Striped Bass Fishing

Captain Eric Stapelfeld with a trophy striped bass caught on Hairball Charters

Striped bass are a migratory species that summer in and around Massachusetts waters. The primary wintering grounds for striped bass is the Chesapeake Bay area and they range as far north as Canada.

A trophy striped bass caught on hairball charters with Captain eric stapelfeld off cape Cod

A trophy striped bass caught on hairball Charters

Striped bass are an intelligent fish that can be difficult to catch. They tend to be ambush hunters that lie in wait in the lee side of structure and use the tides to bring prey to them. Therefore, they tend to stay closer to the bottom than other game fish, such as the bluefish. Often times schools of stripers and bluefish can be found moving together – bluefish above and stripers below. Sometimes stripers can be caught at the surface when they have corralled the bait and forced it to the top.

Common prey species include: squid, menhaden (pogies), north american eel, sand eels, mackerel, herring, crabs, lobster, scup (porgies) Read more about striped bass at GoFISHn.

Techniques

Stripers are Hairball Charters’ specialty. We are famous for catching trophy striped bass. Where other fishing captains might just catch you a striped bass, we’ll land you a striper of a lifetime!

As stripers tend to stick to the bottom, the famous hairball jig is effective at tricking them into a strike. The key to catching striped bass is matching the hatch – what they are actively feeding on at the moment, mimicking the action and size of that specific prey species. The waters around Cape Cod provide the ideal habitat with abundant prey species that stripers crave. Topwater fishing with live baits, such as; menhaden, mackerel and squid or soft plastic baits and plugs can be very effective and entertaining. Fishing chunked menhaden, or live scup or eel on the bottom can also be effective. Read more about striped bass fishing techniques at GoFISHn.

Catch Limits

New England Patiots with trophy striped bass on board Captain Eric Stapelfeld's Hairball Charters

New England Patriots with tropy striped bass on Hairball Charters

Hairball Charters adheres to the Massachusetts recreational fishing limits of two stripers 28 inches and over, per person, per day.

On the Table

Stripers are an excellent table fish. Striped bass has a firm white flesh that is excellent for grilling, frying, broiling and smoking.

Call 617-755-1847 to book your Cape Cod fishing charter today