We have officially entered winter striper season with the time change and the first rains of the year. Usually, this means water temperatures drop to what we consider “winter temps,” slowing the fish’s metabolism and shortening the feeding windows during the day. With the fish being more lethargic, the number of calories they need to consume changes, meaning they tend to favor larger, more infrequent meals in our experience.

Winter can be tough for striper fishing on the river, and we traditionally say that it can be very good or very tough, with most of that being out of our control—or our anglers’ control. That said, you never know unless you go, and some of our biggest fish of the year come during the uncertain winter months.