At the age of fifty nine and being one who has always lived by the adage "if it ain't broke don't try to fix it" I tend to be somewhat reluctant to change. However, there are times when change is required. For example, if my granddaughters' diaper needed changing I would be the first to agree! Last spring the Hudson and its' striped bass population was not as cooperative with me as I would have liked. We caught fish and some were very big, but I would prefer (as would my customers) to catch lots of fish every day.

In the past I have always favored live bait fishing over artificial. In my opinion nothing is as good as what the fish are feeding on in their natural environment at any given time. When the bunker came into Clinton Harbor this summer they gave us all the opportunity to present live active bait. I immediately noticed an increase in the number of bass caught and the size. Peak times were just prior to and after daybreak and in the evening. As I go over my records I also find that the tides seen to make little difference in catch. Even during slack we were catching fish.

When I fish the Hudson in the spring I like to use live eels or herring and in the past I have had great results.The cause for a change in "time on the water to catch ratio" last spring can be attributed to a number of factors; each factor substantiated by data collected during the six week period fished.

Starting times for most of my charters were determined by the tide. In the past, I would try to fish either the incoming or outgoing for the full six hour period. On the average we were fishing from about seven in the morning until one in the afternoon with some variation. Prior years indicated that this was as effective as any other time of the day. Last year was different; factors that may have accounted for this might include the number of boats trolling in the area I was fishing, the greater than normal fluctuations in water temperature and the time of day.

Let's consider other boats fishing within close proximity with their engines running and down rigger cables hitting schools of fish. If one were presenting live bait in what we would hope to be a natural environment it would seem to me that a reduced catch would be expected. It reminds me of the time I was float fishing the Green River in Wyoming. As my guide and I rounded a bend we were confronted by two fly fisherman wading the shallows; and I do mean confronted. "They should keep you guys off this river" shouted one while the other gave us the one finger wave. "Maybe we'll put some fish down for awhile" commented the guide, but they will get over it. Perhaps different styles of fishing in close quarters will have an effect. Don't get me wrong, I do my share of trolling with down riggers as well but if I am going to use live bait I will have to rethink my strategy.

There isn't a lot we can do about water temperature and it will have an effect on striped bass in the Hudson. I have always fished the shallow flats as it tends to be a bit warmer and the thermocline is not as dramatic. Remember, surface temperature in the spring is a lot warmer than water temperature twenty feet down. Fishing in ten feet of water or less can be very productive.

Time of day is the one factor that I think will make the most difference for me this coming spring for two reasons. During the week there are very few boats on the water prior to daybreak. I can set up a drift with live bait and cover a large area with little, if any, disturbance. I will also try to keep activity in the boat at a minimum and turn off the sonar. I am going to fish for bass like I hunt for deer (no, not with a gun) quiet and undetected. The only commotion I want in the water is the bait!

Will it work? Only time will tell, but if we don't keep trying new techniques whether it be color of lure, speed of troll or time of day we may be missing out on some great catches.