Striped bass fishing is one of the most popular and adventerous sport fisheries in the United States. Being from the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, the Chesapeake Bay gives you an abundance of fish to go after and the vaunted striped bass is high on that list. Whether it is a big 60 pounder or a small schooling fish, striped bass fishing is one of the most heralded sports in the Mid-Atlantic area.
Rockfish is the most common nickname for a striped bass. They are called this because stripers like to hang around reefs, wrecks, and rocks. Legend has it that the rockfish name came from the Chesapeake Bay area for the stripers tendency to hang around oyster rocks. They would go there for shelter but also feed on the clinging oysters on the rocks. You can find rockfish around the trestles of bridges. The Striped Bass World Championships are held at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel at the lower of Virginia's Eastern Shore. Not only is this the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay but it is the attraction of the numerous trestles and manmade rock islands that are so enticing to striped bass.
If you intend on catching a big striper, obviously you will need a boat. You will need a boat to reach the channels of the bays and creeks that you intend fishing. To catch smaller schooling rockfish it is best to fish from a bank or jetty. The schooling fish are the feeding fish and they will go in the shallows and the channel edges to feed. One big pastime in Chesapeake Bay rockfishing is going after the schooling rockfish. They will come hundreds at a time charging at a boat. They will come to the surface of the water and will bite anything that you cast at them. In small ditchbanks and coves, you can sit on the bank and catch all the rockfish that you want.
If you plan on catching the monster striped bass, your best bet is to get in your boat and head for the deeper water. If you want to enjoy the sport of casting and catching that feeding rockfish then go to your local jetty or creekside bank during rockfish season and wait for that schooler. You will catch all that you want and have plenty of fish to take home and eat. There is nothing better tasting than fried rockfish. You always want to make sure that you be careful as far as the laws in your state when it comes to keeping striped bass.