Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis
A powerful, hard-fighting fish found along the Atlantic coast and in landlocked reservoirs, the striped bass is easily identified by the bold dark stripes running along its silver body. It migrates seasonally along the coast and is a favorite target of surf casters and boat anglers alike.
Coastal surf, estuaries, and large reservoirs; follows baitfish migrations.
Striped Bass Habitat & Size
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) is associated with coastal water, reservoir water, and river water in the species record. Habitat information describes the species, not permission to fish for it. The recorded average size is approximately 28 inches; individual sizes vary.
Recorded Waters for Striped Bass
FishFinder links Striped Bass to water records in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. These associations may reflect documented presence, seasonal runs, or historical stocking, not angler catch reports or current abundance. Read the linked water guides and source notes for evidence dates and reaches.
Striped Bass Fishing Regulations & Limits
A recorded association does not establish that targeting or retaining Striped Bass is permitted. Confirm current species protections, seasonal and emergency closures, reach-specific rules, gear restrictions, bag and size limits with the responsible fisheries authority before fishing. A fishing license does not override these restrictions. FishFinder's regulation records may be incomplete; missing rules do not mean unrestricted fishing.
Related Water Guides for Striped Bass
Explore these FishFinder water guides for places where Striped Bass is recorded:
- Chesapeake Bay — recorded Striped Bass association
- Saint John River — recorded Striped Bass association
- St. Croix River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Guntersville — recorded Striped Bass association
- Wheeler Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Wilson Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Pickwick Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Weiss Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lay Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Logan Martin Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Neely Henry Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Martin — recorded Striped Bass association
- R.L. Harris Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Yates Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Thurlow Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Walter F. George Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- West Point Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lewis Smith Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Alabama River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Mobile-Tensaw Delta — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Powell — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Mead — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Mohave — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Havasu — recorded Striped Bass association
- Colorado River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Pleasant — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Norfork — recorded Striped Bass association
- Beaver Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Ouachita — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Dardanelle — recorded Striped Bass association
- Arkansas River — recorded Striped Bass association
- San Luis Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Castaic Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — recorded Striped Bass association
- Sacramento River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Feather River — recorded Striped Bass association
- American River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Colorado River (California) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Connecticut River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Nanticoke River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Delaware River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Chesapeake & Delaware Canal — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake George — recorded Striped Bass association
- St. Johns River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Suwannee River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Apalachicola River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Perdido River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Ochlockonee River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Lanier — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Hartwell — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Oconee — recorded Striped Bass association
- Clarks Hill Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Richard B. Russell — recorded Striped Bass association
- Savannah River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Altamaha River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Ogeechee River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Satilla River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Oconee River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Ohio River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Wabash River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Shelbyville — recorded Striped Bass association
- Rend Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Ohio River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Wilson Reservoir (Kansas) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Cheney Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Glen Elder Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Cumberland — recorded Striped Bass association
- Cumberland River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Toledo Bend Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Sabine River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Claiborne — recorded Striped Bass association
- Red River (Louisiana) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Liberty Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Conowingo Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Ross Barnett Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Bull Shoals Lake (Missouri) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Norfork Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Mississippi River (Pools 20-26) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Branched Oak Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Missouri River (Nebraska Waters) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Mead (Nevada) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Mohave (Nevada) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Colorado River below Davis Dam — recorded Striped Bass association
- Delaware River (New Jersey) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Elephant Butte Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- San Juan River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Animas River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Delaware River (New York) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Hudson River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Chatuge — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Norman — recorded Striped Bass association
- Badin Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- B. Everett Jordan Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- John H. Kerr Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Gaston — recorded Striped Bass association
- Roanoke Rapids Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Roanoke River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Cape Fear River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Neuse River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Mattamuskeet — recorded Striped Bass association
- Dan River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Ohio River (Ohio) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Texoma — recorded Striped Bass association
- Skiatook Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Sooner Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Arcadia Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Keystone Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lower Illinois River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Arkansas River (Oklahoma) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lower Red River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Delaware River (Pennsylvania) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Raystown Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Wallenpaupack — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Marion — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Moultrie — recorded Striped Bass association
- Santee River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Congaree River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Cooper River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Murray (South Carolina) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Saluda River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Russell — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Thurmond — recorded Striped Bass association
- Great Pee Dee River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Little Pee Dee River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Waccamaw River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Edisto River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Black River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lynches River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Old Hickory Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- J. Percy Priest Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Cordell Hull Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Tims Ford Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Chickamauga Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Nickajack Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Watts Bar Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Fort Loudoun Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Melton Hill Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Norris Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Cherokee Reservoir — recorded Striped Bass association
- Douglas Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Boone Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Livingston — recorded Striped Bass association
- Trinity River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Tawakoni — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Amistad — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Whitney — recorded Striped Bass association
- Possum Kingdom Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Smith Mountain Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir) — recorded Striped Bass association
- Claytor Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Lake Anna — recorded Striped Bass association
- Staunton River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Kanawha River — recorded Striped Bass association
- Bluestone Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Beech Fork Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- Mount Storm Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
- R.D. Bailey Lake — recorded Striped Bass association
Equipment planning for Striped Bass
We have not selected a species-specific affiliate setup for this guide. First establish whether targeting is permitted at your destination; no tackle recommendation should be inferred from a species record.
Equipment guidance is not permission to fish. Confirm the exact water, date, species, method and current official rules first. A closed season prohibits targeting, even with release. Recorded fish presence does not establish an open fishery.
- Check permitted methods, bait and hook restrictions before choosing tackle. Match rod, line and lure ratings to the lawful method and conditions, rather than buying by species name alone.
- Plan weather protection, drinking water and a way to call for help. For boat trips, confirm required flotation and safety equipment with the responsible boating authority.
- Read the habitat and water-specific source notes in this guide, then confirm an appropriate lawful method with the local fisheries authority before choosing equipment. Do not assume a general freshwater combo suits every species or water.
This is an editorial planning checklist, not hands-on product testing. Use equipment you already own when suitable. The gear directory contains affiliate links; any product suggestions below have their own disclosure. Retailer region, availability and Canadian shipping are not guaranteed.
Browse the gear directory · Find official fishing-rule sources · Affiliate disclosure
Striped Bass Regulations
Review available regulation records and confirm whether fishing for Striped Bass is permitted with the responsible fisheries authority:
Frequently Asked Questions
What water types are associated with Striped Bass?
The species record associates Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) with coastal water, reservoir water, and river water. Habitat information is not evidence of current abundance or permission to target the species.
How big does Striped Bass get?
The recorded average size for Striped Bass is approximately 28 inches. Individual sizes vary; this average is not a maximum size or a legal retention limit.
Where does FishFinder record water associations for Striped Bass?
FishFinder links Striped Bass to water records in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. These associations may reflect documented presence, seasonal runs, or historical stocking, not angler catch reports. Check the linked water guides and source notes for evidence dates and reaches; a listing does not guarantee current presence or legal fishing opportunity.
Does a listing or fishing license permit fishing for Striped Bass?
No. A listing records an association, not permission to target or retain Striped Bass. License requirements and exemptions vary. Confirm current species protections, seasonal and emergency closures, reach-specific rules, gear restrictions, bag and size limits with the responsible fisheries authority. A license does not override restrictions, and missing FishFinder regulation records do not mean unrestricted fishing.