I have to ask: does your nephew refer to them as Striped Bass or Rockfish? I think Marylanders may be the only ones who use the term “Rockfish”?!
Good question.
In MD they are rock or rocks or rockfish, not stripers. I remember catching 15 pounders from shore on the Wye river on a moonless night. When I splashed these big guys came to my feet looking for a meal.