Wiper hybreds

I had a chance to go wiper fishing in a spot where someone told me about, so I went. The white bass are feeding right now and heavy too and up too 16″ and caught plenty of those. Well I’m hooked on wipers now because they fight like heck and are one heck of a game fish.

Imagine a 3 lb. white bass which is a nice one then multiply that times 4 or 5. I’ll tell you what, they hit like they have no mercy and pull like you just hooked a semi going by.

Its amazing the power they have and the ones I have been catching make 3 or 4 serious runs in any current conditions and the ones I have been catching were considered small ones, the biggest being 5.5 lbs.

The neighbor said he caught one that went 15 lbs. and he was worried that his medium action Fenwick would break even though he had the drag set because they run so hard and fast with tons of power. Compared to a nice smallie of 4 pounds they fight and pull 2 or 3 times harder in the same weight. These fish will go out and lay in fast water until you get them turned and make runs like you wouldn’t believe.

8 lb Trilene, a 1/4 oz white jig and a 4″ twister tail is all you need, then hold on. If you ever get a chance to fish for them don’t pass it up and you more then likely be hooked too.

Anyone ever get a chance to fish them?

Have not ever fished them, but they are on my bucket list – where is the nearest trophy Wiper lake/river to Minnesota, and best time of year to fish them? Sign me up !!

I’m in Iowa Fry so don’t know where in Minnesota where they may have them. They put them in lakes and rivers here to reduce the amount of shad in those waters. Maybe check with the DNR, I know their stocked here in areas where there’s too many shad. Time of year is whenever the water is warm enough, I got mine in the last week but the water is cooling pretty fast now, had to wear wadders the last time out. With the weight of the wipers and whitebass I got approximately 30 lbs. of fillets in 4 outings. I also got 4 walleyes with the biggest being 3 1/2 and the smallest being 1 1/2 lbs, also on white twister tails, not tipped with minnows.

I’d be willing to drive to Iowa, Nebraska, etc to find the best waters for Wipers… think it would be a real blast!! Especially if early season when fishing isn’t open yet in Minn..

My closest Walleye lake is also a Wiper lake. They pretty much fish the same lure wise so a day of fishing usually involves catching both.

Pm me if anyone has a suggested body of water to try. I may go only once but really want to try it !!

Sign me up, i’d love to hook into one and I’m willing to travel! Great info sir!

Might be a great concept for a future IDO show —

Message sent Fry

they are in pretty heavy at our local dams.

mossydan wrote:

Well I’m hooked on wipers now because they fight like heck and are one heck of a game fish.

I’ve never caught a wiper, but I imagine its pretty much the same as a white bass. I’ll put them up against most fish as far as a fight and how fun they are to catch. And you are right, current = advantage white bass. Those bodies are made for catching prey by cutting through the current.

Lots of them around here in the DSM river — They stack up tight to dam in the heavy current. 1 oz chartreuse jighead with a 5″ fluke is a great way to target them as is an egg sinker above a snap swivel with a 18-24″ leader tipped with cut shad. Anything less than a 7′ Medium Heavy rod with 20# braid and you’ll end up with sore arms!

Check out Milford Lake in Kansas if you’re making a trip out of it.

FryDog62 wrote:

Have not ever fished them, but they are on my bucket list – where is the nearest trophy Wiper lake/river to Minnesota, and best time of year to fish them? Sign me up !!

I would guess Nebraska or Kansas would be your best bets. My FIL fishes them down in Texas, says the bite starts in Feb and gets really good through April, mostly goes with guides on Richland Chambers or Cedar Creek. They’re also great table fare! Good luck finding them.

I’ve never caught a wiper, but I imagine its pretty much the same as a white bass. I’ll put them up against most fish as far as a fight and how fun they are to catch. And you are right, current = advantage white bass. Those bodies are made for catching prey by cutting through the current.
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The look the same but fight even harder than a white of the same size. A 5lb wiper fights like a 10lb flatty.

Joel VandeKrol wrote:

I’ve never caught a wiper, but I imagine its pretty much the same as a white bass. I’ll put them up against most fish as far as a fight and how fun they are to catch. And you are right, current = advantage white bass. Those bodies are made for catching prey by cutting through the current.

The look the same but fight even harder than a white of the same size. A 5lb wiper fights like a 10lb flatty.

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The Striper genetics = more power, white bass + striper. For those that are unfamiliar, Wipers as a hybrid are a sterile fish that will grow fast, fight hard and not take over an otherwise good fishery by way of over population. I’ve never eaten white bass but stripers are outstanding. If you aren’t a fan of eating white bass I’d suggest giving Wiper a try.

I think I’ll add it to my bucket list too. We have them down here, but they are called sunshine bass.

mossydan wrote:

I had a chance to go wiper fishing in a spot where someone told me about, so I went. The white bass are feeding right now and heavy too and up too 16″ and caught plenty of those. Well I’m hooked on wipers now because they fight like heck and are one heck of a game fish.

Imagine a 3 lb. white <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass which is a nice one then multiply that times 4 or 5. I’ll tell you what, they hit like they have no mercy and pull like you just hooked a semi going by.

Its amazing the power they have and the ones I have been catching make 3 or 4 serious runs in any current conditions and the ones I have been catching were considered small ones, the biggest being 5.5 lbs.

The neighbor said he caught one that went 15 lbs. and he was worried that his medium action Fenwick would break even though he had the drag set because they run so hard and fast with tons of power. Compared to a nice smallie of 4 pounds they fight and pull 2 or 3 times harder in the same weight. These fish will go out and lay in fast water until you get them turned and make runs like you wouldn’t believe.

8 lb Trilene, a 1/4 oz white jig and a 4″ twister tail is all you need, then hold on. If you ever get a chance to fish for them don’t pass it up and you more then likely be hooked too.

Anyone ever get a chance to fish them?

12 plus pounder. I have caught a few that were in the 8 # range. This one was like hooking a freight train.

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I’ve been making an annual trip to fish for them the last 4 years. As a guy who previously fished the traditional MN species I will say Wipers changed my life! They are by far the most njoyable fish I’ve ever caught. I just wish we had them in MN but I will be making a trip to IA next year for sure as its 6 hours closer than my annual trip.

I’ve heard that the Des Moines river in Des Moines has some serious spring runs for white bass, now that I know that wipers are also there in enough concentrations that its worth the drive I’m probably going to make a trip to the Des Moines area now. After a guy catches his first one of any size it convinces him or her. Once you feel the first hard hit because they play for keeps when they hit, and the pull on your rod and line it doesn’t take long to make you think this is one heck of a fish. To make a trip to Des Moines to fish for just white bass, I might do it but also may not, with Wipers there I will probably go now because there so much fun. I ate my first plate of wiper fillets tonight and the fillets were like a steak, nice and thick and solid meat, no rough taste at all. I’m impressed both on the water and on the plate.

I went on a guided trip to Truman Lake in Missouri last year . We had a blast. Highly recommend it,and as mentioned already, they are great table fare .