You’ve probably heard plenty of fish tales in your life about fisherman bragging about the big one that got away, but one fisherman in New Jersey now has certifiable bragging rights.
Many people don’t know that striped bass live in both fresh and saltwater and that there are several types of striped bass, including yellow bass, white bass, striped bass and hybrid striped bass. While each species is similar to the naked eye, there are definitely distinct differences that separate them.
Last week, an angler fishing in the Monskville Reservoir just set a new state record for the largest freshwater hybrid striped bass. John Vayda hauled in a 16-pound, 10-ounce striped bass from the lake on October 9th. It measured 31 inches in length.
According to the NJ Fish and Wildlife agency, Vayada’s catch beats Bill Schmidt’s 1999 record hybrid that weighed 16 pounds, 4 ounces.
State officials suspect the fish was most likely from a small New Jersey Fish and Wildlife stocking back in May of 2017.
This article has been updated from an earlier report that did not distinguish the different types of striped bass in New Jersey.