"S" is for Striped Bass

"S" is for Striped Bass. State fish. The striped bass, or ocean rockfish, became the official state fish in 1972. It is one of America’s most popular game fish. Anglers appreciate the striper’s large size and fierce nature, and its table delicacy. Rockfish are caught year-round in South Carolina, being most plentiful during the spring spawning season. The mature fish often weighs 25 to 30 pounds. The largest recorded catch was 125 pounds, with a maximum length of six feet. The rockfish is pink or brown with a silver belly and seven or eight longitudinal stripes on the sides. The fish is anadromous—that is, an ocean fish that spawns inland in freshwater. However, the striped bass adapts easily to a freshwater environment and can live and successfully reproduce in inland rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.