Place to go for east coast striped bass without a boat

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could tell me where the nearest place I can go for striped bass. I will be fishing from the shore, wading, or fishing from a jetty. I would like to try for them this year maybe if I get time. I live in central Pa and have a 8wt. I don't think I want to do the surf. I have a kayak, however after I cast from it after a bit my back kills me.

Thanks

you can hit some jetties in jersy, del, md or va. how far do you wanna travel?
a good bet for kayak thats not too far from you would be the md c&r season at the sesquahana flats in the spring

i think the delaware river has a few, but i dont know how far up they go

There may be closer places but Cape Cod should still be pretty hot right now. You can kayak off the bay or fish off the beaches. I fish Turuo area and it can be done from shore.

jed

The Jersey shore is going to start heating up in the next few weeks. Right now the bait are schooling up and starting to move out. The mullet run is underway. There's a lot of jetties and inlets that can be fished. Island Beach State Park in central Jersey is usually hot this time of year. You can use your kayak in Barnegat Bay, walk the beach or fish the jetty at the south end.
I'm more familiar with area from Atlantic City on south. If you take what's known as Ocean Drive, it starts in Atlantic City as Alantic Ave. This will take you down the barrier islands that make up the Jersey shore through the various towns. It crosses for four inlets and the ICW. I know there's a jetty in Longport, but you'd have to check the beaches in the other towns. You can usually find parking around the bridges that cross the inlets. You'll also go by Corson's Inlet State Park. There's parking on either side of the first bridge and you can walk the beach out to the mouth of the inlet or the sod banks in the back. The road ends at Cape May Point, and there are beach and jetties to fish. If you're planning on fishing any jetties, make sure you have cleats or korkers, they can be treacherous without them.

What about the head of the chesapeake bay? Also what about Delaware?

jkilroy-

I worked in DE for about 2 years near Rehoboth. There are good striper runs off the beach at Lewes and Slaughter Beach, DE. I caught a lot more weakfish and blues than I did stripers, but I grew up on the Gulf Coast and I was still figuring the stripers out when I moved again. Cape Henlopen State Park, which is right across DE Bay from Cape May, NJ, also has lots of good water. If you continue south on hwy 1 past Rehoboth, you come to Fenwick Island. There is a National Seashore there with tons of open beach. Further south you'll find excellent jettie fishing at night at the inlet at Ocean City, MD. Lots of big stripers off the beach at OC. I primarily fished Lewes Beach and OC, and had some success. If you choose to yak, be wary of the extreme current and boat traffic around theses areas, espcially the inlets. Wear a life vest for sure. Good luck!

Right now there is a fairly large population of snapper blues in the Cape Henlopin State Park area. I am new to salt water also, and this is where I fish along with OC Maryland also. Good luck!

Ray

Actually your nearest spot for stripers is the Susquahanna flats, only about 2 hours away. You really can't wade fish but you can launch your kayak at a number of locations and be within a short paddle of some prime striper water. This area is really only good in the spring catch and release season so keep it in mind for next year. You might also want to try a different seat for your kayak. Some are much more comfortable than others.

Is there any place on the susquehanna flats that's better than others? Also, what is the time frame in the spring? All the above places sound good however they are a little far for me to drive. I was looking at a 2-2.5 hr. drive. My fall time is limited due to being a member of the National Guard, rental houses, and a kitchen that needs done.

The season on the flats is March 1st to early May.
As water temps rise during this period the fishing generaly gets better. The flats is a big area and fish
may be found almost anywhere. There are often clusters of boats which will give you an indication of where at least some of the fish are. By the way, you will need a Md. license which you can get on line.