Remember that the Ocklawaha River -- before the advent of Rodman Dam in 1968 -- was the furthest south successful spawning habitat for striped bass in the U.S. The formerly 56-mile length free and swift-flowing Ocklawaha River - Silver River - Silver Springs system had the right conditions (current flow and velocity, length, and water temperature) in the late winter-early spring for stripers to practice their "basic instinct" successfully!