In Week 2 of our 2026 Striper Migration Reports, OTW’s Matt Haeffner and Johnny McIntyre discuss ideal water temperatures for spawning stripers in Chesapeake Bay, a noticeable improvement in South Jersey’s resident striper bite, and holdover activity ramping up in Connecticut and Rhode Island despite some unstable conditions and low water temperatures. Plus, we get the scoop on back bay striper action in southern New Jersey from Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters out of Ocean City. The first day of spring came and went, but the Northeast is still struggling to shake free of Old Man Winter’s grip. With water temperatures remaining mostly stagnant since last week, the arrival of river herring from New Jersey to New England has fueled much of the early-season fishing so far. Follow Badfish Charters on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captbrianwilliams/ Book a trip with Captain Brian Williams: https://www.ocnjfishing.com/ On The Water’s Striper Migration Reports are brought to you by: Z-Man Fishing Products: https://zmanfishing.com/ Yo-Zuri: http://www.yo-zuri.com/ Quantum Fishing: https://www.quantumfishing.com/ Grundens: https://grundens.com/ Garmin Marine: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/ Canyon Runner: https://canyonrunner.com/ Cobia Boats: https://www.cobiaboats.com/ FLIR: https://marine.flir.com/en-us Seakeeper Ride: https://ride.seakeeper.com/ SMITH Optics: https://www.smithoptics.com/en-us Melton International Tackle: https://www.meltontackle.com/ For more Striper Migration content, visit https://www.onthewater.com/ Follow On The Water Magazine on Instagram and Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/onthewatermagazine/ https://www.facebook.com/OnTheWater.Fishing Sign up for OTW’s Striper Cup: https://www.stripercup.com/ 00:00 Intro / Week 2 Overview (Cold Spring Conditions)00:01:08 Ad Break – Z-Man Diesel Minnow00:01:41 Weather Outlook + Cold Water Impact00:02:34 Cape Cod Scouting Report (Herring Runs + Freshwater Bite)00:06:07 Migration Map Breakdown (Chesapeake Leading the Push)00:07:06 Chesapeake Bay (Maryland) – Spawning Fish + Regulations00:10:07 Ad Break – Yo-Zuri + Quantum Gear00:11:09 Chesapeake Bay Reports (Captains + Patterns)00:15:11 New Jersey (South & North) – Backwater Bite Heating Up00:16:12 New Jersey Report – Captain Brian Williams00:19:25 Ad Break – Grundéns + Garmin00:20:04 New Jersey Analysis Continued (Temps + Movement)00:21:12 Long Island – Cold Water, Slow Start00:24:06 Connecticut – Western Sound Holdovers00:26:04 Ad Break – Cobia Boats + FLIR + Marine Tech00:27:04 Massachusetts & Rhode Island – Herring + Holdover Updates00:30:00 Cape Cod – Local Conditions + Outlook00:32:32 Ad Break – Canyon Runner Intel00:33:08 Canyon Runner Forecast – Why Fishing Is Still Slow00:38:18 Ad Break – SeaKeeper Ride + Smith Optics00:39:19 Tackle Tip of the Week (Prep + Terminal Gear)00:41:06 Final Strategy Tips (Tides, Locations, Early Season Approach)