If you look at how stripers reproduce it's obvious they couldn't be doing it around here. The eggs (once fertilized) must be in moving (fresh) water for several days before they're viable. If they sit on the bottom or are silted over they don't hatch. Therefore the river system they reproduce in must be extensive enough for them to be swept along until they hatch. It is also dependant on temperature of the water and any pollutants conntained in the water. If you look at the Hudson River, and Chesapeake River systems you'll see what I mean. That's why stripers reproduce where they are landlocked in South Carolina. The river feeding Santee-Cooper has a run far enough upstream for the eggs to make it. This isn't my opinion, it comes from a fair amount of research and information fromStripers Unlimited. **David**