Stripers, Blues and Fluke: A Month-by-Month Calendar

Striped bass, bluefish and fluke are the backbone of inshore fishing from the Chesapeake Bay to Cape Cod, and each runs on its own calendar. This is a month-by-month guide to what's usually happening. It's built for the middle of that range, roughly New Jersey and New York. Spring events generally come earlier to the south and later to the north (the fall run goes the other way), and a warm or cold year can shift everything.

Keep one thing separate: when the fish are here and when you can keep them are two different calendars. States set open seasons, especially for fluke and striped bass, so check yours.

The year at a glance

Month	Striped bass	Bluefish	Fluke
Jan–Feb	Offshore wintering fish; holdovers in rivers	Gone south	Offshore
March	Holdovers start feeding as rivers warm	Gone	First fish move inshore late in the month
April	Spawning in the rivers; first migrants up the coast	First fish in the mid-Atlantic late in the month	Shallow back-bay flats
May	Run builds along the coast	Big blues on mid-Atlantic lumps; arriving to the north	Flats and channel edges; big-fish window late May
June	Peak of the spring run in the north	Moving inshore	Channels and inlets
July	Night and dawn fishing; fish deeper by day	Big blues deeper	Deeper channel edges
August	Night fishing; summer spots	Blues at their best; chumming; snappers in the bays	Peak; deep edges and ocean structure
September	Fall run starts in the north	Best month; blitzes	Ocean reefs and wrecks; big fish
October	Fall run in full swing	Big blues pass; leaving	Last of the season
November	Fall run moves south	Last big fish	Gone offshore
December	Fall run in the mid-Atlantic; holdovers settle	Gone	Gone

Winter: January and February

Stripers: most migratory bass are offshore, from about Long Island south to North Carolina. The fishing that's left is for holdovers, mostly schoolies, in the deep water of tidal rivers, estuaries and salt ponds. Fish slow and small, and pick the warmest days. See The Striper Year.

Blues and fluke: both are far offshore or far south.

March

Stripers: as the rivers start to warm, holdovers feed more. A small rise in water temperature or a warm rain can turn them on.

Fluke: the first fish leave their offshore wintering grounds and move toward the bays in the mid-Atlantic in mid to late March.

April

Stripers: the spawn is on in the rivers. The first migrating bass start working up the coast; in New York, the first schools can show by April. Fish the warm water: back bays, river mouths, mud flats.

Fluke: early fish are on the shallowest, warmest flats in the back bays. Fish the outgoing tide that drains warm water off the flats. Your state's fluke season may not be open yet.

Blues: the first fish reach the mid-Atlantic in late April.

May

Stripers: the coastal run builds. Spawned-out fish leave the rivers and push north, stopping at rips, inlets and river mouths. Chesapeake fish reach New York around mid-May. Menhaden are moving in, and bass follow them.

Blues: big blues gather on inshore lumps off the mid-Atlantic coast by mid-May, feeding on migrating bunker. Farther north, the first schools are offshore waiting for inshore water to warm.

Fluke: fishing picks up everywhere on the flats and along channel edges. Late May, around Memorial Day, is one of the best shots of the year at a big fluke close to the inlet.

June

Stripers: in New York and southern New England, June is often the peak of spring striper fishing. The run spreads to the north; by June, bass are on the sand flats around Montauk.

Blues: schools move inshore to the beaches in the New York Bight by late June.

Fluke: as the bays warm, fluke move off the flats into the channels and inlets.

July

Stripers: fish early, late and at night. In the heat, bass hold in deeper channels and rips during the day and feed in the shallows in low light.

Blues: the big fish drop deeper to find cooler water and feed near the surface mostly at night. Fish dawn and dusk from shore. Snapper blues are growing in the bays.

Fluke: deeper channel bottoms and lower channel edges. Near inlets, cool ocean water keeps the bite going.

August

Stripers: a night game. Live eels after dark and plugs in the surf at night are your best bets.

Blues: one of the best bluefish months. In the mid-Atlantic, chumming with ground bunker brings blues to the boat when the water is in the 70s. Snappers are in every creek and marina; it's prime time for kids.

Fluke: the peak. Many fish are on the edges of deeper water, 25 to 40 feet, and the big ones are moving to ocean reefs and wrecks.

September

Stripers: the fall run starts. Bait begins pouring out of the bays, and bass start moving and feeding along the beaches in New England and Long Island first.

Blues: often the best bluefish month of the year, with blitzes along the beaches and inlets as they feed before heading south. Snappers leave the bays by late September.

Fluke: ocean structure for doormats. The inshore season winds down as the water cools.

October

Stripers: the heart of the fall run in the Northeast. Watch for birds, fish the beaches at night and at the top of the tide, and follow the bait. See Reading Birds and Bait.

Blues: the biggest fish are often the last through, in October and early November. Adults leave the mid-Atlantic once the water drops below about 60°F.

Fluke: the last of the inshore fluke, mostly on deep structure, before they head offshore to spawn.

November

Stripers: the run moves south. In New Jersey, November and December are prime months, especially in the surf at night. New York's best fall fishing is often October into November.

Blues: the last big blues pass through, and in warm years some stay past Thanksgiving.

Fluke: offshore for the winter.

December

Stripers: the tail of the run passes through New Jersey and into the mid-Atlantic, where the night surf bite can last into January in a late year. In New England, the fish that stay settle into their winter holdover spots.

Using this calendar

Treat the months as a guide, not a schedule. Water temperature and bait set the real timing, and both change from year to year. A warm fall, for example, can hold the striper run back for weeks. Local reports and your own logbook beat any calendar.

For each species in more depth, see The Striper Year, Bluefish Through the Season and Where Fluke Hold Through the Season.

Cover photo: National Park Service, Cape Hatteras National Seashore (public domain).