Top East Coast Striped Bass Fishing Locations

Striped bass fishing on the East Coast is not just a hobby, but a lifestyle for many anglers. From the challenges they present during different times of the year to the memorable days, these locations are some of the best fisheries for those chasing big saltwater stripers.

Striped Bass Fishing Hotspots on the East Coast

The best striper fishing in the country happens on the East Coast. The saltwater around the eastern shores provides year-round action for anglers. Some of these striper fishing locations are widely known, while others are somewhat sneaky places to land big striped bass and avoid crowded coastlines. Check them out yourself!

Photo courtesy of Ken Neill

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is by far the most well-known striped bass fishing spot on the East Coast. Most stripers spawn in the Bay, which is the largest estuary in the country. This vast water system offers shallow flats for spawning and thousands of different pieces of structure for feeding and staging. If you go, the top areas within the Chesapeake Bay system are the Susquehanna Flats and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Both of these locations load up throughout the year with quality stripers, and offer some of the best striper fishing in the country.

Jersey Shore

The New Jersey Shore has been producing giant stripers for the last decade. Anglers are commonly catching 30+ pounders all along the Jersey coast. If you go during the spring, focus on spots like the Delaware and Raritan Bays where bass move in and out during the spawning season. Other places to catch striped bass include Sandy Hook, Cape May, and Island Beach State Park.

Massachusetts Coast

Moving up the East Coast, Massachusetts is another striped bass hotspot. Places like Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod are true fishing towns on this state’s coast. The cooler waters draw numerous game fish during the summer months, including schools of striped bass. Stripers complete their spring migration on this coast and pile up in large numbers. Bar Harbor is another location along the Massachusetts coast that can turn on fire during the summer. Fortunately, these places to catch striped bass also make for great summer vacation areas, so it is a win-win for a summertime trip.

New York Regions

New York certainly also has to make the list of top East Coast striped bass fishing locations. Similar to Massachusetts, New York has plenty of diverse places to fish for striped bass. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation puts a lot of effort into managing and researching the stripers off their coast, which is a huge advantage for anglers. Stripers over 50 pounds have been caught offshore of Long Island near Montauk, New York. Here, the rip currents concentrate bait and set up a feeding frenzy for striped bass. Shore anglers have a great opportunity in this location as larger boats have a hard time fishing near the huge boulder fields that create the currents where stripers feed. Another lesser-known hot spot is Jamaica Bay, which is a larger protected estuary between Queens and Brooklyn, which can (at times) have some of the best striper fishing in the country.

Overall, the home for saltwater striped bass fishing is the East Coast. Numerous fishing towns dot the map up and down the Atlantic Ocean. However, the best striper fishing in the country starts and ends with the Chesapeake Bay, Jersey Shore, and Massachusetts and New York coasts.