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Fish guide

Striped Bass

Morone saxatilis. Also called Striper, Bass, Linesider, Rockfish, Schoolie, Cow.

A striped bass with its dark lengthwise stripes swimming over a sandy bottom

Showing the fish for Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay mouth, VA.

Season in Virginia Beach

Peak months: Jan, Dec.

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VSWFT citations for CBBT, Virginia Beach and Bay-mouth areas: 25 in January and 18 in December, a few in April, none June to November (2024 to 2025); surf citations April and May. FishTalk: trophy fish around the CBBT in January on eels, spawning run starting in March, slot fish in tidal rivers in May and October, big migrants expected late November or early December, summer fish at lighted docks. (Our inference)

Season by region

Long Island
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Maine
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New Hampshire
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North Shore MA
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Cape Cod
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Rhode Island
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Connecticut
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North Jersey
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South Jersey
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Delmarva
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Virginia Beach
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Outer Banks
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Where to find them

Winter trophies around the CBBT and the Eastern Shore channel ledge (boat, live eels); lighted docks and bridges in the Lynnhaven, Rudee, Elizabeth and James rivers at night; Sandbridge and Eastern Shore surf in April and May.

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

Virginia has separate Bay and ocean striped bass rules and seasons; check VMRC before keeping one.

Recipes for striped bass

Typical: Slot-size fish in the rivers. Large: Trophy fish in winter at the CBBT.

Limits

FishOS has not checked the VA limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission before you keep a fish.

Sources

All the fish of Virginia Beach

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Striped Bass: season, lures and limits | FishOS