White PerchorStriped Bass
Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.
How to tell them apart
White Perch
Silvery with an olive back and no bars; deep, compressed body; spiny and soft dorsal fins joined at the base.
Striped Bass
7–8 unbroken dark stripes on silver; two separated dorsal fins.
Striped bass, next to white perch: longer, with unbroken stripes.
Side by side
| White Perch | Striped Bass | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Morone americana | Morone saxatilis |
| Also called | Perch | Striper, Rockfish |
| Waters | Inshore | Inshore |
| Heaviest state record | 3 lb 1 oz · New York (2023) | 81 lb 15 oz · Connecticut (2011) |
| On the table | Very good — small, sweet fillets. | Excellent. |
| Rules of its own in | 5 states | 17 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 17 of 17 states with a rule for either. In Connecticut, white perch is 7" min, 30 per angler per day and striped bass is 28" to <31" slot, 1 per angler. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | White Perch: size · bag · season | Striped Bass: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 16 in total length minimum2 per personOpen year-roundOpenAL MRD 2026 · checked |
| Connecticut | 7" min30 per angler per dayYear-roundOpenCT DEEP 2026 · checked | 28" to <31" slot1 per anglerOpen year-roundOpenCT DEEP 2026 · checked |
| Delaware | 8" minNo daily limitYear-roundOpenDE DNREC 2026 · checked | 28-31 in slot (20-24 in slot Jul 1-Aug 31 in DE Bay, River & tributaries)1 per dayOpen year-round; catch-and-release only on spawning grounds Apr 1-May 31OpenDE DNREC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Atlantic) | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit statewide (Suwannee system: 18 in min)20 combined striped/white/sunshine bass, max 6 of 24 in or longerOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit statewide (Suwannee system: 18 in min)20 combined striped/white/sunshine bass, max 6 of 24 in or longerOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked |
| Georgia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 22 in total length2 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked |
| Maine | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 28-31" TL slot1 per dayOpen year-round statewide; Kennebec watershed (Kennebec/Sheepscot/Androscoggin & tributaries) open Jul 1-Nov 30, closed Dec 1-Jun 30 with catch-and-release single-hook artificial-lure season May 1-Jun 30OpenME DMR 2026 · checked |
| Maryland | None by hook and line (8" min by other gear)No daily limitYear-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked | 19-24 in TL slot (Chesapeake); Atlantic Ocean: 28-31 in slot1Chesapeake harvest May 1-Jul 31 and Sep 1-Dec 5; catch-and-release Jan-Apr and Dec 6-31; ALL targeting closed Aug 1-31OpenMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Massachusetts | 8" min25 per dayYear-roundOpenMA DMF 2026 · checked | 28" to less than 31" slot1 fishOpen year-roundOpenMA DMF 2026 · checked |
| New Hampshire | No size limit25 per dayYear-roundOpenNH F&G 2026 · checked | 28 to less than 31 in TL slot1 fish/dayOpen year-roundOpenNH F&G 2026 · checked |
| New Jersey | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 28 to less than 31 in slot1Most marine waters Mar 1-Dec 31; Atlantic Ocean 0-3 mi open year-round; federal waters (3-200 mi) closedOpenNJ DEP 2026 · checked |
| New York | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 28-31" slot1Apr 15 - Dec 15OpenNY DEC 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 28-31 in TL slot (Atlantic Ocean)1/day (ocean)Ocean open year-round; internal waters closedOpenNC DMF 2026 · checked |
| Rhode Island | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 28" to <31" slot1/person/dayOpen year-roundOpenRI DEM 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 26 in total length3 per person per day (lower Savannah River: 2 per day, 27 in)Open Oct 1 – Jun 15; closed Jun 16 – Sep 30ClosedSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Texas | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 18 in total length5 (striped bass and hybrids in any combination)Open year-roundOpenTPWD 2026 · checked |
| Virginia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 19-24 in slot (Chesapeake Bay)1 per personBay: May 16 - Jun 15 and Oct 4 - Dec 31ClosedVMRC 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, white perch or striped bass, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell white perch from striped bass?
White Perch: Silvery with an olive back and no bars; deep, compressed body; spiny and soft dorsal fins joined at the base. Striped Bass: 7–8 unbroken dark stripes on silver; two separated dorsal fins. Striped bass, next to white perch: longer, with unbroken stripes.
Which gets bigger, white perch or striped bass?
Striped Bass. The heaviest state record we hold is 81 lb 15 oz in Connecticut; the heaviest white perch record is 3 lb 1 oz in New York.
Which is better to eat, white perch or striped bass?
White Perch: Very good — small, sweet fillets. Striped Bass: Excellent.
Do white perch and striped bass have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 17 state rulebooks. Connecticut: white perch 7" min, 30 per angler per day, striped bass 28" to <31" slot, 1 per angler; Delaware: white perch 8" min, No daily limit, striped bass 28-31 in slot (20-24 in slot Jul 1-Aug 31 in DE Bay, River & tributaries), 1 per day; Maryland: white perch None by hook and line (8" min by other gear), No daily limit, striped bass 19-24 in TL slot (Chesapeake); Atlantic Ocean: 28-31 in slot, 1; Massachusetts: white perch 8" min, 25 per day, striped bass 28" to less than 31" slot, 1 fish; New Hampshire: white perch No size limit, 25 per day, striped bass 28 to less than 31 in TL slot, 1 fish/day; and more in the table on this page.