How to Catch Striped Bass
Striper Cup Fishing Guide
How to Catch Striped Bass
Striped bass are one of the most sought-after fish on the East Coast — and one of the most accessible. Whether you’re fishing from the beach, a kayak, or a boat, this guide covers everything a beginner needs to know to start catching stripers and turning them into prizes all season long.
How Do You Catch Striped Bass?
Striped bass are caught using live or cut bait, soft plastic lures, metal jigs, and topwater plugs. They are found along the entire East Coast from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine, following a predictable annual migration from spring through fall. The best approach depends on your location, the time of year, and whether you’re fishing from shore, a kayak, or a boat. Every method works — stripers are aggressive, opportunistic feeders.
What Are Striped Bass?
Striped bass — called “stripers” or “rockfish” depending on where you’re from — are a large, powerful saltwater fish native to the Atlantic Coast. They’re identified by seven horizontal stripes running along their silver sides. They can grow to over 50 pounds, but most fish encountered by recreational anglers range from 18 to 30 inches.
Stripers are anadromous, meaning they spawn in freshwater rivers and spend most of their lives in saltwater. That migration is what makes them available to anglers all along the coast from May through September — which is exactly why the Striper Cup runs that window.
The Striper Cup is a 20-week catch-photo-release tournament running May through September. Every inch of striper you catch earns you entries into weekly prize drawings for PENN rods and reels, YETI coolers, Bubba gear, and more.
Where Are the Striped Bass? The Annual Migration Explained
Striped bass don’t stay in one place. They follow water temperature, baitfish, and instinct up and down the coast every year. Understanding that migration is the single most useful thing a beginner can learn — it tells you when to expect fish in your area and what they’ll be eating when they get there.
The Striper Cup tournament window (May through September) covers the heart of the migration season. Here’s a region-by-region breakdown of what to expect:
Chesapeake Bay
May – June
The Chesapeake is one of the most important striped bass spawning grounds on the East Coast. Post-spawn fish move out of the bay hungry and aggressive in May and June, making this one of the most productive early-season windows anywhere on the coast. Trolling, jigging, and live-lining bunker are all effective.
Beginner tip: Early May fish are feeding hard after the spawn. You don’t need big gear or a big boat — small boats and kayaks can access excellent Chesapeake striper fishing.
New Jersey
May – June, September – October
New Jersey sits between two major spawning rivers — the Hudson and the Delaware — giving it some of the most consistent striper fishing on the coast. The spring run through Raritan Bay and down the surf is a classic NJ striper moment. The fall blitz, when cooling water pushes baitfish and bass onto the beaches, can be spectacular.
Beginner tip: The Jersey surf is one of the most accessible forms of striper fishing anywhere. A basic spinning rod, a bucktail jig or a chunk of bunker, and a spot on the beach is all you need to get started.
New York
May – June, September – October
New York has it all — the Hudson River, Jamaica Bay, Great South Bay, and Montauk. Spring brings fish into the bays chasing bunker schools. By fall, Montauk becomes one of the most famous striper destinations in the world as bass stack up on their southward migration.
Beginner tip: The Great South Bay and Jamaica Bay are excellent kayak and small-boat fisheries in May and June, with fish often visible on the surface chasing bunker.
Rhode Island
May – October
Rhode Island has one of the longest productive windows of any state in the tournament. Narragansett Bay fires up in May, the South County beaches produce all summer long, and the fall blitz can rival anything Montauk offers. The rocky shoreline is classic striper habitat.
Beginner tip: Rhode Island has excellent public shore access. South County beaches and the Breachway are good starting points for first-time surf anglers.
Connecticut
June – September
Connecticut’s Long Island Sound shoreline produces solid striper fishing through the summer months, with the eastern end of the Sound being particularly productive. August and September bring bigger fish as the migration pushes through.
Beginner tip: Connecticut’s river mouths — particularly the Connecticut River — are worth exploring in late spring as fish stage before moving into the Sound.
Massachusetts
May – September
Massachusetts offers the widest variety of striper fishing on the coast. Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay heat up in May. The Cape Cod Canal is one of the most famous striper fisheries in the world. The North Shore — particularly the Merrimack and Essex rivers — holds large fish all summer. Race Point at the tip of Cape Cod is a legendary spot for big numbers of beach bass.
Beginner tip: The Cape Cod Canal has public walkways on both sides and is a great place for beginners to watch experienced anglers and learn technique before trying it yourself.
Maine & New Hampshire
June – August
The northernmost reaches of the striper range, Maine and New Hampshire see fish arrive in June as water temperatures warm. The fishing is less consistent than further south but the scenery is hard to beat, and when the fish are there, they’re often large.
Beginner tip: River mouths and tidal estuaries are your best bet in Maine and New Hampshire — fish concentrate where baitfish funnel through on the tide.
Catch a Striper, Win a Prize
No matter where you fish, the Striper Cup turns every fish into an opportunity. Every inch counts — a 20-inch schoolie gives you 20 entries in that week’s drawing. Shore, Boat, Kayak, and Youth divisions mean you’re always competing on a level playing field.
How to Catch Striped Bass: Basic Tactics for Beginners
Striped bass can be caught in a lot of different ways, which is part of what makes them such a great beginner fish. You don’t need expensive gear or specialized knowledge to get started. Here are the four most accessible approaches:
Bait Fishing
The simplest way to catch a striper. Bunker (menhaden), clams, sand worms, and eels are all effective baits depending on the season and region. A basic fish-finder rig with a chunk of bait on the bottom is a proven setup from the surf or a boat. If you can find where baitfish are, stripers are usually close behind.
Soft Plastic Lures
Soft plastic swimbaits and paddle tails on a jighead are one of the most versatile and beginner-friendly striper lures. Cast and retrieve near structure, along channel edges, or anywhere baitfish are schooling. They work from shore, kayak, or boat, and they’re relatively inexpensive.
Metal Jigs & Bucktails
When stripers are actively feeding on the surface — what anglers call a “blitz” — a metal jig or bucktail cast into the melee is one of the most exciting ways to catch them. Cast past the breaking fish, retrieve through the school, and hold on. This is the kind of fishing that turns beginners into obsessives.
Topwater Plugs
Few things in fishing compare to a big striper blowing up on a surface plug at dawn. Pencil poppers and walking baits are effective when fish are feeding near the surface, typically early morning and evening. Not the easiest technique for beginners but absolutely worth learning.
What You Get When You Sign Up for the Striper Cup
Registration isn’t just tournament access — every angler gets a physical Striper Box in the mail loaded with actual gear to get you started:
Columbia PFG Fishing Shirt — a real fishing shirt, not a promotional t-shirt
Custom OTW Snapback Hat — new for 2026
Rapala Skitterwalk Topwater Lure — a proven striper lure right out of the box
Golden Ticket (adults) — free StriperFest admission and entry in the grand prize boat raffle
How the Striper Cup Works: Catch, Snap, Submit
Once you’re registered, entering your catch takes about 60 seconds:
- Catch a striped bass anywhere on the East Coast
- Take a photo — no measuring board required, just a clear photo that shows the fish’s size
- Measure the fish from tip of snout to end of tail
- Submit your catch at StriperCup.com — every inch earns one entry in that week’s drawing
- Release the fish and do it again — you can submit up to 3 fish per week
Weekly prizes from PENN, YETI, and Bubba go out to Shore, Boat, Kayak, and Youth divisions every week from May through September. You don’t need the biggest fish to win — you just need to be in the water.
Ready to Start Catching Stripers?
The Striper Cup runs May 1 through late September — 20 weeks of fishing, prizes, and the best striper season on the East Coast. Registration is $69.99 for adults, $54.99 for youth under 18.
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