While striped bass stocks may be depressed and our summer fishery certainly isn’t what it once was, we here in Chesapeake country are still major-league lucky. Even though the big, beautiful trophy fish head north every year they’re also guaranteed to come back. And while we can’t be assured of the exact timing, we know for a fact that we’ll get a shot at those fish either as winter sets in, as spring approaches, or both.

huge striped bass caught in chesapeake bay
M-E-G-A trophy rockfish like this will plaster a smile on any angler’s face. Remember, hold large striped bass with one hand on the jaw (not under the gill plate) and the other supporting it by the anal fin.

When to Catch Trophy Striped Bass in the Chesapeake

For several years running there’s been an arrival of trophies along with cold weather, much as there was back in the early 2000s when they often showed up as early as mid-November. In more recent times it’s been mid-December, with action lasting into early January before water temps dropped down so far that the fish became inactive.

In March we’ll get another shot at the trophies out on the open Bay. Much depends on the weather, of course, but at some point during this month opportunities should arise. Historically April would have been an even better time to target them and you still can if they’re in southern waters, but of course in Maryland the month of April has been closed even to catch and release—despite that fact that the open Bay waters where catch and release was previously allowed are 20-plus miles from the nearest spawning areas. The DNR has showed some willingness to reassess whether allowing for an April catch-and-release fishery makes sense, especially considering that release mortality is exceptionally low at this time of year (in the neighborhood of one to two percent depending on which figures you believe). We shall see.

Whether they show up this month or we have to wait until spring approaches, the 40-degree barrier is key. As a general rule of thumb once water temps fall below that mark the fish won’t eat, even if you dangle an irresistible temptation right in front of their noses. And as the waters warm back up, that’s the point at which they’ll start pursuing baitfish again. One exception: warm water discharges, which can remain productive right through the winter.

Where to Catch Trophy Stripers in the Chesapeake

These are wild critters we’re talking about, people, so predicting exactly where they’ll show up weeks or months in advance is a fool’s errand. That said, there are a few perennial winners. At the mouth of the Bay the CBBT often produces early winter runs on these fish. True, it happens a lot less these days than it did a decade or more ago, but there’s still a good bet that some anglers will pick up new PBs here before the month is out. The mouth of the Potomac is another regular hot zone. Just where the fish pop up is anyone’s guess but the entire area from Smith Point to Point Lookout, a mile or two out into the Bay and a mile or three going up the river, is often a good bet.

biggest striped bass in chesapeake bay
In recent years the waters near Poplar Island and the mouth of the Choptank have accounted for some magnificent catches, including this monster striper.

For the past several years the Middle Bay has also experienced an excellent run, with schools of fish popping up anywhere from Calvert Cliffs to the Choptank River to Poplar Island. The mid-Bay waters between the Choptank and Chesapeake Beach often offered the hottest bite in 2024, with some good action on the west side clear up to Franklin Manor.

Of course, as we said, these fish will do whatever the heck they want and every year is different. During the post-moratorium resurgence there were seasons when they staged at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and there were seasons when they decided to skip entering the Bay altogether and spent the winter months in the ocean or off the North Carolina coast. There’s just no way of knowing what will happen—but be ready, because if it happens in waters you can reach you’ll have a shot at tugging on one 40-inch-plus rockfish after the next.

How to Fish for Trophy Chesapeake Stripers

Back in the day many anglers targeted these fish with stock-and-trade spring trophy trolling tactics. Planer boards, tandems, and umbrellas were the gig. The old methods still work today, though stinger hooks should be removed from your trolling rigs; during March the use of stingers in Maryland waters is prohibited while trolling, as is the use of barbed hooks (barbless only). Also note that trollers are limited to six lines during March.

Eeling is also prohibited in Maryland during this timeframe, but eels are still fair game in Virginia waters. Some anglers prefer to drift them over shoals and bumps, others slow-troll them along bottom, and exceptionally hearty anglers will bundle up and head for the CBBT after dark to fish them under floats along the bridge light-lines. It can get very, very cold out there, but the brave souls who partake in this midnight madness often out-catch anglers fishing in broad daylight.

Fishing plastics, jigging spoons, and sometimes even topwater with light tackle is the main tactic applied in the Bay’s more northern waters. Often the fish will break into surface frenzies and give away their location—this is the perfect opportunity to chuck that big topwater lure and enjoy the surface explosion of a lifetime—and other times it’s possible to locate the schools on the meter and vertically jig. One- to two-ounce spoons work well depending on the fish’s depth, as do one- to two-ounce leadheads rigged with seven- to 10-inch soft plastics. Use smaller offerings and you’ll catch more 20- and 30-somethings, and remember that on occasion the elephants want to eat peanuts, too.

trophy striper on a jig
Seven- to 10-inch plastics are great offerings for trophy sized striped bass.

Few forms of fishing are as thrilling as catching these monsters on jigging sticks, but we should note that “light tackle” is a relative term and we don’t want to over-play these fish. They stand the best chance of survival when the fight is relatively short and they still have plenty of energy left when you slide the hook out and release them, so 20-pound gear should be considered minimal.

We can’t say where or when those trophy rockfish will show up, but we know one thing for sure: they’ll be back. We might not be as lucky as we once were, but we’re still very, very lucky. And your new PB rockfish could be right around the corner.

Striped Bass Catch and Release Best Practices

We know you’ve seen this before if you’re a regular reader of FishTalk and we hate to repeat ourselves, but protecting these fish and ensuring they swim off safely is too important to neglect. So, always be sure that:

  • When taking a picture, lip the fish with one hand while staying clear of the gills and gill plate, slide the other hand under the fish just aft of its belly as you lift its head, and hold it horizontally. (Holding them vertically by the jaw alone can cause serious injury). As you remove the fish from the water take a gulp of air and hold your breath. When you run out of air remind yourself that the fish can’t breathe either, and get it back into the water asap. After you get a picture or if you don’t need one, release fish by lipping them next to the boat and removing the hook without taking them out of the water.
  • Minimize netting these fish. We understand that in some scenarios (such as catching a new PB), you’ll want to bring the fish aboard, but do it as gently as possible. Never, ever use a landing net with knotted nylon. If you have one throw it away, please, and get a release net with mesh covered in rubberized coating. Don’t drop or dump the fish onto the deck, where it may flop around and injure itself. The netter should maintain control while the angler removes the fish from the net using the same method as described for removing a fish from the water. Then get your picture, and return the fish to the water asap.
  • Remember that anything dry and/or absorbent touching the fish can remove its protective coat of slime. Always wet your hands, any article of clothing, or anything else before allowing it to come into contact with the fish. It can be awfully cold out there in December so remember to pack a towel for drying your hands afterwards.
  • Crimp your barbs to minimize injury to the fish. Of course, it’s fine to start with a barb if you want to, but after catching a trophy or two why not grab the pliers and crimp it down for additional fish?
  • If a fish isn’t kicking and kicking hard, revive it. Hold it by the lower jaw in the water and swim it in a figure-eight, or idle the boat forward to get water pumping over its gills. When the fish bites down on your finger, you know it’s recovered enough energy to swim off.