Man catches record hybrid striped bass in New Jersey: 'Trolling in 20 feet'
The NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife announced a new hybrid striped bass record has been reached after 23 years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A man in New Jersey has broken a state record after he caught a hybrid fish.
John Vayda reeled in a 16-pound-10-ounce hybrid striped bass at the Monskville Reservoir in West Milford, New Jersey, according to the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife.
In a Facebook post, the division said he caught the record-breaking fish on Oct. 9, while he went on a fishing trip in search of walleye, a freshwater perciform fish.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vayda reportedly went fishing with two friends and their visit to the Monskville Reservoir was considered a "practice run" for a future trip.
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"They were trolling in 20 feet of water when John caught the fish on 12-pound test monofilament," the division wrote. "The fish was most likely from a small New Jersey Fish & Wildlife stocking back in May of 2017."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hybrid striped bass is a hybrid species that are crossed between a white bass and a striped bass, according to New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
"The combined traits of these two species make for a voracious fish," the department’s fish profile says.
In New Jersey, a "good number" of hybrid striped bass weigh up to 10 pounds, the NJDEP notes.
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"[Hybrid striped bass] are well adapted to large warm water lakes and reservoirs," the department wrote. "They are a hard hitting and strong fighting fish: so hold on tight to the fishing rod."
New Jersey has 90 species of fish that are eligible for entry in the state’s Record Fish Program, according to the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife. (iStock)
Fox News Digital reached out to the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vayda’s hybrid stripe bass measured 31 inches in length and 21 inches in girth, and he reportedly used a St. Croix fishing rod and Daiwa reel for his catch, according to the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife’s list of Record Freshwater Sport Fish.
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There are 90 species eligible for entry in the state’s Record Fish Program.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The previous record for a hybrid striped bass in New Jersey belonged to an angler named Bill Schmidt, who caught a 16-pound-4-ounce bass in 1999, according to the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife.
John Vayda (not pictured) caught a record-breaking hybrid striped bass while he was fishing at the New Jersey-based Monskville Reservoir on Oct. 9, 2022. (iStock)
In other parts of the country, hybrid striped bass can "occasionally reach the 22-pound range," but they don’t usually exceed 10 pounds and mostly weigh between two and five pounds when caught, according to Bass Online, a leading bass fishing guide in the U.S.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The hybrid striped bass that landed a national record weighed 27 pounds, five ounces.
It was caught at the Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas, on April 24, 1997, by angler Jerald C. Shaum, according to the Arkansas State Fishing Records.