Striped bass spawning in the Chesapeake tributaries “kicked into high gear” this week, while schools of pre-spawn stripers loaded into the Raritan Bay to feed before running up the Hudson River. Cold windy weather limited the striper fishing throughout most of the rest of the Northeast, but rumors of fresh stripers as far north as Massachusetts have anglers ready to hit the water.

Turn your caught stripers into weekly prizes in the Striper Cup! Sign up today, and you’ll receive a Striper Cup box loaded with stickers, discount codes, a Rapala lure, VMC Hooks, and a fresh, new Columbia PFG shirt featuring an awesome original striper design.

Striped bass fishing is closed in all Maryland portions of the Chesapeake Bay until May 15. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported that the striped bass spawn kicked into high gear last week in the upper Choptank, Nanticoke, Patuxent, and Potomac rivers when water temperatures reached 61 degrees. The upper Bay spawning sites will soon follow, they are usually later due to cooler water temperatures coming from the Susquehanna and Elk rivers.

On the ocean side and inside Ocean City Inlet, where striped bass fishing remains open, anglers are reporting good action on bass to about 28 inches.

The fishing in the Raritan Bay broke open this week, as large stripers followed schools of bunker into the Bay. Throughout the rest of the state, fishing remained mostly unchanged due to colder weather.

Before the temperatures dipped and the wind cranked up, anglers on the western North Shore of Long Island found good schools of active stripers earlier this week. Things are ready to fire up once the weather stabilizes.

Steady holdover fishing continues in Connecticut, with river herring bringing out some of the larger fish.

Still no signs of migratory fish in Rhode Island, though the holdovers are plenty active. Expect the first scout stripers to be moving in over the next week.

The rumor mill is churning with reports of fresh stripers, but there’s no confirmation yet. If the past few years are any indication, the first migratory schoolies of the season should hit Martha’s Vineyard within the next week to 10 days.