Spawning activity is over in the Chesapeake Bay Tributaries and the Delaware River and appears to be winding down in the Hudson. Schools of large bass surprised fishermen in New England by showing up a little early last weekend, capped off
Chesapeake Bay
The spring trophy season the Chesapeake has ended, with the size limit dropping from 35 inches to 20 inches this week. Overall, the Maryland DNR Report says it was a disappointing trophy season on the bay with fishermen struggling to catch fish that met the minimum size. There’s speculation that poor river conditions during the spawning season caused many bass to leave the bay early without spawning, a claimed supported by the anecdotal evidence that many of the early-arriving large stripers in New England still have eggs in them.
Right now, there are plenty of 20- to 28-inch stripers in the Chesapeake, but it seems the vast majority of large females have left the Bay.
Delaware Bay and Southern New Jersey
Stripers to 35 pounds are still working their way out of the Delaware Bay according to our Southern New Jersey Fishing Forecast. Some of these fish are moving along the South Jersey beaches.
Northern New Jersey and Raritan Bay
A school of monster stripers…
