Striped Bass

Season in Maine

Peak months: Jun, Jul, Aug.

OTW May 2025: bass return in May to marshes, back bays and rivers; shop reports show big fish on the beaches by late June; Maine DMR 2017 report: bass start leaving the rivers for the southern migration in early September; OTW Oct 10 2024: the bulk have migrated south, a few still in the Saco River and near Camp Ellis. (Our inference)

Season by region

Where to find them

Salt marshes (Laudholm, Scarborough Marsh), back bays and herring-run rivers in May; then beaches and river mouths such as Parsons Beach, the Scarborough River jetty, Ferry Beach, Biddeford Pool, Camp Ellis, Hills and Higgins beaches; rock piles, beach bowls and ledges in midsummer (Maine DMR, OTW).

From the wash out past the bar; spring and fall blitzes on bunker, sand eels and small bait.

What to look for

Bunker schools being pushed, birds over sand eels or rainbait, rips and drop-offs where waves make turbulence, inlet current at night.

What to throw

Bucktail or jighead with a 4 to 5 in paddle tail1/2 to 1 oz, 4 to 5 in tail. Slow hops along the bottom: lift, drop, let it touch, repeat.

Soft-plastic eel or stickbait (Slug-Go, GT Eel style)Weightless, or 3/8 to 3/4 oz jighead oz, 9 to 13.5 in. Weightless on top when fish are active or at first light; weighted versions drifted through rips, twitched through boulders or dead-sticked near bottom.

Swimming minnow plug (Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow style)3/4 to 1 oz, 4 to 5 in. Steady medium retrieve with occasional twitches and pauses.

Pencil popper1 to 5 oz, Sized to the bait, from silversides to adult bunker. Slow and deliberate, speeding up when a fish shows interest; or hold the rod tip and bounce it hard while barely advancing the plug so it churns in place.

Bait

Live eels, Live bunker (menhaden), Live mackerel, Bunker or mackerel chunks, Cut squid, herring, crabs, Live spot (summer, North Shore). Fish-finder with a pyramid sinker and a long leader, with a float near the hook to keep the bait off the bottom away from crabs and skates. Use a circle hook with bait..

Leader

NY Sea Grant: light (6 to 12 lb) to medium (20 lb) line on a spinning rod; heavier surf outfits for big fish around rocks.

Common mistakes

• Leaving bait on the bottom for crabs and skates (NY Sea Grant floats it up)
• Using a J hook with bait instead of a circle hook
• Fishing mid-day flat calm when the fish feed after dark and at dawn

Landing

Let a wave carry it up the beach; release fish should stay in the water.

Handling

• Sharp dorsal spines
• Sharp gill cover edges

Keep released fish in the water, support the belly, and use a circle hook with bait. ASMFC estimates about 9 percent of released stripers die, so handle quickly.

Keep or release

Maine DMR calls it renowned for excellent flavor. Fishing for or keeping striped bass in federal waters beyond 3 miles is unlawful (Maine DMR); keep only within the state slot in the regulations file.

Recipes for striped bass

Typical: Schoolies in spring; 30 in plus fish on the beaches by late June. Large: Fish over 40 in on chunk and eel from the beaches (Saco Bay Tackle, June 2017).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the ME limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Maine Department of Marine Resources before you keep a fish.

Sources

• On The Water: What's Biting in May in Maine? (Capt. Luis Tirado, 2025) (Angler knowledge)
• On The Water: New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report, June 29 2017 (Suds 'n Soda, Dover Marine, Saco Bay Tackle, Webhannet) (Angler knowledge)
• Saltwater fishing report, Sept 6 2017, compiled by Bruce Joule, Maine DMR (Portland Press Herald) (Official source)
• On The Water: Coastal New Hampshire and Maine Coast Fishing Report, Oct 10 2024 (Angler knowledge)
• The Fisherman: Too Warm, Or Too Cold? Species' Preferred Temperature Ranges (Aguiar, 2023) (Angler knowledge)
• On The Water: Spring Fly Fishing for Striped Bass (Barrett, 2022) (Angler knowledge)
• US FWS species profile FWS/OBS-82/11.8: striped bass, Mid-Atlantic (Fay, Neves and Pardue, 1983), mirror copy (Official source)
• New York Sea Grant fish profile: Striped Bass (Cornell, 2001) (Official source)
• On The Water: Long Island and NYC Fishing Report, March 21, 2024 (Angler knowledge)

All the fish of Maine