Striper Fishing in New Jersey

While stripers are native to salt water, they naturally migrate into fresh water streams to spawn. Their eggs must remain in motion in order to hatch so the fresh water rivers and streams which drain into the ocean become the spawning grounds for stripers.

Striper Fishing Lakes In New Jersey

The Delaware River, Manasquan Reservoir and Union Lake are great places to look for inland stripers. The costal waters and tributaries feeding into them also contain striped bass. The New Jersey state record striped bass was pulled from the Delaware River.

Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis
World Record: 78.8 lbs

In natural settings striped bass live the majority of their life in the ocean and migrate into freshwater rivers to spawn. Once it was determined that stripers could survive in fresh water they were introduced into fresh water impoundments as a test. Results ranged from complete failure to resounding success. Often successful to the extent of eating the local species out of house and home. Stripers can live up to 30 years if conditions allow.

Striped bass generally spend their time in the middle sections of the lake, in deeper water than most fish. Their primary diet is shad. They prefer the larger shad which are too big to be eaten by the vast majority of other fish in the lake. Stripers will eat just about any fish they can get in their mouth. As a schooling fish which can grow to enormous size they can deplete a school of baitfish in very short order. When you catch a striper you can rest assured that there are probably more close by.

Fishing for Striped Bass in New Jersey

When fishing for stripers concentrate on the deeper waters in the lake. If you can locate schools of shad, stripers are often close by. When the baitfish are shallow over the deep water, you can catch stripers on crankbaits or by swimming spoons at appropriate depths. And for the ultimate thrill try large topwater baits if you see any surface feeding action. When the stripers are deep, jigs and jigging spoons work well. Live and cut bait will also take striped bass when they are in medium to deeper water. Fish nearby or in the river channel if it is a defined depth change. Trolling is also an excellent way to fish for stripers. Use flashy lures in bigger sizes.

Hybrid Bass - Wiper Bass
Morone saxatilis - Morone chrysops
World Record: 27.3 lbs.

A cross between a white bass and striped bass, created by by fertilizing female white bass eggs with sperm from male striped bass. Also known as whiterock bass. They prefer water temperatures from 70 to 78 degrees. Wipers excel in the warmer waters of the southern region. They tend to school like both parent species and feed primarily on shad and other bait fish. They can be caught on light to medium tackle using jigs, spoons, live minnows and most lures imitating bait fish. Look for these hybrid striped bass near the middle sections of the lake over deep water. Fish for them as you would their parent, the striped bass.

Striped Bass Organizations & Resources

Stripers Forever
Stripers Online
Interesting Quotes About Striped Bass
Striped Bass Research

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NAll About Fishing for Stripers and Hybrid Striped Bass in New Jersey.