Species guide · Virginia
Striped bass fishing in Virginia
Morone saxatilis, a sea-run species also called striper, rockfish and rock. Listed for the Mid-Atlantic region. Shoulder season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA at 63, one of 10 Virginia bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Shoulder seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Mid-Atlantic
Shoulder season, about 1 more week- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Peak season
- May: Peak season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Off season
- Aug: Off season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Peak season
Peak: Apr to May, Oct to Dec. In season (shoulder or peak): Mar to Jun, Sep to Dec.
Research notes, Mid-Atlantic region
Spring run as mature fish enter the Chesapeake, Delaware and Hudson to spawn (April-May), a slow hot-water summer, and a fall run as the coastal migratory stock moves south (October-December; New Jersey and Virginia often best in November-December). Ocean slot is 28-31 inches, 1 fish (ASMFC Addendum II). Maryland closes Chesapeake spawning rivers to targeting March-May and all Bay targeting in August (2026 rules); Virginia's Bay fall season runs October into December. Federal waters beyond 3 miles are closed.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 10
Virginia bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's striped bass score this hour.
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (63) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 7 PM (71) · 45 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (63) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 6 PM (69) · 89 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 11 AM (70) · 4 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 6 PM (70) · 135 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 9 AM (70) · 99 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 6 PM (72) · 32 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 6 PM (71) · 24 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 7 PM (71) · 15 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 6 PM (69) · 33 named spots
Best window today 11 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 7 PM (71) · 25 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 45°F to 77°F, best between 55°F and 68°F.
- Water depth
- 2 to 60 ft of water.
- Structure
- Rip, inlet, point, jetty, surf, channel and bridge, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers moving water and outgoing tide, with moderate current.Moving water is the rule. The outgoing tide at inlets, creek mouths and estuary outflows flushes bait to waiting fish, while the incoming tide pushes fish onto flats and marsh edges. Tide rips off points and reefs fish best while the current is building, and dead slack is usually slow. Very strong current (Cape Cod Canal, the Race) fishes well for anglers who can hold bottom or swing lures through it.
- Light
- Bites best around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
- Pressure
- Tends to feed as pressure falls ahead of weather.
- Wind and sea limits
- 20 kt of wind and 5 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
- Methods
- casting, surfcasting, live lining, chunking, trolling, jigging, fly fishing
- Lures
- bucktail jigs, soft plastic swimbaits, topwater pencil poppers, metal spoons, swimming plugs, tube and worm, umbrella rigs
- Bait
- live menhaden (bunker), eels, clams, bloodworms and sandworms, mackerel, anchovy and sardine (California), shiner perch (California)
Regulations
Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Synced with VMRC Sep 18, 2026.
No reviewed striped bass rule for Virginia is on file yet. Check with VMRC before you keep one.