Striped Bass Plugging Trips

After a record 2022 season with schools of 35-50 pound striped bass,

Will 2023 be another banner year.

Striped Bass Plugging Trips: We offer several plugging trips on the Delaware River. These trips are reserved for experienced anglers.

The most striped bass caught on a two hour trip was 35 fish with one angler,

two hours can provide plenty of time to get into fish.

Weekday Striped Bass Fishing Trips:

we offer two weekday trips, early morning trips and evening trips. Weekday morning trips are 2 hour trips and start as early as 5:00 am but no later 6:00 am. Weekday AM trips end at 8:00 am.

• 2 hour weekday Striped bass trips, AM before work striper plugging specials

Weekday evening trips start at as early as 6:00 pm and are 2-3 hours in length.Typically these trips are in April.

• 2 hour weekday striped bass trips, PM after work striper plugging specials

• 3 hour weekday evenings Striped bass trips

Weekend Striped Bass Fishing Trips:

Weekend trips start at as early as 5:00 am, trips available are 2,3, and 4 hour trips. Typically for hour trips are reserved for evenings.

• 2 hour weekend trips striped bass trips

• 3 hour weekend trips striped bass trips

• 4 hour weekend striped bass trips (very limited)

About Striper Plugging Trips on the Delaware River

Spring Migration on the Delaware River

Striper or striped bass fishing in the Delaware River can be some the most explosive fishing you have ever done. Every spring the striped bass make their annual migration up the coast into the Delaware River to spawn. This spawning rituals brings thousands of striped bass right to the Philadelphia area front door. The striped bass run typically starts with the big females following the American Shad into the river. In March (depending if the winter and spring is cold or warm) can bring fish upwards of 50-60 lbs into the river. This is followed by the second wave of striped bass which is the rest of the spawning females chasing the herring along the banks of the Delaware River. These fish can range anyway from 18-50 lbs. As the season matures into May the schoolies striped bass flood the river in the tens of thousands, these schoolies depending on the years class can range from 24-33 inches. At any given point in May you could collide with several schools of fish providing non-stop striped bass action. As we enter June the water warms up on the Delaware River, pushing the majority of the bigger spawning fish back to the ocean, leaving a solid class ranging from 8 to 25 lbs with some larger fish mixed in. Striped bass fishing contimues in the river until the water hits a critical temperature that either shuts the fish down, push them all back to the ocean, or deeem it a hazard to the stripers health to fish for them.

Striped Bass and water temperatures on the Delaware River

Striped Bass fishing on the Delaware River is highly dependent on the weather and the water temperatures. In the early season when the water is still sub 60 degrees, a cold water temperature with a warm day will warm the water up, this is much better for the striper fishing opposed to cold water coupled with a cold day, for obvious reasons. Mid-season when the water temperature has stabilized and the temperature is warmer the fishing becomes a much better bite and more predictable. Cold fronts, rain storms, water clarity, pressure systems, and forage all play factors into a successful trip during any trip. The warm river temperatures with warm air temperatures can provide explosive action for prolong period of times. When Delaware River reaches 75 degrees and the air temperature sky rockets in to the upper 80's and 90's the fish tend to have a smaller window that they bite, so it is critical to be there when the bite is on. At these warmer levels the fish avoid the high sunlight and seek refuge in the shade and seek deeper water such 8 foot in the shallow sections of the Delaware river and as deep as 50 feet in the lower river.

Warm Winter and Spring on the Delaware River

March-Large female striped bass up to 60 lbs, slow lazy lethargic fish

April -Various sized striped bass 20-50 lbs, starting to get aggressive

May- Mixed sized striped bass 10-40 lbs, really aggressive.

June- Schoolies, super aggressive

Cold Winters and Springs on the Delaware river

April -Various sized striped bass 20-60 lbs, Slow and lazy to starting to get aggressive

May- Mixed sized striped bass 10-40 lbs, really aggressive.

June- Schoolies, super aggressive

Why Experienced is about Safety

Striped Bass plugging trips in peak season April through MAY are reserved for fishermen that are experienced with extensive artificial lures. Ll\earning and teaching trips are available in June. A critical part of the having a successful trip and staying safe. Can you be taught how to throw artificial lures? Yes and I have taught thousands of people but starting on heavy larger rods. reels, and tackle is not the best way to start. The June trips with lighter tackle and schoolies are the best way to get exposed to the delaware river striped bass fishery. The Environmental factors of the Delaware River is another key element to success, the eviromental factors can drives the difficulty up significantly, learning to use artificial lures in rock laden heavy current situations increases the difficulty and the potential for snags and safty, anglers must be sure footed in the boat. Safety above all is my primary concern. When people that are inexperience whipping around a lure with 2/0-3/0 treble hooks and it slams into the face of another angler or the captain it can lead to a trip to the hospital or worse. Knowing how to properly cast the rod, not casting through the boat, not cast with the bail closed (I ended up with a hook through the nose and with out sunglasses would have lost an eye), being attentive of you surroundings and peope around you is imperative. If anglers do not observer their surroundings and bring the plug back through the boat on a cast the risk goes up exponentially and the safety for all on board is compromised. Believe me getting hooked by any size hooks is not fun, but removing large treble hooks can be a misreable experience. Having an hook in the eye-ball or hooking someone in the eyeball will change you life either way. I always where sun-glasses for safty purposes!