For decades, anglers fishing Little River’s tannic waters have routinely encountered a variety of species. Depending on the tide and salinity, they might catch catfish and bream one day and redfish, speckled trout and flounder on others.
Striped bass have always been a part of Little River’s angling history, especially over the winter when the water is cool and full of baitfish. But the origin of the striped bass that show up remains a mystery. The SCDNR’s fisheries biologists suspect these fish are part of the Pee Dee River strain, but who knows? These fish could be migrants from the Cape Fear River, Pee Dee River, Santee River or maybe even part of the northern migration originating from the north Atlantic.
Over the past 60 years, striped bass have been stocked in reservoirs in both Carolinas from both local and regional hatcheries. Additionally, some rivers have also been stocked. Some believe that the Little River fish may have come from past stocking efforts, but many anglers report catches of fish from 20-pound lunkers to small juveniles just a few years old. Either the fish are successfully reproducing in the watershed or they are coming to Little River from an outside source.
More studies and further data collection are needed to come up with answers to these questions. Biologist Scott Lamprecht of SCDNR is interested in finding out more about this local population of stripers. Any anglers who routinely catch striped bass in the Little River area can help by providing fin clips to SCDNR. Biologists can tell if the fish originated from a wild stock or a hatchery. In fact, analysis of the fin clips can even reveal which hatchery these fish originated. But until more studies and more data are collected, Little River’s striped bass mystery will remain sealed.
If any anglers are interested, Lamprecht can provide fin-clipping kits with required preservative solution, collection containers and instructions. For information, call Lamprecht at 843-825-3387.
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