HUDSON VALLEY – The fishing season for Striped Bass, the official saltwater fish for New York, began on April 1st, and anglers are excited, according to a Town of Poughkeepsie bait and tackle shop. Striped Bass, commonly referred to as Stripers, is a saltwater fish that uses the Hudson River for spawning purposes. The Hudson River is one of four major bodies of water used by Stripers for spawning. The others are the Chesapeake Bay, Massachusetts Bay/Cape Cod, and the Delaware River.
With the Stripers beginning their run north, the number of boats with fishermen has been increasing on the Hudson River. In addition, those fishing from shore have started to make their way to the shoreline in hopes of hooking one of the fish that grow to upwards of 40 pounds.
Anglers will increase in numbers trying to catch Stripers throughout the month of April and will peak in Mid-May and wind down toward Memorial Day.
Captain Chris Oliver, a licensed boat captain, and guide who has been fishing the Hudson River Daily since 2004 said that changes in state law have improved Striper fishing in the past two decades. “The state regulations permit anglers to keep one Striper between 18 and 28 inches north of the George Washington Bridge. That change has really helped the population and health of the species in the river,” he said. In addition to running springtime charters for Stripers on the Hudson, Oliver also owns “Keepin’ it Reel” Bait Shop in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
He started the business in 2018 due to what he calls “A lack of locally-owned bait shops in the area that offer fresh bait.” Owning a landscape design company at the time, Captain Oliver branched out to open the bait shop. “We opened in 2018 and made it through the pandemic by providing customers with ‘in-demand’ live bait that is typically not available around here.” Oliver said that he travels to Maine several times a week to purchase harvested blood worms, a Striper staple, directly from the suppliers. “They do grueling work to make a living,” Oliver said. He says the harvesters go out into the mud flats that are visible during low tide and dig for the works. Once they’re boxed up, he brings them back to Poughkeepsie and keeps them fresh using saltwater baths until the supply is low and he makes the trip again.
On Saturday, the staff was busy filling orders for bait and performing fishing reel maintenance for other customers. “Anglers are very excited for the start of the season, and we are expecting it to be a good one,” Captain Oliver said.
New York State DEC says that anglers need to enroll in the annual no-fee Recreational Marine Fishing Registry before going fishing in the marine and coastal district waters or when fishing in the Hudson River and its tributaries for “migratory fish of the sea” (e.g. striped bass). DEC Marine Permit Office does not issue the Recreational Marine Fishing Registry; please register online through the official DECALS website.
Captain Oliver shared a video for boat anglers on the Hudson showing his favorite Striper rig:
