Striped Bass Fishing in Marlow Cove, MA
The fish this coast is known for. We throw topwater plugs and soft plastics at first light and drift live eels on the evening tides.
About the striped bass
The Northeast icon. Stripers blitz bait from spring through fall along beaches, rips, and boulder fields.
Typical season in Massachusetts
- January: off peak
- February: off peak
- March: off peak
- April: off peak
- May: peak
- June: peak
- July: peak
- August: peak
- September: peak
- October: peak
- November: off peak
- December: off peak
Peak months: May to October.
Striped bass is closed in federal waters, more than 3 miles offshore, so trips fish inside that line. Many states also close spawning rivers in spring.
Peak months are general guidance for the region, not regulations. Always check your state's current rules and ask us before you book.
May through October, with the biggest fish in June and again in the fall run.
Species guide
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
- How to identify
- Silver with 7 to 8 unbroken dark horizontal stripes.
- Size
- Up to 5 feet and 77 pounds
- Lifespan
- Up to 30 years
- Habitat
- Anadromous: lives in the ocean and returns to freshwater to spawn in spring.
- Range
- From the St. Lawrence River in Canada to the St. Johns River in Florida, and in the Gulf of America from Florida to Louisiana.
- Diet
- Small fish, crabs and squid
Did you know? Stripers were stocked into lakes and West Coast rivers in the 1800s and now support fisheries far from their native range.
Source: NOAA Fisheries