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Will Striped Bass Eat Bluegill?

Will Striped Bass Eat Bluegill?
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A common question many anglers have about striped bass refers to what striped bass prefer to eat. If you are planning on fishing for striped bass, or you are thinking about growing a pond of striped bass, then you are going to need to know a little bit about what these types of fish prefer to eat.

Will striped bass eat bluegill? Yes, striped bass will eat bluegill. Striped bass eats a bevy of different types of food but mostly focus on eating fish that are smaller than they are. Also, while it’s difficult to tell what a striped bass’s favorite food is because they eat differently depending on where they live, almost all striped bass love eating bluegill.

Since there isn’t a lot of information available on the Internet today about what stiped bass prefer to eat when they migrate to freshwater and whether or not they eat bluegill, so, I did a little bit of researched and created this article to help you out. 

Below we’ll discuss some of the foods striped bass prefer to eat, whether you are fishing for them or planning to grow your fish pond. 

What Does Striped Bass Eat?

If you are planning on fishing for striped bass, or if you want to grow your pond of striped bass, then you’ll need to know a little bit about what they eat, and what their favorite foods are. Striped bass does enjoy eating a wide variety of different types of food. They typically prey on fish that are smaller than they are.

However, the types of foods that most striped basses eat often depend on their climate and the environment in which they reside. Often, striped bass is limited to eating what is available in their environment only. For instance, stripers living in the ocean do not have access to bluegill. They will feed on a variety of saltwater dwellers from zooplankton to herringOpens in a new tab.. On the other hand, a landlocked striped bass usually prefers to eat freshwater fish as baitOpens in a new tab..

Since bluegill is commonly found in freshwater areas where striped bass lives, many landlocked striped basses enjoy eating bluegill baitOpens in a new tab.. Sometimes, bluegill bait will also work to attract striped bass living in saltwater, although it might not be as effective as it is on the landlocked stripers. That’s because fish living in seawater are less likely to know what bluegills are because they aren’t living in the same habitat as them.

However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying out some bluegill on saltwater stripers if you feel the time is right. Honestly, you never know what striped bass will eat until you get out there and try a few different baits.

To give you an idea of the wide variety of different types of food a striped bass will eat, we created a list below of the kinds of prey striped bass prefer, leaving out bluegill for now since we already discussed that.

  • Bait worms
  • Flounder
  • Herring
  • Mackerel
  • Minnows
  • Sardines
  • Nightcrawlers
  • Crabs
  • Lobsters
  • Eel
  • Sea worms
  • Squid
  • Shrimp
  • Mussels

Note that this isn’t an all-inclusive list, but just a few examples of what striped bass typically prefer to eat. If we were to list everything, the list would be much longer, but that helps to give you a general idea.Opens in a new tab.

Does the Phase of the Moon Affect Striped Bass Feeding Habits, Including Eating Bluegill?

Many fishermen believe that catching striped bass during a full moonOpens in a new tab. is more successful. Some studies suggest that the phase of the moon affects their feeding habits, causing them to be more active. This activity could potentially impact their consumption of bluegill and other prey.

Striped Bass Habitat and Striped Bass Food

One of the reasons are above list of the striped bass food will eat is so long has to do with the fact that striped basses live in a wide variety of different habitats. Striped bass can live in either freshwater or saltwater environments. Depending on the type of environment in which they live, the striped bass winds upsetting for certain types of foods that are around them.

The fact that striped bass can eat a wide variety of different types of food and fish is one of the reasons why they are such an attractive and prolific fish to catch. Not only are they tasty to eat once you’ve found a few, but you’ve got a lot of options in the types of baits you can use to catch your striped bass. One of the benefits of striped bass enjoying so many different types of prey is that you should always be able to find some bait that will attract striped bass.

However, while having a lot of options in the bait, you’ll use to catch striped bass might sound beneficial, and there some benefits to having a wide selection of bait. It can also make fishing for striped bass more difficult in some aspects, too. For instance, if you are fishing with a type of bait that the striped bass doesn’t have in their environment, they might not wind up biting it.

So, expect to do some research on what the striped bass in the area you are fishing in prefer to eat before you head off to do your fishing that day. Once you know that, you can pick out the correct type of bait. You’ll also wind up saving yourself a lot of time and trouble that way once you get to your body of water, and you’ll have a far more successful day of catching fishOpens in a new tab..

Using Bluegill As Bait

Bluegill, as bait for striped bass, is a handy tool to use. Bluegill is one of the freshwater striped bass’s favorite meals since you’ll usually find plenty of bluegills available in freshwater bodies of water that also feature striped bass. In general, striped bass loves small sunfish, so they not only love going for bluegill, but they also enjoy perch.

While the use of bluegill when fishing for saltwater bluegill doesn’t generate as much success as it does when fishing in freshwater, that still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give bluegill a try when out in saltwater. Sunfish, which includes bluegill, is a lovely meal to hungry striped bass. Whether a striped bass has seen bluegill or not before, there is something about the smell of all sunfish that seems to lure striped bass to that bait.

So, while we wouldn’t expect you to have as much success using bluegill and other types of sunfish when fishing in saltwater, you can still wind up having a pretty good day out on the ocean if you use bluegill as your baitOpens in a new tab..

Using Eel as Bait

Another type of bait that many anglers call “striper candy” is an eel. Stripers love eel much like they enjoy bluegill, which means you can also use eel about as effectively as you could bluegill. However, we highly recommend using a combination of both baits wherever you go. That way, you’ve got at least two of the striped bass’s favorite foods on you at all times, which will increase your chances of success.

Eel is a more effective type of bait to use than bluegill when fishing for striped bass in saltwater. However, when fishing for striped bass in freshwater, you’ll want to make sure you have some bluegill on you. Of course, saltwater stripers still might like bluegill, and freshwater stripers might like an eel. So, that’s why we recommend a combination of the two for the best results, no matter what type of body of water you are fishing onOpens in a new tab..

Final Thoughts

Now that you know what types of baits are the best when fishing for freshwater striped bass, as well as when you are fishing for saltwater bass, you should be able to hit the water and have a lot of fun. As long as you remember to bring along some eel and bluegill, combined with whatever other baits you feel comfortable using, you should have a successful day fishing.

Zaldy G.

I love feeling the cool ocean spray every time I hit the beach with a rod and a bucket of bait. I love the thrill of feeling bites on my line whenever I hook a big one. And I especially love the pride that comes with cooking a fresh catch and sharing it with my friends and family. Thank you for stopping by. Let's go catch some fish!

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