOWS   SPINNER BAITS