Barren River Lake regularly produces hybrids in the 8- to 10-pound range, with occasional larger ones. Barren is also the largest of the nine Kentucky waters currently being stocked with hybrid stripers at 10,000 acres.

Herrington Lake is no slouch, either. The lake has a good forage base of gizzard and threadfin shad. The lake has all of the right ingredients to produce big hybrids -- and it does.

"I can't believe we don't have some 15-pound-plus hybrids in this lake, as it has the potential to produce a state record," biologist Kerry Prather said.

In spring, concentrate on the headwaters of the main channel and in the major tributaries that feed into the lake. Hybrids have movement patterns similar to white bass, and go through the motions of spawning. After that period, they return to the main lake and utilize feeding flats and open water until the consistently hot weather arrives.

"That's one other big benefit hybrids offer over pure white bass or striped bass," Axon said. "There is a year-round fishery these fish provide when you learn their patterns. Most anglers using conventional fishing methods can be successful with hybrids just about any time of the year."

Since hybrids have the nomadic characteristic of striped bass, it usually takes only a little time to cover some water and find them. Axon assures that the reward can be well worth the effort when a 10-pound hybrid winds up on your line. You won't soon forget the fight, he said, speaking from experience.

"The best day I ever had fly-fishing was in the spring in the headwaters of Taylorsville Lake and got into a school of hybrids. They were swarming everywhere -- coming up on the surface all around the boat and hitting anything they saw go in the water.

"I had wanted to catch one on a fly rod for a long time, and I had one with me, so I tried it. I had one fly and that's all, and I wound up taking a limit of really nice fish; you can't believe how much fun it was fighting those fish. They were all over the place that day, and man, we just got into them big time," he recalled.

"My partner caught a lot of fish, too, and we broke off a few, but the action was just phenomenal."

Hybrid stripers can be caught on a variety of lures, including night crawlers, chicken livers and soft craws. Small curlytail jigs, spoon-type lures and topwater plugs will also draw hard strikes when fish are in the jumps or chasing shad close to the surface.

One tip almost any hybrid fisherman will give you is to be sure you have your drag set correctly and can adjust it when a fish gets on. Hybrids are incredibly strong, and can snap a line as fast as you can snap your fingers if your reel isn't set to forgive some hard runs from the larger fish.

This spring, consider giving hybrid stripers a try. You can also find them in the Ohio River, thanks to the states of Ohio and West Virginia, where good tailwater fishing has been developed. This is especially true in the upper reaches of the Ohio. You might find some of the fastest, fiercest action of the entire year!