In recent weeks I have traveled across the two bridges that span the mid-Hudson to pay a visit to my dentist (not a pleasant experience) and have noticed no ice on the river at all. During our mild winter there has been very little and, relatively speaking, no snow pack in the mountains.
"We have many fisherman requesting their boats go in the water by April 1st", a comment made by the owner of my marina. "They must be anticipating an earlier than usual striper run".
My take on this years Hudson season for striped bass is not much different from years past. As a matter of fact, if the current precipitation pattern holds for the next month or so I would be very happy. Last spring brought record flooding to the mid-Hudson with boats being lifted off their stands on shore, large amounts of debris in the river and increased turbidity. Although the fish were there it made for some very difficult days on the water.
As of March 23rd the water temperature at Poughkeepsie was 4.3 degrees C. We have a long way to go to reach a temperature that is indicative of striped bass activity. Some of my readers may be interested in the web site that I use to track river condition - www.ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/dialer_plots/saltfront.html
I think activity in the mid-Hudson region will begin around the last week in April and most likely, as in years past, taper off by the first week in June.
I spoke with one of my bait wholesalers yesterday about eels. Apparently, last season there was some difficulty in obtaining eels of a small enough size for bass fishing. Although I had very little luck fishing eels last spring I still like to have them on board (as I like to be prepared with an assortment of bait). There has also been talk of a moratorium on taking the American Eel - of which, as of this date I must admit I am not certain of any definitive action.
Using chunk bait and bloodworms last spring became very frustrating for many fisherman on the river as it seemed the only interested "parties" tended to be large river eels and catfish. I found it frustrating to say the least. Tap,tap, tap on the line might very well have raised the excitement level for my customers, but, I knew it was only another pest! Most of us know, when a striper hits the bait, he HITS the bait.
I ended up trolling. And, I caught fish. I like trolling as it gives me the opportunity to cover a larger area and I can "see" the fish on my recording fathometer. Many that have read my articles in past years may say that I cannot make up my mind, I lack "decisivness". Maybe so, but, I believe to be a productive fisherman you must be willing to change. When I fish the trout streams with flies I will always look for signs in the natural hatch and use that to determine what fly to use.
When stripers start feeding on roast duck we will all be using roast duck!