Striped bass size and bag limits by state
The East Coast striped bass rulebook, north to south. Managed under the ASMFC interstate plan. Core fishery: Maine to North Carolina, heaviest from the Chesapeake north. Rules on file here for 13 states, Maine to Georgia.
- MEMaine
- Size
- 28"–31" inclusive total length (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish per person per day
- Season
- Open January 1 – December 31 statewide (Kennebec/Sheepscot/Androscoggin watershed: open July 1 – November 30; catch-and-release only with single-hook artificials May 1 – June 30; closed Dec 1 – June 30)
- NHNew Hampshire
- Size
- 28" to less than 31" total length (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish per day
- Season
- No closed season (open year-round)
- MAMassachusetts
- Size
- 28" to less than 31" total length (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish
- Season
- Year-round
- RIRhode Island
- Size
- 28" to less than 31" total length (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish per person per day
- Season
- January 1 – December 31
- CTConnecticut
- Size
- 28" to less than 31" total length (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish per angler per day
- Season
- Open year-round
- NYNew York
- Size
- 28"–31" total length (slot) in marine waters
- Bag
- 1 fish
- Season
- April 15–December 15 (marine waters)
- NJNew Jersey
- Size
- 28"–31" (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish
- Season
- Atlantic Ocean 0–3 nm: no closed season; all other marine waters: March 1–December 31; federal waters (3–200 nm): prohibited
- DEDelaware
- Size
- 28"–31" (slot); 20"–24" only Jul 1–Aug 31 in DE Bay, River and tributaries
- Bag
- 1 per day
- Season
- All year, except catch-and-release only on spawning grounds Apr 1 – May 31
- MDMaryland
- Size
- Chesapeake Bay: 19"–24" (slot); Atlantic/Coastal Bays: 28"–31" (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish per person per day
- Season
- Chesapeake Bay & tidal tribs (2026): Jan 1–Feb 28 C&R only; Mar 1–Apr 30 C&R only (lower Bay); May 1–15 harvest in limited main-Bay area; May 16–31 harvest in defined areas; Jun 1–Jul 31 open; Aug 1–31 closed (no targeting); Sep 1–Dec 5 open; Dec 6–31 C&R only. Atlantic/Coastal Bays: Jan 1–Dec 31, 2026
- VAVirginia
- Size
- Coastal: 28"–31" (slot); Chesapeake Bay: 19"–24" (slot)
- Bag
- 1 fish per person
- Season
- Coastal: Jan 1–Mar 31 and May 16–Dec 31. Chesapeake Bay: spring May 16–Jun 15; fall Oct 4–Dec 31
- NCNorth Carolina
- Size
- 28"–31" total length (slot) — Atlantic Ocean
- Bag
- 1 fish per person per day — Atlantic Ocean
- Season
- Atlantic Ocean (0–3 mi): open year-round
- SCSouth Carolina
- Size
- 26" total length minimum
- Bag
- 3 per person per day (Oct 1–June 15)
- Season
- Open Oct 1–June 15; possession prohibited June 16–Sept 30
- GAGeorgia
- Size
- 22" total length minimum (saltwater); 27" TL in Savannah River
- Bag
- 2 per person per day
- Season
- Open all year
Status is derived from each row's season dates on Oct 13, 2026. Rules change in season, and the agency page controls. A state missing from this list is one we have not verified yet. It may still have a rule.
The trap on this fish
Striped bass rules along the coast are built around a slot. A fish below the minimum or above the maximum goes back, so a measuring device on board is part of the rig.
Federal waters
Possession of striped bass is prohibited in federal waters (the EEZ, beyond 3 nautical miles). Fishing for them there is also prohibited. Only state waters can be fished. 50 CFR Part 697 · eCFR ↗
From the news desk
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