Striped Bass: Migration Patterns

Striped bass are a anadromous species of inshore game fish that are native tothe eastern coast of the United States. Their range spans from the lower St. LawrenceRiver in Canada to the St. John’s River in Northern Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico.But the main body of fish can be found in the waters from Maine to North Carolina offeringboth shore and boat fishermen incredible angling opportunities throughout the season.The largest populations of striped bass spend the winter months in the deep watersoff North Carolina and Virginia. Mature fish begin to move up the coast in late winter towardstheir spawning grounds. Although the major breeding stocks come from theChesapeake Bay, the Hudson River and the Delaware River there are populations inmany of the smaller tidal rivers along the east coast. After spawning they descend theestuaries and spread along the coast. Some stay nearby but many are destined for thewaters of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Others move around Montauk towards BlockIsland and on to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod. By early summer stripersreach the North Shore of Massachusetts and the coast of Maine. Throughout the seasonschools of fish take up residence in the waters of New England in rivers, bays andthe surf. As the summer passes and temperatures begin to fall, stripers begin to movesouth. Throughout the fall they feed along the way filling up for their journey down thecoast. Many of the smaller, immature fish ascend some of the larger rivers for the winterbut most continue south in search of warmer water and their winter homes. This happensin waves and by december big schools of stripers can be found off the coast ofNew York and New Jersey. By January most of the stripers have made it south andhave reached their destinations only to repeat the migration in a few months.