The striped bass (Morone saxatilis, also called rock or rockfish) is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state Saltwater (marine) fish of New York.The striped bass is a typical member of the Moronidae family in shape, having a streamlined, silvery body marked with longitudinal dark stripes running from behind the gills to the base of the tail. Maximum size is 200 cm (6.6 ft) and maximum scientifically recorded weight 57 kg (125 US pounds). Striped bass are believed to live for up to 30 years.Striped bass are native to the Atlantic coastline of North America from the St. Lawrence River into the Gulf of to approximately Louisiana. They are anadromous fish that migrate between fresh and salt water. Spawning takes place in fresh water.Striped bass spawn in freshwater and although they have been successfully adapted to freshwater habitat, they naturally spend their adult lives in saltwater (i.e., it is anadromous). Four important bodies of water with breeding stocks of striped bass are: Chesapeake Bay, Massachusetts Bay/Cape Cod, Hudson River and Delaware River. It is believed that many of the rivers and tributaries that emptied into the Atlantic, had at one time, breeding stock of striped bass. One of the largest breeding areas is the Chesapeake Bay, where populations from Chesapeake and Delaware bays have intermingled.There are very few successful spawning populations of freshwater striped bass, including Lake Texoma and the Arkansas River as well as Lake Marion (South Carolina) that retained a landlocked breeding population when the dam was built; other freshwater fisheries must be restocked with hatchery-produced fish on an annual basis.Striped bass are of significant value as sport fishing, and have been introduced to many waterways outside their natural range. A variety of angling methods are used, including trolling and surfcasting. Striped bass will take a number of live and fresh baits including bunker, clams, sandworms, bloodworms, and mackerel. The largest striped bass ever caught by angling was a 35.6 kg (78.8 lb) specimen taken in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 21, 1982. When the fish need to spawn in the northeast, some make there way up the Connecticut River, it is a great place to catch them in a fresh water location, like by The Cove in Wethersfield, CT in Spring. Otherwise, Stripes are most-commonly caught between the months of March and September. They don't give much of a battle