Striped Bass Fishing

Welcome to our Striped Bass Fishing Home Page

Striped bass, also called stripers, are silver with 7 or 8 dark horizontal stripes that are not broken. Their body is longer than white bass and they have 2 patches of teeth on the tongue. The hybrids, a combination of the striped bass and white bass, have silvery sides with broken horizontal stripes that are unbroken above and below the lateral line. Big stripers over 30 pounds are not unheard of and fish in the 5 to 7 pound range are considered average in fresh water. In the ocean, 15 to 30 pound fish are common and even bigger fish in the 40 to 50 pound range are possible.

Striped Bass Fishing Tips

Quick Links

Baits, Rigs & Techniques	Tackle Recommendations

Best Fishing Rigs	Fishing Line Recommendations
Best Fishing Techniques	Fishing Rod & Reel Recommendations
Best Live & Natural Baits
Best Lures	Time of Day & Throughout the Seasons

Catch More & Bigger Fish	Seasons (Spring thru Winter)
	Time of Day
Catch Big Striped Bass
Catch Lots of Striped Bass	Water & Weather

Kitchen Table	Freshwater
	Saltwater
Eating Striped Bass	Weather

Habitat

Stripers migrate up rivers and streams to spawn in the spring. In fresh water, they thrive in deep water lakes and reservoirs. They can be found along the shorelines in the spring and fall, but you’re going to do much better if you fish for them in deeper water offshore. They primarily feed in large schools in open water.

Striped Bass are Found in Freshwater & Saltwater

Like you probably already read above, striped bass are found in freshwater and saltwater and many of the same tactics will work in both freshwater and saltwater. However, there are also specific tactics that work best for freshwater and saltwater.

Freshwater

Lake Cumberland Fishing

Striped bass can be found in freshwater lakes, reservoirs and rivers. Some bodies of water will provide more of an action experience with lots of smaller striped bass and some places will give you the chance to land a fish of a lifetime. Many anglers will troll for striped bass in freshwater lakes and reservoirs.

Saltwater

Gloucester, MA Fishing

In saltwater, it is all based on the migration along the East Coast. There is a spring migration, then the fish will hang around through the summer and fall, but as water temperatures cool down in the fall, these fish will migrate south again. During the peak of the run in the spring and fall, the fishing can be outstanding. It is common to see anglers casting lures from shore and boats along the east coast once the stripers move into a specific area.

Striped Bass Move a Lot

Whether it be from seasonal migrations or just them searching for food in open water, striped bass move a lot. Just because you found fish in one spot one day does not mean they will be there the next. Be willing to move to find fish or you may strike out big time. This goes for freshwater and saltwater.

Striped Bass Can Get Huge

Striped bass grow to enormous sizes, especially in saltwater.

Live Baits are a Must at Times

Striped bass can be caught on artificial lures, but to consistently catch big striped bass, many anglers have turned to using live baits because they work so much better. The preferred live baits will change based on freshwater or saltwater fishing, but big stripers definitely love fresh, live bait.

Striped Bass School Up in Big Numbers

Striped bass are definitely a schooling fish and at times, anglers can find them in huge numbers during the summer and fall. So if you can find them, there is a good chance you may catch a limit or more. If you don’t find them, it can be a long day on the water.

Featured Striped Bass Fishing Destinations

There are so many awesome freshwater and saltwater striped bass fishing destinations. Some of these destinations will be better for number while others will be awesome big fish destinations. There are some destinations that give anglers the chance to catch good numbers of fish with some big fish too.

Best Striped Bass Fishing Destinations

Best Baits for Striped Bass

Soft Baits

Hard Baits

Live Baits

Best Striped Bass Fishing Rigs

Best Striped Bass Fishing Techniques

Best Fishing Techniques for Striped Bass

Catch Big Striped Bass

Catch Lots of Striped Bass

Fishing Line Recommendations

You can use a wide range of fishing line based on the strength of it due to the fact that you may be fishing may different situations. If you are targeting 10 pound striped bass in saltwater, you will need heavier line due to the currents and you will most likely need some heavier fluorocarbon leaders to avoid the bite-offs from many of the other types of saltwater fish that have sharp teeth. In freshwater, you can get away some lighter line in some situations, but in others, you may be casting super heavy lures while hoping to catch a fish that weighs over 20 pounds.

Make sure to take a look at our fishing line recommendations for Striped Bass page to learn more.

Fishing Rod & Reel Recommendations

Similar to the wide range of fishing line strengths, the rod and reel will you need will depend on what type of fishing you are doing. If you are targeting smaller striped bass, you can get away with lighter tackle, but you will definitely need some heavy tackle if you are fishing for big striped bass.

Striped Bass Fishing Rod & Reel Recommendations