Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are one of the most sought-after gamefish along the Atlantic seaboard. Millions of anglers fish for them each year from Maine to the Gulf Coast. In their native coastal rivers, striped bass are anadromous, which means they spend most of their lives in the saltwater environment but return to freshwater to spawn. The Chesapeake Bay is renowned for marine striped bass and the lion’s share of the Atlantic Coast migratory stock is made up of the Maryland and Virginia portion of the bay.
However, in addition to the anadromous striped bass population in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic Coast, Virginia boasts some of the best inland, land-locked striped bass opportunities you can find in the east. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) manages these inland, land-locked fisheries. Large impoundments across the state like Smith Mountain Lake, Buggs Island Lake, and Lake Anna to name a few, provide excellent opportunities to target these fish without having to travel to the coast. Managing striped bass in these systems requires a keen understanding of multiple variables—two of the most important being habitat and forage.
Continue reading at dwr.virginia.gov.
