Fall Striper

[Tim Clinton]

Any reports of fall striper in the James yet? I know the season opens 10/15, but the season does not always coincide with the best fishin.

Thanx Tim

[madtom]

We are catching a few stripers in the cast net, and a few on hooks. Maybe they will be on time this year.

[martineta]

Doesn't the Striper season open Oct 4th?

[fish-on]

They are there. Doug.

[wasabi]

I wish someone could explain the Striper cycle in terms of when and why they come up the James. Obviously they are not here all year (at least in any numbers) but some are caught in the Spring with the Shad run and now folks are saying some run upriver in the Fall. Are they here in the Spring because the are following the Shad, then run back up in the Fall to fatten up prior to leaving Virginia waters?

[capuzzi2]

I wish someone could explain the Striper cycle in terms of when and why they come up the James. Obviously they are not here all year (at least in any numbers) but some are caught in the Spring with the Shad run and now folks are saying some run upriver in the Fall. Are they here in the Spring because the are following the Shad, then run back up in the Fall to fatten up prior to leaving Virginia waters?

Good queastion. The answer varies according to size class of fish. I believe that there is a year round population of small stripers in the river. I caught about 20 in one throw of my cat net this summer. In the spring, the big migratory breeders are in the river for the obvious stated reasons. I don't know if there is a separate migation in the fall of larger ones. That is the question I would love someone on this board to answer.

[BBCroaker]

Some do stay here year round in deeper water but more come up in the fall as the water cools down .

[cuhollow]

Any reports of fall striper in the James yet? I know the season opens 10/15, but the season does not always coincide with the best fishin.

Thanx Tim

Chesapeake Bay Fall Season .................................................. .......October 4 through December 31
........................................Minimum Size Limit............................................. .................18 inches
........................................Maximum Size Limit * .................................................. ....... 28 inches
........................................Possession Limit - October 4 through December 9.....................2 per person
........................................Possession Limit - December 10 through December 31..............1 per person

* 1 fish of the 2 fish possession limit may be 34 inches or larger; no fish may be kept between 28 and 34 inches.

[Salmo trutta]

In the fall a lot of the bait will start to exit the rivers. The shad that were born last spring are exiting the rivers and have grown to 3-5" in length. A lot of "Schoolie" size fish come from the depths of the bay to enter the rivers to feed in the shallows where they often ambush schools of bait. These "schoolie" size fish range from 18-30" with a mid 30 incher from time to time. These fish are really resident fish, not migratory but they can be impressive in size for resident fish. But not all the fish leave the safety of the deep channels of the bay. This time of year more fish seem to be around than say the summer.

So... the areas of the rivers are not pure fresh water and will still have tidal influence but if you are into light tackle, shallow water fishing than get yourself ready for an annual event. The fall run of resident fish in the rivers and shallows is awesome. Top water, light swim baits, flies... are all favorite ways to catch these fish. Simple LM bass tackle is all that is needed. 10 pound fire line or mono, 20 pound leader and a good drag and have some fun.

Once we get the first major North easter and the temps get into the 40's for a few days, these fish will leave the shallows and the rivers and start congregating around the river mouths and channel edges. But it's the short lived shallow water fishery that occurs along the shoreline of the bay to all the way up tidal rivers that is a truly unique and exiting time to fish.

[colonel_corn]

From what I've read, the population of Striped Bass in the James is rather unique -- they are genetically different from other Chesapeake stripers and tend not to participate in the northward migration after spawning. Maybe the abundance of year round bait allows them to stay put through the winter months?