2023 South Shore Striper Tournament

• The tournament starts at 5:00pm Friday, June 9, and catch records can be submitted for eligibility from then until 12:00 noon on Sunday, June 11.
• Winners will be posted on the leader board. Prizes can be picked up at awards presentation at Belsan Bait & Tackle on Sunday, June 11 at 2:00pm. You can also join in by Zoom. The link will be sent to you.
• This is a catch and release only tournament. Click here to see a video from the National Park Service on proper catch and release techniques.  Watch a Zoom presentation, with Capt. Coombs of Get Tight Fishing, on the status of the Striper fish populations, the 2020 regulations, and proper catch and release techniques to conserve the fishery.
• Winners will be chosen from photos submitted within time limits of tournament only. Submit catch pictures by texting or e-mailing: fishing@nsrwa.org.
• Catch records will not be considered eligible before 5:00 pm Friday, June 9 or after 12:00noon on Sunday, June 11.
• Adult entries are $75, Children 12 and under are $35.
• By participating in the South Shore Striper Tournament you  are supporting the NSRWA, a nonprofit that is restoring fisheries – specifically river herring fisheries on the South Shore through citizen science and online monitoring, through dam removals, and habitat restoration. (Click on map to enlarge.)

Check the 2023 Leaderboard

The five categories include:

Motorized Boat Angler, Adult – $1,000 Cash Prize
Motorized Boat Angler, 12 and under – Fishing Gear Prize Package
Shore Angler, Adult – $1,000 Cash Prize
Shore Angler, 12 and under – Fishing Gear Prize Package
Fly Fishing, Shore only, All Ages – $1,000 Cash Prize
Calcutta – 2nd Place fish in Adult Boat or Shore, 2nd and 3rd Place fish in Fly Fishing category
(Bring your measuring board from a past tournament when you pick up your packet and you will be entered into a drawing)

RULES
To Submit a Fish Photo:

• Winning fish will be judged by the length of the fish, and not the weight.
• The total length of the fish is defined from the lower jaw to the end of the tail pushed together.
• The fish should be placed on the provided measuring board, with the lower jaw touching the 90-degree lip at the beginning of the board, and the tail towards the end of the board pinched together to measure fish total length.
• For a picture to be eligible it must have the entire fish in the frame, including the 4-digit registration code on the end of the board; this code will identify the submitted catch to each individual registered angler and their category. For the Fly Fishing division the reel must be in the photo.
• There will be five (5) categories to register under and receive winnings. No angler can win multiple categories without paying for more than one, and those who register for multiple categories cannot win more than one with the same length fish.
• Winning catch will be judged on overall length, and no fish will be manipulated to extend length that would result in damage to the fish.
• For submitted pictures to be eligible, fish must be landed in waters within the following geographic boundaries: Massachusetts Bay, southwest of a line from Nahant to Race Point, Provincetown; with a western boundary of the South Shore land masses and eastern boundary of the outer Cape. No fish caught west of the breakwater of the Sandwich end of the Cape Cod Canal will be eligible.

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries implemented striped bass conservation regulations aimed at reducing release mortality in 2020. Click here for the new rules.

On May 26, 2023 the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries will enact emergency recreational regulations to change the maximum length limit for keeping striped bass in Massachusetts. The new recreational slot size is 28″ to less than 31″, and anglers will still be permitted to keep one fish per day.

To obtain your MA Fishing license, please go to this link: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/get-a-recreational-saltwater-fishing-permit