Striper Migration Map - April 17, 2015

CHESAPEAKE BAY

Chesapeake Bay guide Walleye Pete reported that the first half of April brought more over 40″ stripers than he’s ever had in 16 years of guiding. Big female striped bass to 50-plus pounds have moved well up into Chesapeake Bay to spawn, but smaller stripers are still abundant at Calvert Cliffs and are moving into the Eastern Shore islands.

DELAWARE RIVER/BAY

Large schools of stripers have moved into the Delaware Bay, where fishermen are catching them on clams. Stripers were reported in the Delaware River as far north as Philadelphia, but muddy water from the recent rains curbed striper fishing for most of the week.

NEW JERSEY

More stripers, including some keepers, are being reported in the New Jersey backwaters. Clams and bloodworms are working, as are small jigs and plugs.

Larger stripers have moved into Raritan Bay. Good numbers of 28- to 32-inch fish are being caught on clams by shore and boat fishermen. Several bass to 20 pounds have been reported so far on bunker chunks, and a 40-pounder was reported on April 17 by The Tackle Box in Hazlet. Schools of bunker in the bay are a good sign that larger bass are not far behind.

Schoolie stripers have hit the beachfront throughout New Jersey. The vast majority are being caught on bait, but a few have been reported caught on lures.

NEW YORK

Stripers to 30 inches have been reported in the Hudson River, but water level has been high and dirty.
Coastal striper season opened on April 15 in New York, and reports are coming in despite the cold water temperatures. Most action is coming from the harbors on the western North Shore, but there are reports of stripers in the South Shore bays as well.

CONNECTICUT

Holdover striped bass have become very active in the Housatonic, Connecticut, and Thames rivers. River herring entering the rivers are putting larger bass to 20 pounds on the feed, especially at night.

RHODE ISLAND

Holdover striped bass are hitting in Rhode Island locations like the upper Providence River and the Narrow River. A few folks have tried for schoolie stripers at the West Wall, but there have been no fish reported yet.

MASSACHUSETTS

Holdover stripers have been caught this week in Massachusetts in the Charles and Mystic rivers and in several South Coast and Cape Cod rivers and estuaries.

NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE

Striper anglers are waiting patiently.