2018 Striper Migration Map

The spawn is on in the Chesapeake, and the sooner the big bass drop their eggs, the sooner they’ll be leaving the bay and taking a hard left toward the Northeast.

The pre-spawn blitz of the Hudson River stock is carrying on in the Raritan Bay, with the fish spreading out a little as water warms.

Migratory stripers hit Martha’s Vineyard this week, with reports of fresh fish on the Ocean-facing beaches of Rhode Island and the South Side of Cape Cod.

You can help by contributing to our weekly map updates—simply share your striper fishing reports here, and tag us on social media with #stripermigration.

Chesapeake Bay Striper Report

It’s been a chilly spring, and low water temperatures have delayed striped bass spawning in the tidal rivers. However, the past couple of days we have seen water temperatures finally reach acceptable temperatures for the fish, reports the Maryland DNR. There was a big spawn on the Choptank River, and the Nanticoke, Patuxent and Potomac rivers should be on the same general schedule. The Susquehanna Flats catch-and-release fishing for striped bass is continuing on a slow pace due to water temperatures. Slightly warmer water has been reported flowing into the flats from the Northeast River. Light tackle fishing for the smaller male fish has been fun and every once and a while a large female can be caught.

The striped bass that have spawned in the past few days will make their way down the tidal rivers and should hit bay areas in a few days. There is warmer weather predicted so there will be more spawning action.

Delaware Bay Striper Report

Warmer weather has perked up the fishermen and the fishing. Keeper striped bass and many shorts have been caught from shore and pier in the upper Bay. Bloodworms are the top bait along with chunks of menhaden.

New Jersey Striper Report

Raritan Bay remains the hot spot for striped bass.
The difference between this week and last is that the fish have begun to spread out a bit more, with fish moving toward the ocean and into the rivers. Reports indicate more shorts are showing up in the catch. There have been a few fish over 30 pounds, but most are in the high 20- to low 30-inch range. These larger bass are heavy with eggs, and fishermen are encouraged to let them go, so the fish can spawn in a couple weeks.

Throughout the rest of New Jersey, schoolie stripers still dominate the catch.  Expect to see some large post-spawn fish from the Delaware River rounding the tip of Cape May in a couple weeks or so. But in the meantime, there have been plenty of schoolie stripers around.

Read the Northern New Jersey Fishing Report

Read the Southern New Jersey Fishing Report

New York Striper Report

Large stripers continue to work their way up the Hudson River, feeding along the way on herring and bunker.

Some larger bass are spreading along Western Long Island, feeding on bunker to bulk up for the run up the Hudson.

Causeway Bait and Tackle said, there has been bunker in both Jones Inlet and Fire Island Inlet. With these bunker have been striped bass feeding on them. Off of Fire Island have been whales feasting on the bunker as well. They have also heard of smaller striped bass being caught on the north shore in the local harbors.

Smaller, migratory bass have made it out to the eastern end of the island. Bryce at White Water Outfitters said the striped bass in the back bays have been getting bigger with an occasional keeper mixed in. The best report he said was actually from the surf. He said before the bad weather yesterday there was fishing from the beach with some anglers catching up to 30 striped bass in a trip.

Read the New York Fishing Report

Connecticut/Rhode Island Striper Report

The Connecticut River herring runs are still filling up with bait, and early May looks promising for river striped bass, with the upcoming warm weather. While the big striped bass aren’t plentiful just yet, the schoolie bite has been strong for guys dunking sandworms. The best striped bass fishing remains in the Housatonic, and anglers are reporting good catches from the herring runs, along with the usual lower river haunts.

In Rhode Island, school bass are still hanging around the Pawcatuck River, but the fishing has been spotty. The warm weather that is forecasted next week should really help to kick up the activity levels. There is still a lot of herring coming through the river, and warming temperatures should result in more bass getting on their tails. Winter flounder interest has picked up quite a bit, but not too many are reporting back with positive results. There’s a trickle of stripers moving along the Rhode Island oceanfront, according to Dave Pickering and his blog, but he expects the fishing to break open with the warm weather on the way.

I got into the spring run last night in my kayak! Had a blast catching a mixed bag of schoolies and 30″ fish in the Housy on plastics. #KayakFishing #YakFishing #KayakFisherman #Kayaking #Kayak #OldTown #OldTownKayak #OldTownPredatorPDL #OldTownPredator #PedalKayaks #Pedaldrive #Fishing #StriperFishing #StripedBassFishing #StripedBass #MaroneSaxatilis #Striper #FishOn #OnTheWater #SaltwaterFishing #Fisherman #Booyah #OnTheWaterMagazine #HousatonicRiver #housatoniclurecompany #ConnecticutFishing #NightFishing #StriperMigration #RiverFishing #KayakRiverFishing

A post shared by Salty McFogg (@saltymcfogg) on Apr 21, 2018 at 6:02am PDT

Read the Connecticut Fishing Report

Read the Rhode Island Fishing Report

Cape Cod/ Massachusetts Striper Report

Schools of migratory stripers hit Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday. The fish were small, but a welcome sight nonetheless.

Holdover striper fishing continues to provide steady action from Cape Cod up to Boston, and some larger holdovers have been reported feeding, particularly in the west end of the Cape Cod Canal.

Read the Cape Cod Fishing Report

Read the Massachusetts Fishing Report