Hybrid Striped Bass

[Piscator]

When I first moved to North Carolina a friendly saltwater fisherman invited me to go "striper" fishing with him - I sort of knew what he was talking about. I told him that when I used to fish the Ohio River I would see guys catching massive "stripers" out in the middle of the river. He didn't seem to believe me, probably thinking that there was no way a "striper" was in the Ohio River. After some thought I realized I should have clarified - they called them "hybrids," though some guys called them "stripers." I guess they were a cross between a largemouth or white bass and a real striper. I just remember this one guy with a whole stringer of 10 pounders - wouldn't say it if I didn't see it. He had a 10 foot long rod and would cast this massive white and orange popper plug, which was followed by a teenie-little stick-type lure about - no kidding - 1 1/2" long into the middle of the river. They would gather a lot of attention because they had to rear WAY back and throw like a mortar to hit the middle of the river - where I know it was about 30' deep, near a dam. They would jerk that huge popper thing into a mess across the water and then BOOM one of those bass would hit that wee-little lure. Does anyone out there believe me???