New
York Striped Bass
Fishing
Fishing New York for stripers
Three species of true or temperate
bass and one hybrid are found in New York's waters: striped bass,
white perch, white bass, and hybrid bass.
Striped bass are very important sport and commercial fish in the
United States. Their speed, power, and large size makes them one
of the most exciting sportfish. Known as New York's accessible giant,
striped bass in the 50+ pound range are taken every year.
Striped bass or "stripers" are the largest of New
York's temperate basses. They are easily distinguished by the seven
to nine dark horizontal lines found along their sides, two to three
of which extend from the head to the base of the tail. Unlike white
bass or white perch, stripers have a streamlined body shape, with the
depth of the body generally less than the head length. In addition,
striped bass have two patches of teeth on the tongue.
Striped bass are found in both fresh and saltwater. They generally
occur around rocks and wrecks in nearshore waters, rivers and large
reservoirs.
In New York State, they are found seasonally in the tidal portion
of the Hudson River and coastal waters around Long Island.
The first thing we talk about in new york when it comes to striped bass fishing is Montauk Point on the eastern tip of long Island. Montauk is the surf fising capitol of the United states. Legions of unwashed and unshaved fishermen make a biannual sojourn to the quite exclusive Hampton Bays along route 27 during the spring and fall Migrations. These same fishermean many of them world class - brave the elements and some of the most brutalizing and harsh conditions anywhere at a chance for a trophy striped bass. The locals dont understand the mindset of the striper fishermen but tolerate and even admire their tenacity and of course appreciate the revenue they generate for the local economy.
Then of course the great fishing along the long island sound to the north end and on the southern end the atlantic ocean. The Long island sound which seperates the state of connecticut with new york along the entire length of long island where the western sound enters the hudson river. This the Hudson river is a one of the three major spawning centers for the striped bass that arrive like clockwork on the moon tides in late april and may. Spawning occurs when the water temp reaches an optimal 60 degrees. The smaller bulls arive in the river first and then the cows will enter the river enmass. Striped bass are anadromous, migrating to freshwater from the sea
to spawn. Spawning takes place in the Hudson
River estuary in May
and early June. Stripers broadcast their eggs near the surface over
deep water that has some current or turbulence. The semi-buoyant
eggs drift with the current and hatch in two to four days. By early
summer, young striped bass move to shallow water nursery areas of
Haverstraw Bay and the Tappan Zee. In early fall, they begin to move
out of the estuary to nearshore coastal areas. Adult stripers leave
the estuary right after spawning and join other striped bass migrating
along the Atlantic Coast.
Babylon Long Island New York stripers
The Entire Raritan Bay estuary and Jamaica Bays are filled with migrating bass. It is also home to resident fish that live here year round but the majority will be migrational fish traveling northward on their journey to follow the baitfish that is necessary for them to grow to their enormous sizes. This is encoded in their DNA. In saltwater, boat anglers catch the most stripers by trolling or
controlled drifting using large plugs or spoons or fresh cut bait
or eels. For surf fishing along Long Island, casting plugs, spoons
or jigs may produce good catches. Surf casters should fish on a moving
tide.
We will start in the southermost point of new york state which is tottenville staten island. Thisi is a Neil Mackellow cast across the arthur kill river to Perth Amboy New jersey. We will discuss more on staten Island fishing on the staten island section of the site.
As we head west along Staten Islands shore we are in the Raritan bays two deep channels. Both the Ambrose chanell and the Raritan Reach have an average depth of approximately 45 feet and drop to 70 feet in some areas. Beneath the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge is the deepest point in the Hudson Drainage sysyem. This area is also the Entrance to New york City Harbor that was at one time guarded by Fort Hamilton on the Brooklyn side and Fort Wadsworth on the Staten island side. The Fort wadsworth area is now managed by gateway national recreation area and a permit is required to fish from dusk tilll dawn. The island beaches are bathing beaches that lack structure and access for the most part but the public beach at south beach has a fishing pier, bogs, old pilings, slight man made groins and some appreciable rock formations that take some walking and reconosance work for the hard core surfcaster. The Great Kills Harbor and the public piers at the Ferry,South Beach and the Sharrots Road on the South Shore see the heaviest fishing pressure from the general public.
NYS
DEC
New
York State Striper
fishing regulations
Look below for links to the Hudson River and the New York Striper Fishing Charter Boats.
Also check out the up to date fishing reports from
New York fishing at Noreast.com
Long Island stripers
- Montauk Long
Island (The
Mecca)
- Suffolk County Long Island New York
- Nassau County Long Island New York
- Hudson River Stripers New York
- Delaware River at Calicoon, Narrowsburgh and Port Jarvis New York
- Brooklyn New York
- Queens New York
- Staten Island New York
- Jamaica Bay New York
New York State
Striped Bass Fishing
Records
Marine Striped Bass 76
Lbs. Bob Rocchetta,
East Setauket, NY 07/17/81
Inland New York State Striper Record
55 pounds 6 ounces
lbs. Ian Kiraly Hudson River, of Walton New York County Troller with 6" lure - South of Kingston/Rhinecliff Bridge 24' - 26' 5/9/2008 Took about 30 - 45 minutes to boat.
Previous record holder was Dan Mangold Ulster County Cut Herring 05/09/03
Hybrid Striped Bass 11 lbs. 2 oz. George C. Harris Lake Waccabuc
Westchester County 08/26/00
Striped
Bass fishing forum and reports for New York
Weather for
the N.Y Metropolitan Area
Albany Weather
Lake
Erie Weather
State
Maps
Find
your Marina
Public
Beach Access Information
New
York Harbor
The
NY Bight
Staten
Island
Willet's
Point to Montauk Point New York
Shinnecock Inlet to Jones Inlet Long Island New York
Long Beach, New York
Hempstead Bay
Long
Island Sound
North
Side East River
Staten
Island
Kill Van Kull River
Arthur Kill River
Raritan Bay
Queens - Fort tilden and Flushing Bay
Jamaica Bay
Western New York State
Striped bass are a favorite of many New York anglers. Since stripers
are know to occur around rocky areas near jetties and dropoffs where
there is some current or turbulence, anglers should concentrate their
efforts there. Many of these areas can be found by studying a good
set of navigation charts. Best fishing is around high tide in the
evening, at night, or on overcast days.
Anglers use a variety of methods and tackle to catch these incredible
fighters. On the Hudson River, striped bass fishing is best during
the spring spawning run from March to June. During the early spring,
when water temperatures are cooler (about 50 degrees Fahrenheit)
and the bass are less active, bottom fishing on slow drifts with
blood worms provides some success. As the water warms up (above 56
degrees Fahrenheit), trolling with lures such as jointed plugs or
bait is the most effective method for catching Hudson River stripers.
Although boat fishing provides the best catches, shore anglers also
take their share of fish. Jigs and plugs retrieved on a fast cast
may catch a striper warming itself in shallow water areas during
high tides.
Stripers are migratory fish. In the ocean, they move north in the
summer and south in the fall and winter. Striped bass found along
the mid-Atlantic coast are produced in the Hudson and Delaware rivers,
the Chesapeake Bay system, and the Roanoke River. Hudson River striped
bass are most commonly found between New Jersey and Cape Cod. However,
they can travel as far away as North Carolina and Nova Scotia.
Striped bass vary considerably in size, ranging from 18 to 55 inches
in length and three to 70 pounds in weight. They are slow to mature
and are long lived. In New York, female stripers do not mature until
five to eight years old and fish 25 years old have been caught in
the Hudson River.
Smaller striped bass in the ten to 20 pound range
generally travel in large schools. Older and larger fish are usually
in small "pods" of
only a few fish. Adult striped bass are voracious feeders, primarily
eating fish and invertebrates, especially crabs and squid.
Striped bass have been a valuable commercial fish
species in New York. Unfortunately, striped bass from New York were
found to contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Levels were highest
in bass from the Hudson River and in 1976, the state banned their sale.
PCB levels have dropped significantly since then, but remain above
the federal action level of two ppm. The presence of PCBs also led
to a ban in the 1980s on the sale of striped bass from the marine waters
around Long Island. This has been partially lifted and a limited fall
commercial fishery is now permitted.
Hybrid Bass
Hybrid bass are a cross between striped bass and white bass. They
were originally developed to provide large sportfish that have the
fighting quality of striped bass and feed on open water prey fish.
Hybrid bass are stocked in waters with large populations of forage
fishes and do not appear to compete with sunfishes or black bass.
Hybrid bass are stocked in three waters in New York State: Whitney
Point Reservoir in Broome County, Swinging Bridge Reservoir in Sullivan
County, and Fort Pond in Suffolk County.
New York states DEC list of fish
harcheries in
New York and surrounding areas.
Hybrid bass are similar in appearance to both parents. They have
two patches of teeth on their tongues like striped bass, but are
deep-bodied like white bass. The dark stripes found on hybrid bass
are usually broken into short dashes.
Hybrid bass are most often produced from a female striped bass and
a male white bass. The young grow well in the hatchery and are usually
stocked in the fall as fingerlings.
Hybrid bass are fast growers. In New York, hybrids reach eight inches
in length in the first year and are double that by age three. Adult
hybrid bass feed in open waters and primarily eat forage fish, such
as alewife and gizzard shad.
Hybrid bass are popular sportfish. They are hard fighting and good
eating. Anglers use the same fishing methods as those for white bass.
The future of hybrid bass in New York is uncertain. Although the
fish are doing well in the state's waters, anglers have not learned
how to catch them consistently. Hybrids also have shown the trait
of moving downstream from reservoirs into waters where they may not
be wanted. However, hybrid bass have only been in New York for a
short time (since the 1980s) and they may prove to be an exciting
addition to the state's fisheries.
More on Hybrids
Even
more on hybrids
Freshwater
Temperatures
County
River
Basin
Atlantic
Bass
Pro saltwater direction charts for New York
The National
Park service
Gateway
NRA is a 26,000 acre recreation area located in the heart
of the New York metropolitan area. The park extends through three
New York City boroughs and into northern New Jersey.
ENTRANCE FEES
Parking Fee
Details
GATEWAY HAS NO ENTRANCE FEES. However, Beach Parking Fees are charged at Sandy
Hook and Jacob Riis Park during the summer. Annual passes are available for Sandy
Hook.
ACTIVITY FEES
Fishing Permit
Fees
$50 - Annual (recently raised)
Details
There are fees for parking in fishing lots at all Gateway sites. Permits are
available at Gateway Visitor Centers/Ranger Stations.
Public Affairs Office
(718) 354-4606 Jamaica Bay Unit
(718) 338-3799
(718) 354-4500 Staten Island Unit
Sandy Hook Unit
(732) 872-5970
You can Also purchase
a yearly National parkpass for $50. that allows you access
to any National park that requires an entry fee. You can
purchase one online at their web
site.
That Trophy Striper
Karen Ann Charters
Fishing striped bass in The waters of Jamaica bay
Capt Vinnie
516-728-6952
[email protected]
Capt Richie
347-661-4501
[email protected]
More recommended New York charter Boats and reports
Maps geographical information and nautical charts for new York fishing
© by Jim Hannan 2009
