Current Hudson conditions

[mrbuster]

At this point the Hudson River looks to be in good shape north of the Mid Hudson Bridge (Poughkeepsie). If you recall last year this same time we had terrible rain which caused wide spread flooding in the Catskill region. This caused dangerous amounts of debris in the water, much more then we?re used to. It also caused the water to be far darker and muddier and cooler then usual for this time of year. Last year, many anglers got off to a late start due to water conditions in this area. A couple of local mariners in the Ulster County area were forced to hold off on placing their docks in the water due to strong currents. One was actually forced to dredge an entire area of where they put their docks due to the currents that made it too shallow for boats to dock (including ours). Luckily this is not the case this year. The water looks in very good shape. Water temps are currently around (plus or minus) 40 degrees. The future weather outlook looks good as well; no snow, no real rain to speak of and the temps are warming up quite nicely. This will give us the mountain run off that is normal for our area well. My son went to the local Gander Mtn to check on bait. They already have frozen herring, bunker and blood worms in stock. There were some issues with them last year in the bait department. All in all the Striper season is off to a good start in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. We?re getting our boat ready so we can make our usual early trip to the Tappan Zee area of the Hudson. I will keep all posted on the conditions and run in our area as it starts.
Good luck to all at stripers247 and have a safe season.

[lobster]

Hi Buster,
Lobster here.. we talked last fall. I ran into your son at Gander and we were both drooling over some tackle. I ended up with a couple of reels (Bait runner and Line counter) and some Bombers. My boat is coming out of storage thurs. and hope get it in the water about Easter. Will be going out of Ulster Landing and probably Newburgh a couple of times early. The water temps are coming along nicely. Will go for some Browns on the Rondout opening weekend. Am checking out my boat tonight on the way home.

What line do you use on spinning gear for bait?

Hope to run into you on the River have a good, safe season. Minimum Bid on 68.

[mrbuster]

My son told me how you both talked about fishing when he mentioned ?fishstix?. We?re all excited too. This season is starting out very nice. We?ll be on the water soon ourselves, getting our boat ready as well. We start around the Nyack area and work north. As far as line, I use 20# test. I also have a couple with 17# as well. Never had problem. You?ll like the Ulster Landing ramp, real nice. They have a season deal there, I think $25 bucks all you want all season, you should look into it. There?s some real good spots up just on the other side of the Rhincliff Bridge on the east side. I boated a nice 40# there one year. Look for 16 to 18 fow. We?ll be looking for you. fishstix on ch 68

[lobster]

Thanks for the tips. We put in at UL 5 or 6 times last year....they were real accomodating. I will also be getting a season pass. I may stop over there Monday to see if they are open, get a look at the river and pick up my pass.

I was also impressed with that East channel under the bridge and beyond. I marked some fish there last summer. Seems like a quiet place to do a drift or anchor with some chunks. Out of the commercial lanes and a natural funnel for bait as it joins the main channel above. Hope to see you there.

[mrbuster]

Thats the spot. You'll be fine on the east side. The commercial channel is on the west side. I would recommend about 100 yards north of the bridge and I think you want to line up with the 3rd or 4th bridge stantion. Some where in that area is a real nice shelf. Also, depending on the current direction, fish right on top of those concrete stantions. Lots of water movement on that concrete.