The adult stripers spend their natural adult lives in the ocean.

The Striped Bass has been introduced at scattered locations throughout the central United States as far west as the Colorado River in Arizona, and at various sites in California. It’s also been introduced to the coast of California. Although not native to Texas, the species has been stocked in a number of reservoirs.

Being a coastal species, the striped bass moves upstream during spawning migrations in coastal rivers.

How does a coastal, saltwater fish spawn in lakes and reservoirs?

Spawning in Freshwater

Stream flow is required for a successful hatch. Most reservoir populations are not self-sustaining and need seeding by man to keep the populations strong. One notable exception is Lake Texoma along the Red River in north-eastern Texas where the fish are able to spawn and keep their own numbers in check, which is quite surprising.

The Striped Bass lives in freshwater, but requires brackish water in order to spawn. Through multiple dams and reservoirs, much of their normal migration routes have been stopped. While they live in reservoirs and dams, these must be constantly stocked to keep populations up.