Bass
Striped bass
Morone saxatilis. Also called striper or rockfish.
Length to weight chart, typical size by age, and how to photograph a striped bass so fishline measures it well.
- Typical top length
- 44 in
- about 43.8 lb
- A 33 inch fish
- 18.0 lb
- 17 lb 15 oz
- Age at 33 inches
- 9 to 10 years
- rough, varies by water
- Growth levels off
- about age 20
- gains slow to a crawl after
Striped bass length to weight chart
Estimated weight for a striped bass in average shape at each length, from the formula W = L^3.1 / 2,840 (W in pounds, L in inches). It is the same relationship fishline uses when it measures a striped bass from a photo.
| Length | Weight | Rough age |
|---|---|---|
| 16 in | 1.9 lb | about 3 years |
| 18 in | 2.7 lb | 3 to 4 years |
| 20 in | 3.8 lb | about 4 years |
| 22 in | 5.1 lb | 4 to 5 years |
| 24 in | 6.7 lb | 5 to 6 years |
| 26 in | 8.6 lb | about 6 years |
| 28 in | 10.8 lb | 6 to 7 years |
| 30 in | 13.4 lb | 7 to 8 years |
| 32 in | 16.3 lb | 8 to 9 years |
| 34 in | 19.7 lb | about 10 years |
| 36 in | 23.5 lb | 11 to 12 years |
| 38 in | 27.8 lb | 13 to 14 years |
| 40 in | 32.6 lb | about 16 years |
| 42 in | 37.9 lb | 20+ years |
| 44 in | 43.8 lb | 20+ years |
| 46 in | 50.3 lb | 20+ years |
Total length, nose to the tip of the pinched tail. Weights are for a striped bass in average shape. A fat fish, like a female before the spawn, weighs more and a thin one less, which a girth measurement picks up. Rows past 44 inches are bigger than typical for the species.
Size by age
fishline's growth model puts a typical striped bass at around 44 inches when fully grown, with most of its growth done by about age 20. Younger fish add length fast; older fish mostly add weight.
Age from length is rough. Fish in warm water with plenty to eat grow faster than this, and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower. For a quick estimate from any length, use the fish age calculator.
| Age | Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 6.1 in | 0.10 lb |
| 2 years | 11.4 in | 0.67 lb |
| 3 years | 15.9 in | 1.9 lb |
| 4 years | 19.9 in | 3.7 lb |
| 5 years | 23.2 in | 6.0 lb |
| 6 years | 26.1 in | 8.7 lb |
| 8 years | 30.7 in | 14.4 lb |
| 10 years | 34.2 in | 20.0 lb |
| 12 years | 36.7 in | 25.0 lb |
| 15 years | 39.4 in | 31.0 lb |
| 20 years | 41.8 in | 37.4 lb |
From a von Bertalanffy growth curve. Fish in warm, food-rich water grow faster than this and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower, so treat every row as a rough middle.
Weigh your striped bass
Enter the length, and the girth if you taped it, for an estimate on your fish.
Photo tips for striped bass
fishline reads length from the photo using whatever is in frame for scale, so a clean, side-on shot gives the tightest number.
- 1Hold the fish side-on with your arms in close. Lip it with one hand, put the other under the belly, and keep it level with your chest instead of pushing it toward the lens.
- 2Get the whole fish in the frame, nose to tail, with the tail pinched closed the way you would on a bump board.
- 3Leave your hand on the fish where the camera can see it. fishline uses an adult hand for scale, and a bump board or tape in the shot is even better.
- 4Big stripers are heavy. Support the body under the belly with your second hand instead of hanging the fish from its jaw.
Or skip the tape. Snap a photo and fishline measures it.
Species, length and weight from one photo. 5 free measurements every month.