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Striped Bass

Striped Bass

Striped bass in Maine are migratory fish that arrive from their Chesapeake and Hudson River breeding grounds during warmer months, characterized by distinctive dark horizontal stripes along their silvery bodies.

These anadromous fish prefer coastal waters, estuaries, and river mouths where they hunt for diverse prey.

Scientific Name: Morone saxatilis

Physical Characteristics:
  • Distinctive dark horizontal stripes along their silvery bodies.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Coastal waters, estuaries, and river mouths.

Key Locations

  • Prime striped bass waters include the Kennebec River, Casco Bay, Penobscot Bay, Boothbay Harbor, Portland waters, and the entire southern shore to the New Hampshire border.

Specific Spots

  • Rocky ledges, submerged reefs, boulder fields, jetties, and drop-offs.
  • River mouths, estuaries, marshes, and warming mud flats.

Striped Bass FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

What are the best lures and bait for Striped Bass in Maine?

Swimbaits, spoons, topwater plugs, diving plugs for trolling, and soft plastics. Live mackerel is effective where permitted.

What flies work for Striped Bass in Maine?

Deceivers, Clousers, and topwater poppers, Rich Murphy's Pamet Special (6" with deer hair, flash, and rabbit strip), sand eel imitations (4-7" in various colors), Popovics Surf Candy (3-4" for spearing and silversides), small unweighted baitfish patterns (2.5-4"), weighted bunny flies for deeper water, topwater flies...

When is the best time to fish for Striped Bass in Maine?

Maine's striped bass season runs from the second week of May through October, with prime fishing from June through September. First migrants (scouts) arrive in southern Maine waters in mid-May, reaching Portland/Yarmouth/Freeport by late May, and the Kennebec River area by month's end.

How do you catch Striped Bass in Maine?

Fish river mouths on dropping tides, use quiet presentations in shallow estuaries and marshes, and focus on areas 2-3 degrees warmer than surrounding water. Target structure like rocky ledges, submerged reefs, boulder fields, jetties, and drop-offs.

What do Striped Bass eat?

Maine stripers have an exceptionally varied diet including Atlantic menhaden (bunker), sand eels, Atlantic herring, mackerel, squid, crabs (green crabs, lady crabs), lobsters, American eels, various hake species, sea robins, sculpins, spearing, anchovies, scup, butterfish, and marine worms.

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