It’s no surprise that a fish caught near sod banks, beach shorelines, piers, jetties or nearshore bunker schools is fanatically popular. The anadromous striped bass is an all-time favorite for any angler fishing the waters of the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast. And don’t forget about the stripers introduced to San Francisco Bay more than 100 years ago, or the many freshwaters where striped bass are stocked and thriving. They’re all the same species: Morone saxatilis.
Striped bass numbers have been a hot topic recently, with studies showing the Chesapeake Bay might be in trouble. Breeding success in Maryland has been far below average for the last six years, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. And that’s a major concern since the bay produces at least 70 percent of all striped bass along the East Coast. A wet and cold winter in 2024 could prove fruitful, providing better conditions for spawning fish this year.
Still, there are plenty of bruisers swimming around. And there’s no shortage of enthusiasm to catch them in the spring and summer when they blitz bait schools outside the inlet. When you finally land that cow, learn how it stacks up to the largest stripers ever recorded.
What is the Largest Striped Bass Ever Caught?
Two trends you’ll notice if you scan the striped bass records held by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA): Many record-setting striped bass eat at night and can’t resist a live eel.
Angler Gregory Myerson, in August 2011, was drifting Long Island Sound with a frisky eel when his world-record 84 lb, 14 oz fish bit. Myerson’s fish is currently the all-tackle and 80-pound line-class champ – no larger striped bass exists in the record books.
“After a 15-minute fight, I got the striped bass close enough to the boat for netting,” Myerson told the IGFA. “The fish was bigger than I thought. I slipped on eel slime and banged my ribs against the gunwale of the boat. But it didn’t matter. The monster fish was mine.
“The following morning, I brought the striped bass to Jack’s Shoreline Bait and Tackle to be weighed. The fish measured 54 inches in length and tipped Jack’s digital scale at 81.88 pounds. It really was that big.”
Myerson’s catch booted angler Albert McReynolds’ decades-long chokehold atop the record books. McReynolds had his own magical moment when he landed a 78 lb, 8 oz fish off a pier during a torrential storm. On the night of September 21, 1982, while fishing off the Vermont Avenue Jetty in Atlantic City, New Jersey, McReynolds cast a Rebel 5.5-inch plug in the midst of a Nor’easter. After the hookup, he spent two hours fighting and subduing the fish. McReynolds still holds the IGFA Men’s 20-pound line-class record with his unforgettable catch.
Landlocked and Loaded
Striped bass are accessible to freshwater anglers too, sometimes in states nowhere near salt. Striped bass head up rivers to spawn and in search of baitfish such as shad – anglers often find them concentrated around dams. According to the IGFA, the species has a native range in freshwater from the St. Lawrence River, N.Y., south to St. John’s River, Florida, and also from Florida’s Suwannee River west to Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana.
Oklahoma and Arkansas have numerous lakes that are now recognized for their striper populations. Lake Powell in Arizona is a hot spot. Kentucky Lake that straddles the Tennessee line is another. Many of these lakes have been stocked and restocked throughout the years. Although there are reasonable environmental concerns that stripers might be outcompeting native species, the ability for anglers to battle with saltwater-tough bass is enticing.
James Bramlett holds the all-tackle record for a landlocked striped bass. He was fishing live gizzard shad in the Black Warrior River, Alabama, where he landed the striped bass after a 25-minute fight. The fish weighed 69 lb, 9 oz, caught on 50-pound tackle.
A slew of other line-class records for landlocked striped bass also sit comfortably in the 60s. Hank Ferguson in Los Banos, California, caught a 67 lb, 8 oz fish in 1992 on 12-pound-test gear. Tyler Shields, fishing the Hiawassee Reservoir in North Carolina, landed a 66-pounder on 16-pound-line. And back in 1998, Willis Marsh was fishing in Melton Hill Lake, Tennessee, when he landed a 63 lb, 12 oz fish on 20-pound gear.
Length Matters
One push by the IGFA in recent years was to figure out a way for anglers to catch and certify world records without killing the fish. That was partly the catalyst behind length record categories. These records measure length, not weight. Plus, the fish must be released and returned to the water unharmed. The main categories include All Tackle Length, All Tackle Length (fly), and All Tackle Length (junior angler). Currently, there’s a vacant spot for the junior angler category targeting landlocked striped bass.
Looking to set a length record? Here’s what you’re up against:
- Mark Alexander Foster, in 2020, measured and released a 124 cm (48.81 inch) striped bass near Buoy 38A off Cape Charles in the Chesapeake Bay.
- In 2024, junior angler Ralph Julian Carballal released a 117 cm (46.06 inch) striper at Shinnecock Inlet near Southampton, New York.
- The longest landlocked striped bass on the books was caught and released by John Clay, III on Tennessee’s Cumberland River. His fish measured 109 cm ( 42.91 inches).
How Can You Catch a World Record Striped Bass?
Based on data from current world and line-class records, anglers can take away some key insights. First, big bass prefer a natural bait, often a live offering. Live eels, menhaden (bunker), and mackerel fooled some of the largest striped bass to date. Second, look to the waters off New York and New Jersey. A nonrandom number of striped bass have come from these spots over the years. For a technique? Try drifting or live-lining. As much as we all love the action of plugging or jigging, it’s not likely to attract the attention of the top dog.
