The 2026 Striper Cup is officially underway. As striped bass push north along the Atlantic coast and anglers from the Chesapeake to Cape Cod settle into the early-season grind, Week 1 of the 20-week tournament has produced its first round of winners across all four divisions, plus the season’s first Costa Photo Contest winner!
REGISTER FOR THE 2026 STRIPER CUP →
Shore — Brian Larsen
Orleans, MA
Wins the PENN Slammer 5500 / Carnage 10′ Combo
Boat — Eugene Silva Jr.
Rumford, RI
Wins the PENN Authority 5500
Kayak — Matt Dewey
Taunton, MA
Wins the PENN Slammer IV 4500 Spinning Reel
Youth — Richie Lotko
Ridgefield, CT
Wins the PENN Battle IV Spinning Rod & Reel Combo
Costa Photo Contest — John Ipri
Delran, NJ
Wins a pair of Costa Sunglasses
See the full 2026 prize lineup →
The Striper Migration Is On
Week 1 of the Striper Cup landed right in the heart of one of the most active stretches of the spring run. Big stripers are running the beaches from Maryland through New Jersey and out to Long Island, a wave of bass pushed into Narragansett Bay around the first full moon of May, and fresh fish are filling in across Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay. The spawn is wrapping up in Chesapeake Bay, and pockets of bunker are fueling solid spring fishing up and down the Striper Coast.
With 19 weeks left on the calendar, the leaderboard is wide open — and so is the door to weekly prizes for catching fish.
Want to know where the bass are right now? Check the OTW Striped Bass Migration Map and the latest Striper Migration Report for reports from Maryland to Maine.
Not Registered Yet?
It’s not too late to get in. Every Striper Cup registration includes the Striper Box (Columbia PFG shirt, Rapala lure, OTW snapback, collectible pin, and YETI discounts), a shot at weekly prizes, and a Golden Ticket entry into the grand prize boat raffle at StriperFest.
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