Reprise – a return to an original theme. (Amer. Heritage Dic.)
I’ve fished and hunted the Hudson River for more than 60 years. 2011 is the first year I’ve missed fishing for striped bass on this great gift of a river since I returned from overseas in the 60’s. I decided to treat myself to a year of fishing where I enjoyed life the most. I was in my 30’s and 40’s. I located an efficiency room in a boarding house in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. You can come home sometimes.
I like it so much here that I passed on my annual trek to Florida and plan on fishing the fall migration into January. Then huddle up here “Down the Shore” and tie some flies and buck tails and begin to write the Great American Novel on Dating Redheaded Women over 50. Then see if I can duplicate this fine year in 2012. Sunrise on the east coast of America is wicked Awesome!
A friend asked me to check on how the fishing was on the Hudson River this year and share it with you. So I did some research, reached out to some contacts in the Hudson RiverValley and smoozed the folks at the Hudson River Fisheries Unit (HRFU) for the latest developments.
The long, cold winter and never ending wet spring charged the Hudson River with more high water than it has seen since January, 1996. This river has a 25,000 square mile watershed and drains the slopes of the Adirondack, Green, Catskill and BerkshireMountains and half a dozen major hill regions. The river was flooded from late March thru early May. It was lumpy with debris and dirty with silt and mud for months.
The cold water held up the spawning run for the upper freshwater tidal reach from Bethlehem/Schodack to the Federal Dam at Troy. It delayed it for the Ravena to Catskill section and slowed it down by two weeks in the Malden to Kingston stretch.
The conditions were rough, but the anglers were tougher. They caught fish in murky water, lost rigs to trash tumbling south pushed by runoff from high places. The upper sections didn’t see a spawn or many fish over 40 inches. Ravena, Coxsackie, 4 Mile Point and Athens produced well and Catskill to Newburgh even better than that. More 40-inch plus fish were reported that any time in the past 24 years. The NY State Inland striped bass record still stands a 49.75-inches and 55-pounds, 6-ounces.
A 49.25-inch and 51.6-pound striped bass was caught on a flat south of Kingston, NY by Tom Borchret in May. On June 1st, Bill Walsh of Rock Tavern, NY, caught a 48.25-inch, spawned out female that weighed 40.7-pounds.That fish was caught in the same general area as Borchert’s. A majority of the over 40 crowd were caught on herring chunks.
The Hudson River is blessed with a strong and stable mature female spawning population of fish that are 8 or more years old. It has a problem with American Shad population numbers and is currently documenting the number of River Herring (Alewife and Blueback Herring) to meet the ASMFC coast wide minimum for a Sustainable Fishing Plan (SFP) for New York River Herring Stocks. The Hudson River Fisheries Unit has been collecting data since 2010. It has submitted it findings to the Shad and River Herring Technical committee and the Management Board will be ruling on the adjustments NY will have to make to be able to have a Sustainable Fishing Plan for Herring. American Shad will remain closed to fishing in 2012. There are Herring moratorium proposals for herring streams that empty into the East River and Long Island Sound from Southern Westchester County. Areas of the Delaware River north of Port Jervis may be included in this moratorium. You can down load a copy of the plan by Googling NY River Herring Sustainable Fishing Plan.
NY has been conducting annual young of the year (YOY) net hauls for striped bass, shad and herring since 1979 and spawning stock age net hauls for Age 8+ mature female striped bass since 1985. The YOY information is used to determine the strength of the spawn and to classify that year as average, poor or strong. If you hear folks talking about strong class years, these net counts are where those numbers originate. The worst year for striped bass was 1985 with a mere 2.0 average. 1986 was 3.0, 1987 was 15.0 and 1988 hit an amazing 34.0. The average for 32 years is 14.0.
1985 was the lowest ebb in the Age 8+ female striped bass count. It came in at 26%. The highest was 93% in 1993. The average over the 22 years remains a strong 71%.
2010 was 86 % and the estimated 2011 number should come in around 81%. So the Hudson Striper Stock remains healthy.
Hudson River Estuary Public Fishing and Boating Access Maps
These maps provide information about 91 public boat launch and shore fishing locations on the Hudson River between Troy and Yonkers. Driving directions, hours of operation, available facilities including access for persons with disabilities and contact numbers are available for each location. This document also includes a wealth of relevant information about river ecology and responsible fishing and boating to make any trip to the river safe and enjoyable while protecting the river's treasured resources.
You can use the links below to download a pdf version of the document. To receive a CD version please contact the Hudson River Estuary Program.
Hudson River Estuary Public Fishing and Boating Access Maps (PDF)
I did the field recon and GPS locations for these access sites in 2002 as the Hudson River Estuary Management Advisory Committee – Access Committee Chairman. These spots will put you next to fish. Enjoy the Fall Fishing – Next year will even be better.