Most certainly bring a fishing rod. I can guarantee you that there will be school stripers around but finding them is the trick.
There are two types of stripers - migratory and non-migratory. Migratory stripers follow the warm currents up and down the coast and when and where they appear is totally dependent upon the weather. Get a warm stretch and wind blowing from the southwest and the migratory stripers will start moving north and will be found along the shores. In warm years I have caught stripers in late March in the lower Hudson River and in Connecticut bays around Norwalk but in cooler years stripers might not appear there until mid to late April. Location is relative, the Spring migration moves from the south to north.
Non-migratory stripers are a little discussed phenomenon. These stripers do not migrate and will winter over in back bays, tidal rivers and salt ponds along the entire eastern seaboard. Generally there are two age classes that can be found, one in the 12"-16" range and one in the 20"-24" range but occasionally you might find the one-off striper in the 28"-32" range.
The problem with these stripers is first, they are not present in massive numbers and second, they move around in a tight school within a set area following established routes based on water temperature, direction of current flow, wind, and moon phase. If you don't know where they most likely will be based on these conditions, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. They are not spread out, they are in tight schools so it's all or nothing - mostly nothing. Wintering stripers also tend to maintain a nighttime feeding pattern.
As others suggested, your best bet is targeting the back bays and tidal rivers, especially during an outgoing tide that starts about two hours before daybreak. Target the ocean side of the inlet (if a bay or pond) or any points of narrow in the lower portion (or the mouth) of any tidal river. Success will either be within the top foot of water or right on the bottom. There is no need to bring a large selection of flies, bring some white deceivers for fishing the top and white/olive clousers for fishing the bottom both in the 2"-4" range. If you wish to use a spin outfit use a small white sluggo for fishing the surface and a white jig head from 1/8 to 1/2 ounce (depending upon depth and current speed) with a white Zoom Fluke Mini and fish it slowly right along the bottom.
Dress warm.
