Week 18 of the 2026 Striper Cup is in the books! Six anglers from Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut took home gear this week, including the final winner of our SIMRAD bonus, as the fall run started to build along the coast.
REGISTER FOR THE 2026 STRIPER CUP →
Shore — Tyler Macari
Narragansett, RI
Wins the PENN Slammer 5500 / Carnage 10′ Combo
Boat — Bryan Marshall
Nashua, NH
Wins the PENN Slammer IV 5500 Reel
Kayak — Michael Wardrop
Scarborough, ME
Wins the PENN Authority 4500 Reel
Youth — Nolan Costa
Pembroke, MA
Wins the PENN Battle IV 4000 Spinning Combo
SIMRAD Bonus — Ross Silva
Eastham, MA
Wins the SIMRAD NSX 3009 Chartplotter & Fish Finder
Costa Photo Contest — Carl Buschmann
East Haddam, CT
Wins a pair of Costa Sunglasses
See the full 2026 prize lineup →
Striped Bass Migration Report: The Fall Run Builds
The fall run keeps building, with bunker and bait pushing inshore and the bass firing up as the water cools. Here’s the quick read by region, with a link to each full report.
Cape Cod & Massachusetts
Bass and bunker blitzes are pushing inshore, closer than they’ve been all season, with mackerel getting live-lined for stripers and 25 feet of water the sweet spot. View the full Massachusetts report →
New Hampshire & Maine
Stripers are condensed and tight to inshore structure, keyed on pogy schools holding in harbor mooring fields, with the best action on sand eels and after dark. View the full New Hampshire & Maine report →
Rhode Island
A strong bite in the Upper Bay near Conimicut signals the bass are firing up again, and the bonito bite has ramped back up as the summer pattern starts to fade. View the full Rhode Island report →
Connecticut
It’s starting to feel like the early fall run, with schoolie and slot bass blitzing on spearing and peanut bunker in the Sound. Fish early and late, not midday. View the full Connecticut report →
Long Island & NYC
Cooling water has bait stacking up everywhere, spearing, peanuts, and butterfish, setting the table for the fall run. The Sound striper bite should flip on in September. View the full Long Island report →
New Jersey
Still a fluke, bluefish, and bonito game down the shore, with captains eyeing the fall striper run as cooler weather approaches. View the full New Jersey report →
Chesapeake Bay
Striped bass targeting stays closed in the Maryland bay through August 31 and reopens September 1, though the Potomac’s main stem opened August 21. Spanish mackerel and bluefish fill the gap. View the full Chesapeake report →
For the big picture, check the Striper Migration Map.
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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