Striper Cup Week 5: Big Bass From Maine to Maryland

Week 5 of the 2026 Striper Cup is in the books! Five anglers from New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey took home gear this week as the spring run rolled into June.

Shore — Gary Huang

Great Neck, NY
Wins the PENN Slammer 5500 / Carnage 10′ Combo

Boat — Mike Laprade

Granby, MA
Wins the PENN Authority 5500

Kayak — Cristian Derbalian

River Edge, NJ
Wins the PENN Slammer IV 4500

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Youth — Dane Jensen

Greenport, NY
Wins the PENN Battle IV Spinning Rod & Reel Combo

Costa Photo Contest — Shannon Stafford

Edgartown, MA
Wins a pair of Costa Sunglasses

See the full 2026 prize lineup →

Migration Update: 40-Inch Bass From Maine to Maryland

The spring run hits peaks and valleys, with the peaks happening around the moons and the shallow valleys in between. May’s new moon pulled bass out of some areas and left voids the next full moon will fill, but plenty of regions are still holding strong, especially places with big forage. There are a surprising number of large migratory bass in Northern New England for this time of year, and the upshot is that anglers from Maine to Maryland have 40-inch bass swimming in their waters right now.

Big fish are still holding in Delaware Bay and off the Cape May and Atlantic County beaches. North of Barnegat Inlet, schools of very large bass are staged on the ocean side, with fish as big as 52 inches occasionally pushing into the surf. Bunker are flooding the bays of Long Island, and the Western Sound especially had a strong week. Many of the new arrivals are likely post-spawn Hudson fish moving back to salt. From Norwalk to New London, Connecticut is filling in with bass following the herring runs. Rhode Island is loaded with schoolies and bigger fish around breachways and reefs. Massachusetts has 30- to 40-pound bass cruising Cape Cod Bay, the Canal, and the Cape’s south side, and migratory fish have officially extended into New Hampshire and Maine.

For the full picture, check the Striper Migration Map and the Striper Migration Report.

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.