The Stripers are Coming! The Stripers are Coming! (Fishing)

“The Stripers are coming! The stripers are coming!”
Paul Arbitman
Eastcoastangler.blogspot.com
Any New England fisherman knows that cry and waits for it all winter and early spring. Our very own midnight ride, trekking out onto various bodies of water, the moon light casting a shadow over our Striper seeking faces. At last, the migration has begun and our summer compadres are on their way back to familiar waters.
It is that time of the year again, folks. If there is a coastal fisherman in your life, prepare yourself for his impending absence, the Stripers are coming! The trumpeted return of the morone saxatilis. The Stripers have already begun their run and numbers are being reported along the North Atlantic seaboard as I type. Pretty soon a Google satellite image will show numerous little dots - anglers - filling the beaches from Delaware to Maine chasing their old friends, the Striped Bass.
Striped Bass over two years of age make two migrations annually, with the fish hatched in the Chesapeake showing the most extensive migration patterns. The first migration is back to the call of nature, to their spawning areas far upstream in coastal rivers. Some Stripers even travel as far as 100 miles upstream to spawn. The second migration is the stuff we wait for all year, their return North; and what fishing legends are made of.
The whisper of “schoolies” in the area can send a tingle up any avid angler’s spine. By most, stripers are considered the premier New England game fish. The striped bass is highly prized for its size, fierce battle on the line, and culinary savory. Live eels are the preferred method of catching in many areas. Other methods of catching include clams, sandworms, bunker chunks and large wooden plugs. Stripers are most likely to be found in tidal rips, strong currents, or wave action that creates turbulent, "live" water.
For all needs striper, come back and visit the East Coast Angler. Post your striper questions, trophy catches and fishing reports in the comment space on this article. It will hopefully be a long striper season and we will relish these beauties together. “The Stripers are coming! The Stripers are coming!” Don’t be the last one to welcome them back. Work hard, fish harder.

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