With migratory fish arriving in Maine, the spring striper migration has fully extended through the Northeast. Spawning is happening in the Hudson while fish from the Chesapeake are on the hunt for big schools of baitfish to refuel along their swim North.
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Maryland/Chesapeake Bay Striper Fishing Report
While the bass leftover in the Chesapeake are the non-migrating resident schoolies, Maryland anglers are still finding big fish along the ocean front from Ocean City to Assateague. Fish are moving north into Delaware waters and on up to New Jersey.
New Jersey Striper Fishing Report
Jersey still has large stripers throughout the entire coast, from the Delaware Bay and Cape May to Monmouth County. The large fish are in smaller packs in the southern half of the state, while anglers are finding big schools off the beaches of the northern half. Raritan Bay action slowed down, with some of those fish likely running up the Hudson to spawn and others returning to the ocean to feed. The oceanfront has picked up as post-spawn fish from the Chesapeake continue to arrive and stage in those waters and anglers from boat and beach finding success.
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New York Striper Report
Fish are actively spawning in the Hudson River, as big schools are staging there. Some of these fish will remain in the river into June, while others may already be working their way back down to saltwater.
The South Shore of Long Island is loaded with large stripers, especially the western end. Surf and boat fishermen are finding hungry fish. Montauk slowed, but another wave of fish should move in soon.
On the North Shore, western Long Island sound is stacked with large fish, with some post-spawn fish from the Hudson beginning to work their way through the sound. Long Island Sound is unique in that post-spawn stripers from both the Hudson and Chesapeake end up there, with the ocean-running Chesapeake fish moving in from the east and the Hudson fish moving in from the west. The eastern sound is just beginning to see some of these very large bass moving in.
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Connecticut/Rhode Island Striper Report
Big bass are being reported from Norwalk to New London as fresh migratory fish continue flooding into Long Island Sound. Bigger bass are showing on reefs, shallow flats, harbors, and river systems. The western Sound has seen especially strong pushes of quality fish, while the Connecticut River and surrounding areas are filling in with bass following herring runs.
Schoolies are widespread in Rhode Island (a welcome sight), and larger bass are showing around breachways, rocky shorelines, and reefs. A wave of bunker entered Narragansett Bay this week, bringing with it a fresh push of fish to 40-plus-pounds.
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Cape Cod/Massachusetts Striper Report
A school of large stripers have pushed through the Cape Cod Canal and are spreading through Cape Cod Bay and along the South Shore of Massachusetts. Fish continue to push along the South Coast of Massachusetts as they move from Rhode Island into Buzzards Bay. The South Side of Cape Cod and the Islands have been slower but should see a wave of fish filling into the rips from Falmouth to Monomoy soon, especially given this year’s strong squid run.
Big bass are chasing herring along the South Shore of Massachusetts and in Boston Harbor. Fishermen on the North Shore are reporting seeing big bass cruising into the Merrimack, but the fish have been hard to fool at times.
New Hampshire/Maine Striper Report
Slot-size and better stripers are following herring into Great Bay in New Hampshire, while schoolies with some slots are moving into Maine’s rivers, also hot on the tails of herring. The best action will remain in the rivers for a bit, until the ocean warms up and more ocean-going baitfish arrive.