It seemed like the migration was about to really pick up speed last weekend, but a reset to wintry conditions this past week slowed things back down. With more stable weather on the horizon, look for the bass to make big moves in the next 7 to 10 days. Already, migratory fish have been reported as far north as Connecticut.
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All striped bass fishing is closed in Maryland Chesapeake Bay waters. For more information about the timings and areas where striped bass fishing is allowed in the Chesapeake Bay, check out the Maryland DNR’s Striped Bass Regulation Maps.
Lots of rain this week dampened fishing efforts, but before the weather turned, anglers in Delaware Bay were catching fish to 40-plus inches on bait. Despite the weather, fish to 30 inches or better were reported in the backwaters throughout South Jersey, mostly on bloodworms or clams, but some falling to soft plastics.
Anglers in the northern half of the state expressed similar frustrations, with good fishing at the beginning of the week, followed by unfishable conditions, yet the bass remain in the bays, falling for clams and bloodworms.
Schools of bunker hit the western South Shore bays on Long Island this week, bringing with them some 30- to 36-inch stripers, joining the schoolies and holdovers. Dirty water in the bays has hampered the fishing, but schools of bass and baitfish continue to move along the North and South shores.
Read the Long Island/NYC Fishing Report
Despite another week of below-average temperatures, and a poorly timed Nor’easter, the spring-time activity is right on schedule across Connecticut. There were scattered reports of migratory stripers, covered in sea lice, on Connecticut’s western shorelines and along Long Island’s north shore. Meanwhile, holdover striped bass activity levels have increased, despite the cooling surface temperatures, as more and more river herring enter the river systems each day.
No fresh fish reported in Rhode Island just yet, but holdover activity is improving, and squid and other baitfish are beginning to move in.
As the herring runs fill up, larger holdovers are becoming more active in Massachusetts, including in Boston Harbor. No word of migratory fish yet.
