Striped Bass Fishing Guide

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is the premier inshore game fish of the US Atlantic coast, prized for powerful runs, large size, and excellent flavor. Seven or eight unbroken horizontal stripes running from head to tail on a silver body make it unmistakable. Anadromous populations spawn in freshwater rivers — particularly the Hudson, Delaware, and Chesapeake's Susquehanna and Potomac rivers — then return to saltwater for the rest of the year. The Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay are the two dominant spawning stock contributors for the coastal migratory population. Landlocked populations established in southern reservoirs have been enormously successful, supporting major freshwater fisheries from California to Georgia.

Striped Bass is a freshwater and saltwater species.

Habitat

Along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico; most abundant from Cape Hatteras north to Maine during summer migrations. In the ocean, found from the surf zone to 50+ feet over rips, tide rips, jetties, and structure; in estuaries, they move with tide cycles to chase baitfish.

Diet

Predatory generalist consuming bunker (menhaden), herring, mackerel, eels, squid, sand eels, shad, and most available baitfish. Menhaden are the single most important forage species for Atlantic striped bass — whereabouts of bunker schools reliably predicts striper location.

Fishing Techniques

Best Seasons

Spring, Fall

Size & Records

Average weight: 10 lbs. World record: 81.88 lbs (Westfield River, Massachusetts, USA (2011)).