The April full moon giveth. In Week 4 of our 2026 Striper Migration Reports, OTW’s Johnny McIntyre and Matt Haeffner discuss the eruption of striper activity throughout New Jersey due to the arrival of bunker and the first wave of migratory fish, presumably from Chesapeake Bay. Matt and Johnny also cover how the action has begun to trickle east to Long Island’s South Shore and the Western Long Island Sound, and how the timing of post-spawn fish exiting the Chesapeake varies significantly depending on where and when they spawn.

The full moon ignited some incredible bunker-fueled blitzes from the Jersey surf to the bays over the weekend, so OTW’s Jack Larizadeh joined the guys for a guest report to provide further insight into how it all unfolded. Watch the full report to get the scoop.

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While some anglers are experiencing the best big striped bass fishing of their lives the science tells a more complicated story. In this episode, Ben Gahagan and Micah Dean of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries talk about the state of the striped bass population, what stripers need to spawn successfully, and the results of a new study on catch-and-release fishing for striped bass.

#StripedBass #FishingPodcast #OnTheWater #Surfcasting #SaltwaterFishing #CatchAndRelease #FishingTips

In February 1975, Walter Bolonis caught a 15-pound largemouth bass through the ice in Southeastern Massachusetts, setting a seemingly unbreakable state record. Yet, many questions surround this catch, questions that professional bass fisherman and podcaster Mark Burgess of Big East Bass Fishing has been trying to answer.

In this episode, Jimmy and Cheech sit down with Mark and discuss what it's like being a pro bass angler from Massachusetts, the story behind that 15-pound bass, and whether or not it could ever be broken legitimately.

Check out Mark's YouTube Channel at Big East Bass Fishing.

Follow Big East Bass Fishing on Facebook.

This episode is presented by Raymarine: Earn Your Strikes

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After what he calls the best bigeye season of his 30-year canyon career, Steve breaks down how omni sonar is allowing crews to track, follow, and cast to tuna schools in ways that were unthinkable a decade ago. Also discussed: jigging and popping in the canyons, eel-trolling for stripers, and massive tog.

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Raymarine
Everglades Boats
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In this episode, Jimmy and Liam sit down with Andy to talk steelhead, salmon, and the very brief history of Lake Ontario stripers. Also, Liam recounts his first trip of the 2026 fishing season, chasing steelhead on the tributaries of Lake Erie.
Book a trip with Andy: chasintailadventures.com
Check out Andy's YouTube Channel: Chasin' Tail Adventures - YouTube

With even the saltwaters freezing in the Northeast, it's prime time to break out the augers and tip-ups.

In this episode, Jimmy Fee, Alex Blackwell, and Matt Haeffner talk about the "moronic sport" of ice fishing. Alex recounts a recent trip to Maine targeting 4- and 5-pound brook trout through the ice; Matt Haeffner talks about his wet and cold first step into ice fishing; and Jimmy relates jigging through the ice to running-and-gunning for tuna.

Presented by

Raymarine: Earn Your Strikes

Supported by

Quantum Reels

Everglades Boats

Boat Mart

Videographer and surfcaster Andrew Burke grew up fishing the Outer Cape Beaches. He began filming his own adventures, then moved onto creating content with other media companies, including On The Water and Brave Wilderness.

Andrew and Jimmy Fee talk about adapting to stay on stripers in the surf, share tips on preventing gear theft by coyotes, and talk about whether a bloodworm's bite actually stings.

Check out Cape Cod Puzzle Co.

Watch the Acadian Redfish episode of At The Rail

Coyote Photos provided by @birdsbykeegan https://www.instagram.com/birdsbykeegan/

Presented by

Raymarine: Earn Your Strikes

Supported by

Quantum Reels

Everglades Boats

Boat Mart

Lake trout grow large, feed aggressively, and can be caught 12 months a year in the Northeast. Jimmy and Kevin talk about this hard-fighting char and all the places you can catch it, from day-trips throughout the Northeast (and even New Jersey) to weekend trips to the Great Lakes or Maine to weeklong fly-outs to Canada. Also discussed: The wonderful hot wings of Western New York, the Mighty Niagara River, and "reverse snowbirding."

Presented by

Raymarine: Earn Your Strikes

Supported by

Quantum Reels

Everglades Boats

Boat Mart