The big Chesapeake fish are done spawning and are on the move, crashing the nearshore waters and bunker schools from New Jersey to Rhode Island. Some Hudson River fish are through with the spawn and are spreading through Long Island Sound and back into Raritan Bay.
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Maryland/Chesapeake Bay Striper Fishing Report
Maryland’s trophy striper season closes on May 16, with summer regulations allowing one striped bass between 19 and 31 inches per day.
It was a slow trophy season, with most captains reporting slow fishing. It seems like most of the large post-spawn striped bass have vacated the upper and middle bay tributaries, while a few are still swimming through the lower bay on their way north. Check the Department of Natural Resources website for a map to locate areas open or closed to striped bass fishing.
New Jersey Striper Fishing Report
A wave of large, post-spawn striped bass hit the ocean-side waters of New Jersey over the past week, but the fish were scattered and not heavily feeding on the bunker schools just yet. Slot-size fish and larger are being caught in the surf as well, primarily on clams.
Some large striped bass are still moving through the Delaware Bay, where a few have been caught by anglers targeting black drum.
The Raritan continues to hold big numbers of bass as fish feed on their way back down out of the Hudson and out to the Atlantic.
New York Striper Fishing Report
Large stripers have hit the western South Shore as Chesapeake fish move north. Hudson Fish are sliding east through Long Island Sound. Things are about to break open all around Long Island.
Connecticut/Rhode Island Striper Report
The bulk of the activity in Connecticut is still centered around the rivers, but more migratory fish are filling in, and as water temperatures rise and bait spreads out, so will the bass.
Big bass, and big numbers, are locking in on the bunker schools in Narragansett Bay, where they’re being joined by big bluefish.
Cape Cod/Massachusetts Striper Report
Bass blitzed in the Cape Cod Canal this week, with reports of 40-plus-inch fish. Larger bass are being caught in Cape Cod Bay as well. There’s steady action with slot-sized fish all the way up to the North Shore.
New Hampshire/Maine Striper Report
Migratory bass have reached Maine, and 30-inch-class fish are right on their tails as warming waters continues to drive stripers north.
This article was originally published by Onthewater.com. Read the original article here.
