Striper Migration Map – April 7, 2023
The Striper Migration Map is back! Inshore water temperatures are warming and there are indications that bass spawning is right on schedule. Some early spawning has been reported in Chesapeake Bay tributaries, and big pre-spawn stripers are moving into northern New Jersey waters.
Signs are pointing to a great striper fishing season! Now is the time to sign up for the Striper Cup and get your sign-up package complete with a Rapala lure, Columbia PFG shirt, and great discounts on gear.
Maryland/Chesapeake Bay Striper Fishing Report
Maryland’s spring striped bass catch-and-release season will be closed April 1 through May 1. The MD Department of Natural Resources website includes maps of which areas can be legally fished. Remember, all fishing for striped bass in the main part of the Bay is closed from April 1 until May 1. The tidal rivers are closed to catch-and-release fishing for striped bass.
New Jersey Striper Fishing Report
Striped bass fishing in southern New Jersey has been good with anglers catching on natural baits in the rivers and backwaters and finding limited success during the day and better fishing during the night tides on artificials. Bridges in south Jersey are holding striped bass–most are 18 to 26 inches, but there are some 30-inchers mixed in. Spawning stripers are moving through Delaware Bay and have reached upper portions of the Delaware River.
The striper bite in Raritan Bay is red hot, more bass have moved into the rivers and the action is improving by the day in Barnegat Bay. Stripers of all sizes, including 40-inch class fish and a few up to 40 pounds, were reported this week by our New Jersey field editor, John Oswald.
New York Striper Fishing Report
Striper fishing is picking up a the west end of the island and in western Long Island Sound. Resident or “holdover” schoolie stripers are stirring in backwater areas on eastern Long Island. Stripers are active in the lower Hudson River.
Connecticut/Rhode Island Striper Report
Holdover striper fishing in the Housatonic River and in Connecticut River tributaries continues to improve as waters warm and more river herring arrive. There have also been reports of schoolies on the beaches in far western CT. Holdover stripers are also stirring in some of the Rhode Island salt ponds and rivers.
Cape Cod/Massachusetts Striper Report
Holdover striped bass have been reported in some fresh and brackish waters on Cape Cod and around Boston, with river herring trickling into the runs and ospreys returning to their posts. Fresh migrating fish are probably about 2 weeks away from hitting Martha’s Vineyard.
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