| It wasn't that long ago that the idea of fishing the | | | | herring and feeding on them with a pre-spawning |
| Hudson River was laughable. Now, striped bass | | | | hunger, it stands to reason that herring makes |
| fishing on the Hudson is definitely a go. | | | | good bait. You can use live herring presented in a |
| The stripped bass is an ocean going fish that | | | | natural manner or use cut chunks of herring. |
| comes into coastal rivers to spawn. Each spring, | | | | Either method is equally successful. |
| large schools of this hard fighting game fish head | | | | Another thing that makes Hudson River stripped |
| up the Hudson River in New York turning that | | | | bass fishing such a good deal for the Northeast |
| river into one of the most exciting game fisheries | | | | angler is that you can have just about as much |
| in the United States. From the Tappan Zee Bridge | | | | luck right from the banks of the river as you can |
| outside of New York City up river into the heart | | | | from a boat. It might take a little looking around, |
| of the state, the fish move toward spawning | | | | but generally shallow areas by the banks and |
| grounds feeding on shad and herring. It is their | | | | areas where small streams run into the river are |
| schooling and heavy feeding tendencies during | | | | gathering spots for the stripped bass. The main |
| their spawning run that makes them both an easy | | | | advantage of a boat is the ability to follow the |
| and a challenging fish to pursue. | | | | schools of fish around the river. Most locals |
| The season on the Hudson River for stripped | | | | suggest eels as the ideal bait when fishing from |
| bass fishing runs from March 16 to November 30. | | | | the boat, although shad can be used as well. |
| No license is needed to fish on the river, but one | | | | Trolling is a good way to locate the schools on |
| is needed to fish on any of the tributaries leading | | | | the river. Many different spoons and spinner baits |
| into the Hudson. So, it is wise to be careful if you | | | | can draw fish when trolled behind the boat. Once |
| do not have a license and stay on the main river. | | | | one fish is hooked, you are usually assured of a |
| Any fish under 18 inches long must be returned | | | | lot of action because of the schooling nature of |
| to the river and there is a limit of one fish per | | | | the fish. Remember that this fishing is for sport. |
| day per angler. This limit makes stripped bass | | | | Most of the Hudson has been closed to |
| fishing on the Hudson River an ideal catch and | | | | commercial fishing because of high levels of PCBs |
| release area. | | | | found in the fish. Over the years, a great deal of |
| One of the things that will amaze you about this | | | | effort has been made to clean up the river, and |
| fish is that they grow very, very large. It is not | | | | there is already talk of opening sections of the |
| unknown for an angler to snare a 40 pound | | | | river for commercial fishing again. Although this is |
| stripped bass during the spawning run. There are | | | | good news from an environmental standpoint, |
| a lot of different types of fishing and lures that | | | | there is a lot of opposition from sport fishermen |
| can be successful on your quest for a stripped | | | | who want to protect this amazing sport resource. |
| bass. Since the spawning fish are following the | | | | |