The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is a prized anadromous fish found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. Also known as Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, this species has also been widely introduced into inland recreational fisheries across the United States. Known for their streamlined, silvery bodies marked with longitudinal dark stripes, striped bass are voracious and opportunistic feeders. Understanding their diet is crucial for both anglers and fisheries managers.
From Zooplankton to Baitfish: The Striped Bass Dietary Evolution
Striped bass exhibit distinct dietary shifts throughout their lives. As stripers begin life in tidal freshwater rivers and brackish estuaries, they feed primarily on zooplankton until they reach a size of about 2 inches. At that time, their diet begins to change. Studies from the Bay of Fundy, Canada, to the Albemarle Sound, North Carolina have documented that young-of-the-year (spawned this year) and yearling (1 year old) bass are primarily bottom feeders that forage almost exclusively on tiny invertebrates.
As they grow, their diet shifts from small invertebrates to include small baitfish or juveniles of locally available fish. This dietary transition reflects their increasing size and ability to handle larger prey.
Adult Stripers: Opportunistic Predators with Varied Tastes
Throughout the striper coast, anglers know that the ubiquitous Atlantic menhaden is the mainstay of the adult stripers’ diet. While it’s true that older, larger stripers consume larger fish and larger crustaceans, bear in mind that this may simply be a function of the fact that larger striped bass have a greater size range of prey that they can easily consume, rather than a process where they selectively go after large prey. The list of species that have been found in striped bass stomachs reads like a field guide to Atlantic coast marine life. In fact, a review of feeding studies conducted along the striper coast reveals that their diet is comprised of over 65 species of fish and more than 45 invertebrates, and some interesting patterns in feeding behavior emerge.
Adult striped bass are opportunistic predators, meaning they will consume a wide variety of prey depending on availability and location. A healthy, ocean-run striper just prior to release to consume and fight again.
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Regional Variations in Diet
The diet of striped bass varies significantly depending on their location along the Atlantic coast.
Northeast
Stripers that migrate into New England coastal waters during late spring and early summer often feed heavily on Atlantic herring, which are abundant there at that time of year. When the herring move offshore into deeper waters in late summer or early fall, adult menhaden moving through coastal waters and young menhaden (peanut bunker) moving out of local estuaries into nearshore waters become primary prey items. For example, studies conducted in the Gulf of Maine document that adult stripers commonly target American eels, various herring species, smelt, silver hake, and sand eels along with menhaden.
In areas along the northern striper coast where rocky, boulder-strewn nearshore habitats abound, stripers also frequently feed heavily on the abundant invertebrates these habitats house, especially during summer when menhaden or their other preferred fish prey may be seasonally unavailable. In Long Island Sound, researchers have found that invertebrates often comprise a greater portion of striped bass diets there than in many other areas in the region. In the Sound, stripers of various sizes frequently consume a diversity of crustaceans and mollusks and marine worms in addition to a diversity of fish including bay anchovies, Atlantic silversides, white hake, striped mullet, tautog and puffers. For example, this differs from diets documented in the embayments along the south shore of Long Island, where invertebrates appear to be consumed less frequently.
On Cape Cod mackerel are one of the most prolific food items for striped bass, especially at the Cape Cod Canal. Mackerel are very speedy swimmers, and it’s not easy for a striper to catch a mackerel, especially on the wide open ocean. Therefore stripers will often gather in large schools of hundreds, if not thousands of bass, to hunt mackerel. The bass will corral the mackerel and drive them to the surface where they become pinned against the surface, which makes them easier to catch. At the Cape Cod Canal striped bass eat mackerel by driving them to the surface, and also by driving them into the shoreline. This hunting tactic is very effective and in years past it has drawn thousands of huge stripers into the canal to feed during the summer months. Bluefish also naturally feed on mackerel alongside striped bass, slicing and dicing the mackerel into chunks. These chunks of mackerel sink down to the bottom where they are consumed by bass. This could help explain why fishing with chunks of mackerel can be so effective. Just remember to always use the freshest mackerel possible.
Striped bass eat a lot of squid, especially in the waters off Cape Cod. The striper's streamlined bodies and burst-speed capabilities allow them to ambush schools of squid that gather in the Cape's productive waters, feeding on abundant baitfish and plankton. However, striped bass also have no qualms about eating dead squid. In fact, fishing with fresh dead squid on the bottom is a fantastic technique for catching finicky mid-summer heat stripers. Squid, particularly longfin inshore squid, arrive in Cape Cod waters during spring to spawn. These cephalopods form dense aggregations in the shallower waters around the Cape, making them prime targets for hungry stripers. The squid's jet propulsion and color-changing abilities provide some defense, but striped bass have evolved keen eyesight and lightning-fast reflexes to overcome these adaptations. Local anglers often use squid as bait, understanding that stripers are naturally programmed to hunt and eat these cephalopods.
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Sand lance (or sand eels as they are commonly called) are one of the striped bass' favorite meals. Here on Cape Cod stripers eat sand lance regularly throughout late spring into early fall. Stripers will actually use the top of the water column to their advantage, pinning baitfish like sand lance against the surface.
Over the years I have watched striped bass eat two different types of crabs - the green crab and the lady crab. I am also quite sure striped bass will eat other types of crabs too. For this reason, crabs can make great bait for striper fishing, however these days I rarely hear about anglers using crab for bait. It seems that live crab fishing for striped bass may be a thing of the past.
Mid-Atlantic
In Mid-Atlantic coastal waters, the arrival of migrating stripers in spring and fall typically coincides with the arrival of adult menhaden to the area’s coastal waters and large schools of menhaden attract hungry stripers, accounting for a major component of their diet. Like in New England, in late summer or early fall stripers also feed heavily on peanut bunker that are moving seaward into nearshore ocean waters and local estuaries at this time of year. Other baitfish that supply prime forage as stripers migrate through Mid-Atlantic waters include mullet, bay anchovies, spearing and various species of herring.
Stripers that move into estuarine salt marsh creeks in the Mid-Atlantic routinely consume mummichogs, bay anchovies and spearing. Juvenile Atlantic croaker and juvenile weakfish have also been found to be readily consumed by stripers frequenting these habitats.
In the Hudson River, striped bass feed on a mix of freshwater and marine species, but prey primarily on fishes. Depending on habitat characteristics, in the upper reaches of the river species frequently eaten include white perch, spottail shiners, killifish and river herring. Atlantic tomcod, bay anchovies and various species of herring comprise the major portion of their preferred food items in the lower river. In the Raritan Estuary, over 20 species of prey have been identified in the diet of stripers. Along with seasonally keying in on menhaden, juvenile sea robins, grubby, hake, winter flounder and bay and striped anchovies are all targeted by foraging stripers. Slim plastics like the Bass Kandy Delight are effective when stripers are feeding on thin baits like silversides or even sand eels. Photos by Capt.
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Chesapeake Bay
Studies in Chesapeake Bay characterizing feeding habits of striped bass report that they consume over 50 different species of vertebrates and invertebrates within the bay and its tributaries. These studies confirm that menhaden are the predominant prey of choice for striped bass in the bay. In addition to menhaden, other fish frequently consumed include a who’s who of resident and migratory fishes. Depending on local availability, blueback herring, alewives, gizzard shad, bay anchovies, juvenile weakfish, spot and Atlantic croaker, summer flounder, striped blennies, naked gobies and white perch all become important prey items at times.
Albemarle Sound
In the Albemarle Sound of North Carolina researchers have found that fish dominate the diet of striped bass regardless of the season. As in other regions along the striper coast, the species most frequently eaten is menhaden, especially in fall and winter corresponding with the seasonal migration of young bunker into the estuary. Herring including alewife, blueback herring, American shad, and gizzard shad also provide important forage. Bay anchovies, spearing, spot, small croakers and weakfish, and white perch are also occasionally eaten.
Other food items
Almost everyone knows how much striped bass love to eat bunker, which are also called pogies or menhaden. Bunker are a vitally important good source for stripers, bluefish, tuna and other species. Bunker are perhaps the most oily baitfish that striped bass eat. They are packed with nutrition and it’s now wonder striped bass go crazy for them. In addition, bunker help keep the ocean, bays, rivers and harbors clean by filter-feeding the water. In the previous section we discussed how striped bass eat bunker. In this section we will discuss how striped bass eat peanut bunker. Peanut bunker are of course, young juvenile bunker. They are the same species, just smaller and younger fish. Here on Cape Cod striped bass eat peanut bunker during the late summer and throughout the fall. This is when peanut bunker fill the coves, harbors, bays and shorelines, where big schools of stripers standby reading to eat them. A major difference between eating an adult bunker and a peanut bunker is the quantity of baits required to fill a striped bass’ stomach. Adult bunkers are quite large and it only takes a few of them to make a meal. Peanut bunker on the other hand are only a few inches long (often shorter) so it can require dozens of peanut bunker to fill the belly of a striper. Therefore, peanut bunker feeding frenzies will often last for a long time, sometimes an entire morning, simply because it takes that long for striped bass to eat their fill. Adult bunker blitzes on the other hand are usually short lived because the bass become full after eating only a handful of these large baitfish.
American eels are one such prey item that striped bass will have no qualms about hunting and eating whenever they happen to come across an eel. I would imagine that striped bass most often eat eels when they encounter the eels in brackish water, where freshwater meets the salt. These spots are usually in estuaries, creeks and rivers. Striped bass will often visit estuaries throughout the course of the year. However, the spring in particular is one time of year when a lot of big striped bass enter estuaries and brackish areas to reproduce.
Feeding Behavior and Angling Implications
Although scientists have confirmed that stripers feed on a diversity of fish and invertebrates, keep in mind that they are opportunistic predators, and many prey species are simply ancillary food items that supplement their more narrow preferred prey field. So, in terms of fishing strategies, it’s important to keep track of seasonal shifts in dominant prey availability occurring in your area. It is also important to note that although stripers have a highly variable diet, many times they actively focus their feeding on a single particularly abundant prey ignoring other readily available food. In these situations, once you find a particular lure that is working, stick with it rather than changing lures too often. John A.
Dawn and dusk can be magic times for fishing, as 99.9-percent of you surely know. The changing light makes it easier for the predators to hunt, and fish normally go on a short but intense feeding frenzy during these timeframes. Getting up in the predawn hours isn’t for everyone, nor is staying out on the Bay until nightfall. But if you go to any popular spot about an hour before dinnertime you’ll watch boat after boat pull up stakes and run for home shortly before the fish turn on. you’ll see boat after boat pull up and start fishing. In both cases, an hour or two of fishing later or arriving earlier likely would have doubled or tripled their catch.
Similarly, even when they aren’t actively munching an easy meal can be hard for a rockfish to turn down. An injured baitfish struggling to swim is the perfect example. Why work for your meal later, when there’s a rare freebie being offered up right now? Hence, the effectiveness of live-lining with spot. Areas where current smacks into solid structure, be it a bridge piling, rip-rap, or a point, should always be prime targets. But at many spots, particularly in the shallows, the current will be hitting the structure only when the tide is going in one direction or the other. Time on the water is the only way to build up a memory bank as to which spots get the “right” current and when. So as you fish, you should constantly keep track of the slice of the tide you’re fishing in and try to match that data up with your results at the different hotspots you hit.
Lucking into a feeding frenzy is one of those times when fishing can become downright easy, and you could hook up by tossing a chunk of hot dog on a Barbie rod. But luck isn’t the sole factor at play. You can up your chances of finding a frenzy by investing in a good pair of binoculars (image stabilized models with a magnification factor of at least 12 or more are best), which will more than double the distance at which you can spot diving birds. In some cases, you can even trigger a feeding frenzy of your own. Toss 30 or 40 spot over the side when there’s a school of inactive rockfish below, and you most certainly do have a good shot at triggering a bite. Carry a bucket full of bull minnow, use them in large numbers to seed the waters, and nearby fish will often react in a big way. Tip (not for the faint of heart): bounce minnow off the side of your boat, by the handful.
No fish feeds like clockwork, but as a general rule of thumb striped bass do tend to feed most actively during the last hour of the tide and into the change of the tide, often pausing during the slack but picking up again early in the next tidal cycle. We certainly can’t control the tides and currents, but we can react to them. In the Chesapeake, you can run north or south to catch up to, or effectively accelerate, the changes. When an outgoing current slacks, running north will move the clock forward. Running south turns it backwards. And running east-west can also help shuffle the tidal deck.
Striped Bass in California
There were originally no striped bass in California. They were introduced from the East Coast, where they are found from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Alabama. The initial introduction took place in 1879, when 132 small bass were brought successfully to California by rail from the Navesink River in New Jersey and released near Martinez. Fish from this lot were caught within a year near Sausalito, Alameda, and Monterey, and others were caught occasionally at scattered places for several years afterwards.
During the winter, striped bass are spread from San Francisco Bay throughout the Delta and fishing is generally poor because stripers do not feed actively when the water is cold. Fishing success improves as the water warms up in March. Stripers that winter in the bays start moving upstream to fresh water for spawning. During the spring, the bulk of the legal population is spread throughout the Delta and as far north as Colusa and Princeton on the Sacramento River. Good fishing can be expected throughout the spawning area at this time. Occasionally, some good catches of either early spawning, or late migrating, bass are made in the bays during the spring. By mid-June, most legal-sized bass have left fresh water and returned to the bays. During the summer and fall, striped bass fishing is at its peak in San Francisco Bay. Trollers and live bait drifters make good catches with regularity in Raccoon Strait, at the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, at submerged rocky reefs in central San Francisco Bay, and off Alcatraz and Treasure Islands.
Striped bass are voracious feeders. Initially, small bass feed on tiny crustacean plankton, but, after a few weeks, the favorite food becomes the mysid shrimp and amphipods. Mysid shrimp are most numerous where salt levels are 1-20 percent of sea water. Young striped bass are most numerous in the same area. Larger stripers tend to prefer larger food items. In San Francisco Bay, anchovies, shiner perch, and herring are important in the diet. Anchovies, sculpins (bullheads), and shrimp make up the bulk of the diet in San Pablo Bay.