When the sun goes down, the striped bass transforms into a night owl. It goes after squid. Squid are the ocean’s slippery, alien-looking burritos. Chasing them in the dark is like trying to catch a bar of soap in a pool. But stripers love the challenge.
Chesapeake Quarterly Volume 16 Number 2: Who's Eating Whom in the
They also target Atlantic menhaden (also called bunker or pogy). These fish are so oily and oily that they practically glow in the moonlight. Eating a menhaden is like a drunk chef eating a whole stick of butter—rich, greasy, and probably a bad idea, but oh so satisfying.
The Swallowing Tricks: How They Get Away With It
Here’s the part that makes you nod. Striped bass don’t have teeth for chewing. They have sandpaper-like pads in their throat. So they just inhale a fish whole. It’s like swallowing a hot dog without chewing. They do this to a menhaden that’s almost as big as their head. You’d choke, but a striper just wiggles and swallows again.
I once saw a friend’s dog eat an entire bratwurst in one gulp. That dog had zero regrets. That’s a striped bass 24/7. No chewing. No nachos. Just pure, gasping gulps.
And if the prey is too big? They’ll regurgitate it and try again. Yes, they burp up fish like a college kid after a bad pizza. You can’t be polite when you’re a predator.
