April Fishing Reports 2001 & 2002
4/30/02 Dave McMillen Dennings Point
Spent the day off Dennings point in 10 ft of water on incoming .
Conditions were windy, cool and somewhat rainy, but what the heck... we
were fishin! boated and released about 25 stripees in the 5-10 lb range
using bloods. No hits on herring. 10 minutes before we left though we
nailed 2.....20-25 lbs. In the attached pic is what we need to see more
of.. bring the girlfriend/wife fishing!!!!!!! When she got into this
thing she finally realized why we all go crazy for fishing stripes. We
headed back to the yacht club with smiles. Tomorrow is another day! See
ya's there!
D&K
4/29 Esopus Creek Dan
fished a half mile south of creek and nailed a 27lbs sow at 8 am... 7 hours later
a real fiesty 21.5 lbs beauty . the weather was downright nasty ...so i assume only the
diehards were tolerating it..or maybe only us fools !!
dan
the fishin man
4/28/02 Esopus Creek Whitedog
- fished south of Esopus Creek with live herring, air temp in the low
40's and very wet, managed to catch 1 for 4 hours of fishing but at 40" and
33lbs it was worth the cold. Saw lots of boats in the tournament but didn't
see a lot of fish coming over the sides, we weren't in the tournament and
tried to avoid the rafts of other boats, Hopefully the herring will be
easier
to catch in the next few weeks.
Whitedog
4/28 Roundout Creek Phil Kozak
Left Roundout Creek with Nick Terlizzi and Don Grizwald. We headed north to
find a good school of Stripers to fish on. Found a good school on the east
shore near south bay. Released 22 to Bass to 20 pounds many in the 12 to 15
pound class.
Sunday the expected crew got wet feet and didn't show. What a shame. Left
the dock at 8:30 and went to the same numbers, caught the change of the tide
around 9:30 or so and it was gang busters until I ran out of bait at 2PM.
Released 30 fish, 28lb, 22lb, 19lb and 4 15 pounders the rest were 8 to 12
pound fish. It was a light rain with a NW wind which didn't affect the way
the boat hung in the tide.
Iam fishing out of Certifiied Marine they are the only marina open to sell
live bait and fuel. They have a ramp and Sharon will try and help any one
who wishes to use her facilities. Resturant with hot food for those who need
it.
Phil Kozak
National Fishing Association
4/27 & 28/02 /kingston Ken Petrie
ken petrie caught 5 Striped Bass
from 32 inches in length (10 inches in girth) weight 15lb. 1oz.
Fishing on 2:32 4/27/02 and 4/28/02 from a Boat
Body of water - Kingston location - Kingston NY
Using 20 pound test line and herring
Water temp 56 deg
Weather conditions Calm & Clear
caught a 15 pounder and a friend caught a 7 pounder and we caught 3 smaller
fish that were too small.
4/27/02 Bethlehem NY Freddie the J
Bethlehem, NY , Saturday, April 27. Sunny, 50 degrees, light north
wind, falling tide. Herring were hitting good on Sabiki rigs. Friend
Steve caught a nice ten pounder which swallowed the hook. It started to
bleed when we removed the hook so we kept it. Nice filets. Also caught
a 30 pounder, estimated. Biggest one I've ever seen up close. It also
swallowed the hook and I couldn't reach it with my pliers, so I stuck
my whole hand it its mouth up past my wrist (and I have good sized
hands) so I could reach the hook. I was in a hurry to get it back in
the water so I didn't weigh or measure it, but it was hugh. Reminded me
of the scene in the movie Jaws when the police chief first saw the shark
and told the captain 'your going to need a bigger boat.' It bent my net
as we lifted it from the water. Revived it in the water and she swam
away. Also got a couple of shad, saw other guys getting some bass as
well. No big brouhaha launching or picking up the boat although there
were about thirty in a one mile stretch of river. All in all a great
day.
Freddie the j.
4/27/02 Newburgh Nick Campagna
Nick Campagna caught 5 Striped Bass
from 32 inches in length (10 inches in girth) weight 15lb. 2oz.
Fishing on 3:40 4/27/02 from a Boat
Body of water - Newburgh location - Newburgh NY
Using 20 pound test line and herring
Water temp 56 deg
Weather conditions Calm & Clear
caught 15 pounder and a 7 pounder the rest were too small. a lot of 5 pound
catfish.
4/27/02 Troy Dam Olscoolmetalhead
I've been nailing shad all day, stripers are arriving in huge numbers, the
high point of the day was the two fifteen pound sturgeons caught on back to
back casts! Don't let the weather keep you from fishing here! Peace
4/27/02 ChasBo
My friend Ed, and I went out all day Friday. I should have worn
hunting cloths instead of fishing cloths. It was cold, and very gusty. It did
not discourage us though. We only caught 10 fish, but all were over 8 pounds.
There were not a lot of fish caught by anyone we talked to but all said they
were getting some good size. The fish we got were all males. We could hear
that one of the Charter Boats had gotten two good sized Cows. Our catches
were split between worms, and eels. I will probably be taking advantage of
the full moon this week, and go out at night, otherwise you won't see me out
there until next Thursday.
As I came across the bridge to come to work this
morning there
flotilla was out in force. I'm sure there will be lots of reports from
Newburgh bay from today from some of the boats I saw.
Say, I hear there really jumping up at the
Kingston/hinecliff Bridge.
That's right jumping!!!! Congratulations to the fishermen who pulled the man
from the water who jumped on Friday. He is apparently the first person to
ever survive the fall. I hope those guys measured, or weighed him. There is a
specific contest foe that you know.
FishON, ChasBo
4/19/02 Piermont 35 Pounder! Joe London
I fished off Piermont Pier from 8:00 to 10:00 AM from my boat , outgoing tide I
caught and released 10 stripers- Two were shorts, seven were from 7 lbs to 11 lbs, and one
was 35 lbs ! All caught on bloodworms using 10 lbs test mono line. An unbelievable morning
of fishing!
Joe London
4/24/02 Saugerties Tony Evangelista
Saugarties,N.Y. 4-24-02 I was fishing with HRFA member Walt Whigginski on his
boat Wednesday eveing and was using live herring, I picked up a 32" 12pound striper
and a 37" 22pounder on fresh dead chunks. We were fishing the bottom of the tide in 6
feet of water. The action hasn,t really started up hear yet, it's been very spotty. The
water temp. is 56 degrees and it hasn't been easy to collect bait for the com. guys! If
the bite should come on heavy all at once then be prepared to pay the price for the live
Herring! HRFA Member Tony Evangelista
04/24/02 Newburgh Beacon Bridge Jay
Took the day off and fished all day . Beautiful day!!..Hardly any wind..We
netted about 24 Stripers ranging from 1-12 pounds. Mostly all males...We
were suprised to get so many hits on the eels but between them and the
bloodworms we caught fish all day..and of course a hell of a buzz....Have a
good one....Jay
Ed Note...I hope Jay just used a poor choice of words when he says he "netted"
his fish. Chas <'////><
4/24/02 Piermont John Francesconi
John Francesconi caught 3 Striped Bass (Released)
from 29 inches ? 9lb. 0oz.
fishing on 4/24/02 6:30PM - 7:00PM from Surf in Piermont, Hudson River
Piermont NY
Using 20 pound test line and bloodworms
Water temp 50 #Weather conditions Windy
4/20/02 Haverstraw Mickey Maynard
My son and I fished out of Haverstraw Marina during the week of the recent heat
wave. We caught and released numerous stripers, cats and perch. All our stripers
were caught on bloods. We did have chunk herring out there but, with the exception
of one good run, the fish didn't seem to want ours. On the hot days we didn't
catch many fish until after dark. The fish in the photo was caught around 10 pm by
my son Marshall on a modified fly rod with a spinning reel taped on and 12 pound
test line. We use a rod like this on Lake Champlain for lake trout. The rig was a hand
tied high/low baited with bloods. Our best fish for that week included two stripers around
8 pounds and this one around 15 pounds. We also landed two smaller stripers with tags.
We're still looking for that 30 pound cow. Maybe on our next trip to Albany...
Thanks for all the information gathered from your web site. We
have found your pages to be very informative and entertaining.
Mickey Maynard
4/20/02 Kingston C.Brian Coons
C. Brian Coons caught 10 Striped Bass
from 42 inches 13 32lb. 8oz.
fishing on Thursday, April 20-21, 2002 6:07:15 AM from Surf in Hudson River
Kingston Point NY
Using 12 pound test line and Herring
Water temp ??? #Weather conditions Calm & Clear
There were four of us fishing,the weakend of 4/20. We all caught fish, the
average weight about 20lbs.
April 23, 2002 Frank Fuller
Subject: stripers in new baltimore
fished from shore on sunday with a bunch of regulars in new baltimore caught
a 37 inch 18.5 lb striper,also a 38.6incher.19.9lbs by a regular,dean h. all
told a total of 14 were caught from 23 inches to the 38.8incher.all caught
on live herring.the next day a couple of 39 inchers both 21+lbs and a few
shorter ones all on herring... ther here!!!!!!!!
4/20/02 Corey Bellarosa Newburgh
Hello.There were three of us who fished on saturday
and sunday.On saturday we pulled 8 total stripers in
the boat none of much size biggest one was approx. 6
pounds.But the river is full of healthy young stripers
which is a good sign!This weekend should be a good
one!On sunday we didnt do anything hardly just one
baby in the boat and that was all.The fish finder
showed many large fish in the bays but we couldnt
catch them! We fished using bloodworms only. Hopefully
the large ones will start being caught.Well good luck!
4/20/02 Fred Bethlehem NY
Saturday April 20, 2002. Boated, kept and ate a 34 inch 18 pound
striper in Bethlehem, NY (about 6 river miles south of Albany). Bait
was a live herring. Falling tide in 12 feet of water about 4 pm,
weather was sunny, about 60 degrees. Saw only a few other fish get
taken, but reports from the Troy dam were good. Herring were not biting
on Sabiki rigs, but guys were netting them near shore. Also tied into
four shad, two of which broke my line off, the others were released.
Also about five big catfish and numerous white perch. I can't wait til
next saturday, they should be thick as fleas.
Freddie the j.
4/20/02 Newburgh
The season is off and running. Took the boat out on Newburgh bay from the
Dutchess Boat Club in Beacon during the weekend of 4/20. First outing
netted 10 stripers by the trolling plugs method. Most were in the 5-8 lbs
range, but a couple hit 10 lbs.
The second trip was only for an 1&1/2 hours, but it resulted in another 7
fish, two of which were in the 10 lbs range. Marked what appeared to be
some large fish, but no luck yet picking up the big hogs.
Also picked up a tagged fish! Always remember to carefully cut off the
tag, be diligent in returning it to the mailing address and provide the
length, weight & location of the catch. These tags provide valuable info
for the management of Striped Bass. You're guaranteed a $10 dollar reward
with a chance to participate in a drawing for $1000.
Good luck & C ya on the water!
Screw-E-Lou-E
4/21/02 Phil Taylor LBI
Long Beach Island 04/19-04/21/02
Fished Long Beach Island Surf from 04/19-04/21.
Rig - High/Low (worm high/clam low) 6-7oz pyramid sinker.
04/19- Beach Haven
Bait- Blood Worms (X-Large) and fresh Clams
Tide- Changing (High to Low)
Caught - 11lb Striper on Blood Worms and a couple of shorts on clam. Also
many skates taking my low clam bait.
04/20 - Ship Bottom
Bait - Blood Worms (X-Large) and fresh clams
Tide - Changing (Low to High)
Caught- 13.5lb Striper, again taking the Blood Worm over the fresh clam. Caught 1 short
and a few skates on the clam. This one hit in the middle of a nasty thunder storm. Was
going to pack it in but I had a feeling something good was about to happen.
04/21 - Beach Haven
Bait- Blood Worms (X-Large) and fresh clams
Tide- Changing (Low to High)
Caught- 5lb Striper on Clam and more skates on clam.
All fish released unharmed (including skates) , pictures taken. The hits were sporadic,
big fish were in the surf on changing tides. All larger Stripers taken on
big Blood Worms and I mean big (10-14 inches). Many Skates in the surf taking clam
bait away from the Stripers. I also herd some anglers were taking Blue Fish out of
the surf, not me. The good baits are at the Fishermans Headquarters Rt. 72 in Ship
Bottom. A nice start to a long season.
Philip Taylor
Pearl River NY
HRFA
4/20/02 Phil Kozak
Left Cape May Sat 9:30 AM arrived at Manasquan at 12:45 refueled and had lunch.
Decided to keep going and left Manasquan at 3PM ocean was flat and so was the river.
Arrived at Roundout Creek NY at 7 PM. 231 miles 7 hrs and 15 mins. Great ride and averaged
31 kts Burned 224 gal of gas.
Sunday left roundout at 6:15 Am and went south to the Esopus Flats. Creek water temp was
67 the river was 56 to 58 degrees. Wind against the tide for the first few hours. Fishing
bait was difficult, but once the tide turned it was hot released 16 bass from 8 to 15
pounds and had numerous bites. Left to return to roundout at 11:30 Am.
Phil Kozak
National Fishing Association
Many reports coming from this man up-river...Chasbo
4/21/02 Newburgh Chasbo
My friends Ed, and Steve, and I went out all day yesterday fishing
between The Bridge, and Bannermans Island. We are very happy to catch what we
can, and fish for the passion of fishing. I just don't get it though,
throughout the day we listened to the chatter on radio. What a bunch of
whiners. All day long you here, "I'm marking a lot of fish but all I'm
catching mostly is Shorts." Hey guy, and girls, your catching for a change,
and not just fishing. Stop trying to figure out what is wrong, and look at
what is right. We hammered them yesterday, and boated 47 fish!!!!!!! Short or
long, there all good to us. I have been out three times here in Newburgh this
season, and yet to catch less than 18 fish in a day. What a season this is so
far, I have not one complaint in my creel. And there are some admirable ones
being taken, but like always they are only once in a while. My point is stop
belly aching about the "Shorts."
We have a lot to be thankful for, and proud of. It is
organizations
like this one that make it possible to catch so many healthy fish like we are
this year. And by the way, it was not just our boat hitting them hard
yesterday morning, everybody had 20+ fish to talk about having landed.
One more thought, if you gut hook one like we did
yesterday, and it's
a keeper, that is gonna die, take it home and eat it, it won't kill you. I
have eaten plenty, I ain't dead yet.
FishOn, ChasBo
4/20/02 Raritan Bay Dennis Ruppert
Dennis Ruppert
Fished Raritan Bay using 25 stretch lures at about 20 feet
Caught 6 keeper stripers-20 throwbacks-and 2 bluefish
Other boaters were chumming or using poppers with same success
Fished from 7:30 AM till noon south of buoy 19
4/18/02 Karen Ann Charters
Chris and his Dad played hooky on Tuesday,the 9 yr. old caught and released his
first Bass,14 lbs on live bunker.Several teen fish caught and released,aboard KAREN ANN
CHARTERS.Jamaica bay is hot at this time....
4/18/02 Ken Lazorchak
Caught over 10 Weakfish up to 21" in the"Back Bay". Caught all my
fish using
a 1/4 jig head with a Finesse fish body. Caught fish pretty much none stop
until the sun went down. Most of the fish where released to catch another
day. I cannot believe that these fish are here this early in the season but
its true !!! Tight lines and good luck
HRFA and RFA Member
Ken Lazorchak
4/15 - 18 /02 Tappan zee bridge Donald Manning
tappan zee bridge- Donald Manning 4/15/02 (3:00-4:30pm)
"Diodamo"
caught 2 @ 20-22lbs, mixed bag of 5 fish
between 10&16lbs. Out 4/16/02 Terri Manning 1 fish @ 8.5lbs. 7:00pm. out 4/18/02 night
fishing- not a bite.
4/15/02 Bear Mountain Oscar Caban Catfish
Oscar Caban caught 20 Catfish catfish
from 13 inches 4lb. 5oz.
fishing on Monday, April 15, 2002 3:55:41 PM from Surf in bear mount. hudson Bear
mountain NJ
Using 20 pound test line and worms and claim
Water temp 48? #Weather conditions Calm & Clear
It The best cats i've ever seen every time we throw out our lines we had one.
HRFA members
Tony Evangelista, Al White and Walt Weglinski hold up a great 35 pound Red Drum cuaght of
the Pier in
Flagler Beach Fla.
Submit your photos of the month to:
4/15/02 Karen Ann Charters
Bunker schools abundant in Jamaica bay, water temps in the upper 40's low
50's,it's no suprise that Rock are around. Looks like an early run of big fish
showing. This weekend saw several nice fish caught and released.
Stripers in DC Frank Fuller
its been a long wait but the striper is finally at home in the Capital District!!!! all
the way to green island.... Frank Fuller
4/14/02 Arnie Ulrich Flounder
There are plenty of flounder still around, and all over (rivers and bay). I went
out on the Sea Tiger, a 1/2 day boat and got eight keepers in less than two hours. Both
clams and sandworms worked fine. The Capt. tried a spot out off the ammo pier that was
fruitless, towards the end of the half day trip. I also had a number of throw backs.
Arnie Urich
4/14/02 Newburgh ChasBo
There Here!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have any doubt about the
fish being in
Newburgh/Beacon area, then stay where you are. As for me I will be taking
some extra time off this week from work. They are not biting like crazy yet,
but as soon as the water warms just a little more, they will be. To make a
long story short. My friend and I caught 14 today. They ranged from one pound
to 8 pounds. Not a bad day, and the fish were healthy, and made us very
happy. Remember to be courteous to your fellow fishermen, and especially
respectful to our beautiful Hudson River. If you see anyone who is not being
eigther of those, just bounce an eight ounce sinker off the bow of there
boat, and call the Coast Guard.
FishOn, ChasBo
4/14/02 Catfish John Francesconi
John Francesconi caught 20 Catfish
from ? inches ? 4lb. 0oz.
fishing on 4/14/02 9:00AM - 2:30PM from Boat in Hudson river Piermont NY
Using 20 pound test line and blood worm and sand worm
Water temp 50 #Weather conditions Calm & Clear
4/13/02 Tappan zee Bridge Nick
me and two other guys caught 5 at the Tappanzee bridge last weekend and caught a
bunch of catfish. the 5 stripers were on bloodworms 10-17 ins. we saw two guys at stony
point catch a 28 ½ incher and a 34 incher on bloodworms there here and in numbers. heard
a guy say he got a 30 pounder in newburgh already.
good luck, Nick
4/13/02 Newburgh John
Newburgh, the fish are here in numbers , fished 11.00 to 1.00 trolling and had
three releases and one good fish on. lost it at the boat ,did not get to weight it
but it looked like 18 to 20 lbs . all of 36 inches. lot of bate fish. and the best
day I have seen in a long time as it was 53 water temp . 77 out side and the river looks
good ,not a lot of debris. color was black and sliver . saw a lot of other boats bait
fishing and a few hooked up. all the fish were on the east side in 31 to 36 feet of
water . all hits on the incoming
tide. good
luck to all john
4/14/02 Tappan Zee Bridge Bob W.
Fished incoming tide on 4/14/02 on south side of TZ bridge, water temp a
balmy 53 degrees. Picked up about 5 small 12" or so stripers, 3 cats and a
few perch. Moved to the north side later in afternoon, hot day, surface
water temp shot up to 59 degrees, picked up 5 more stripers, largest at 18"
and 1 eel.
BOB W.
4/14/02 Fluke Frank Friscia
Frank Friscia caught 4 Fluke...Released All!
> from 21 inches 4lb. 2oz.
> fishing on Sunday, April 14, 2002 10:45:00 AM from Boat in sandy hook bay
> sandy hook bay NJ
> Using 17 pound test line and sand worm
> Water temp 52 #Weather conditions Calm & Clear
4/13/02 Liberty Staate Park Paul Hellmold
date and time : saturday, april 13.....12:30 pm to 3:30pm
location : liberty state park
tide : outgoing tide thru slack low
bait used : bloodworms, sandworms
weather : cloudy, cool ..mid 50s
i fished both the walkay pier and the southeast corner...using 3 rods for 3
hours...had only one bite ..a 14 inch striper which was released unharmed.
paul hellmold
4/12/02 Bear Mountain Gil Hawkins
Fished Bear Mountain Fri. 4/12 12 PM to 4:00 PM Outgoing tide. Caught 1
Catfish aprox. 3 lbs 10 Stripers from 12 inches to 27.5 inches (8.5
lbs.) on bloodworms.
4/12/02 - East River (Shore) - Bill Greene
Jigging 3/4 oz. white bucktail and pork rind for 24" released striper early
last evening (4/11) incoming tide. Also dropped mid-high-teens/36" area at
landing stage (bucktail dropped out) after 20-minute fight in that current. I
fish 710Z with 250 yds.12 lb. Ande Pink, and medium weight, 2-hand E-glass
blank with good butt strength to work fish back in current. Bigger fish will
get 100 yards off you in current. I'd rather they run than stay in close and
head-shake. Plunk bucktail into strong rips that set up along shore on both
outgoing and incoming tides. Fish seem to hit on the jigging down-stroke --
don't even feel fish hit, just feel weight on the
up-stroke.
4/11/02 Tappan Zee Bridge Troy
Troy caught 5 Striped Bass (Released),Catfish
from 14 inches 2 lb. 8oz.
fishing on Thursday, April 11, 2002 8:00: PM from in Tarrytown NJ
Using pound test line and Blood Worms
Water temp 46 #Weather conditions Windy
Went out for the first time of the year last night, was a little disapointed in the
action. It was a incoming tide we trolled and used blood worms, South of the Bridge
and North of the bridge up to croton bay in water avg 8-15 ft. Got one small stipper
on a lure and 5 small catfish on bloods. We did talk to a group at the take out and
they caught a bunch from 22-34 inches just south of the bridge using frozen chunck.
4/10/02 Tappan Zee Bridge Willard Bierwas
Myself, Artie Cole and Byran Boblin fished the south side of the bridge from
5:00 PM until about 9:30 PM on the incoming tide. There were several other
boats in the same area (11 feet of water).
We caught nine stripers from 2 lbs to 11 lbs and a lot of catfish. The
surface water temperature was 48 degrees. The fish were only taking fresh
chunked herring not bloodworms. Plenty of action when the tide moves the
water. This is the time we have waited all winter for!!!!! Plenty of
nice
size fighting fish. See you on the river.
4/9/02 Tappan Zee Bridge John Vargo
The bass are at the moment hitting big time about a mile north of the TZ Bridge
and in 14
foot of water way out near the channel. This is a very unusual place to find
fish but Sunday there were plenty of fish caught here and nowhere else on the
river, certainly not in Croton on sunday.
I was there last night with another boat he caught three in the morning ten
pounds. we did not do anything big small bass on worms until I had one break
my line when I set the hook. That is it I am changing everything as soon as I
find my frined walt.
I went out this morning, plenty of herring, not a hit for two hours.....thats
fishing.
4/8/02 Tapan Zee bridge Steve 7 Pete
FISHED LAST NIGHT 4/8, FROM 7-10.
WE FISHED SOUTH OF TZ BRIDGE, 10 ft. OF WATER,
LOTS OF ACTION ON BLOOD WORMS, MOSTLY SMALL FISH.
A FEW BIG HITS ON HERRING, BUT THEY GOT OFF.
A COUPLE OF BIG CATFISH
STEVE , PETE
4/7/02 Nyack Charlie Scag
charlie scag, Fished nyack state park on sunday
caught 2 keepers one 19 inches, one just shy of 30 inches 20 lb
test n bloods tuesday had only one 25 inches.
4/7/02 Tappan Zee Bridge Bob W.
Fished Sunday 4/7/02 -launched boat about 11:30AM, tried TZ bridge with no
luck, then to Alpine and Englewood boat basin areas with the same result.
Finally headed back to the TZ bridge for the incoming tide. The bite turned
on with 3 of us getting 13 stripers on the south side. Bloodworms was the
bait. Size ranged from 8" to the largest at 22". A little chilly and windy
in the afternoon, but great to be back on the water. Sorry, water temp was 47 degrees.
Also saw several fairly large schools on
the finder on the way up river.
BOB W.
4/7/02 Raritan Bay Bunker Boy!
Trolled the back of the bay on Sunday.Caught 13 stripers. The biggest was 20
lbs. Some fo the fish were caught while dropping the lure back.They also liked the
plug jigged while tollling.Beautiful day in the bay.Try about half way between
Keyport and Staten Island. Look for bait markings. I am sure cut bunker would work
great.
4/5/02 Phil Kozak
As I read the reports I noticed that some fisherman are using more than two rods.
Warning you may only fish with two rods per angler and you may only have one fish in
possession. Fish and game wardens could issue a summons. Having one fish on the stringer
means you should leave the river. That information was issued at the Certified Marina
Striped Bass seminar that I spoke at. I will leave from Cape May on the 20th of April for
the Roundout Creek NY to begin our 5th year of tagging operation. I will report on a
weekly basis what we are doing.
Phil Kozak NFA
NJ State Chapter RFA Chairman for Special Events
4/5/02 Haverstraw Bay Butch
Fished Hudson River (Haverstraw Bay) Friday April 5th with wife and a
friend from 9 Am till 4:30 PM. Started fishing on the outgoing tide. Fished
thru the incoming tide but winds picked up and had hard time keeping fish
finder rigs on the bottom. We caught 20+ Strippers from 12" to 21". Water
depth was 12 foot. All Fish where released. Most fish where landed on the
out going tide. Also landed quite a few large white pearch, All fish where
caught on blood worms.
Even though the winds picked up and it got cold it still beat a day in the
office, Great fishing to all.
Butch (Caryl-D)
4/5/02 Piermont Pier Catfish John Francesconi
John Francesconi caught 1 Catfish
3lb. 3.2oz.
fishing on 12:15 PM 4/5/02 from Surf in Hudson River Piermont NY
Using 29 pound test line and bloodworm
Water temp 48 #Weather conditions Windy
4/4/02 Peekskill John Vargo
Thanks Charley, I got two ten pounders on Thursday when I went out with Glen
Safer and one 11 pounder on Friday with my son. Chunk Herring is best and
there is plenty at Crabhouse Sportsmen in Peekskill, Buchanan Sports, in
Buchanan, NY and Croton Bait and tackle in Croton. The first signs of bass in
the Newburgh Bay area has started, probable ly this week there will be some
schools there.
4/4/02 - East River (Shore) - Bill Greene
3/4 oz. white bucktail with pork rind casting from Shore (FDR Drive) for 25"
and 21" released stripers, late this afternoon - outgoing tide.
4/3/02 Roy Croton
Roy caught 10 Striped Bass (Released)
from 15 inches 3lb. oz.
fishing on Wednesday, April 03, 2002 10:51:22 PM from Boat in Hudson
croton NJ
Using 20 pound test line and bloodworms
Water temp 43 #Weather conditions Calm & Clear
4/3/02 Art Hyslop Piermont
Art Hyslop caught 30+ Striped Bass (Released)
from 23 inches lb. oz.
fishing on 03/30/02 14:05 from Boat in Hudson River Piermont NJ
Using 14 pound test line and bloodworms
Water temp 47.5 #Weather conditions Calm & Clear
I fished in the Croton Point area and Haverstraw Bay for about two hours and caught two(2)
catfish and a few perch. I then ran below the TZ bridge and fished in the area of three
other boats just south of the bridge with no luck except perch taking my bait. Proceeded
down below the Pier and for the next hour two of us had constant action and ran out of
bait ( 4 dozen plus). no catfish or perch only stripers. Most of the fish averaged 19 to
20 inches. The smallest fish measures 8 and the largest 23 inches.
4/3/02 flounder Ken Lazarchek
Fished the Navasink River just below the Highlands Bridge at ebb tide and
caught 20 keeper flounders in about 1.5 hr. Caught all fish on sandworms and
didnt chum at all. The trick to catching fish is there has to be very little
tide movement. Once the tide picks up its over.
HRFA and RFA member
Ken Lazorchak
04/03/02 Robert Taylor Piermont
fished the pier most of the day.. i saw a few people catch hudson
river catfish, everyone released back... one fellow caught a nice striper.. keeper.
that was dinner for him,, windy and sunny.. a great day to go fishing.. will be back
for more soon... robert taylor
4/2/02 Alpine Boat Basin Bill Grayson
Fished Alpine yesterday, caught the in come/ and part of the out going.
Caught and released about 20 fish in 6 hours.
Several Cat fish from a pound to two pound size , Perch a couple over the 11
inch mark , Eel's , and several schoolies around the 18 inch mark.
Fished the north area by the sandy beach out of the main current , bait most
hit was the sand worm . We did have a couple of grand slams but no hook ups on
these.
See ya on the water soon!
Bill Grayson
HFRA-NJ
4/2/02 Bear Mountain Robert Blasy
Robert Blasy caught 6 Striped Bass (Released)
from 16 - 21 inches lb. oz.
fishing on 04/02/2002 07:55:30 from in Hudson Bear Mountain NY
Using pound test line and blood worms
Water temp #Weather conditions Calm & Clear
Fished for 2 hours from 3:30 till 5:30. Caught 6 striped bass from 16 to 21 inches all on
blood worms. it was very windy. saw a few other short fish caught. tight lines.
Robert Blasy HRFA MEMBER
April 2001
4/30/01 Newburgh Chasbo
My friend Ed, and I hung in there from sunrise till sunset
yesterday. What a great day we had. Not only was the weather as good as it
gets, we caught fish to. I'm not going to tell you we had non stop action,
but we did boat around 20 fish. They were all of the small version, with 3
weighing in around 6 Lbs.
The best part of the day was that we were able to be
out there. We
would not have been if we hadn't gotten bait. There is a severe shortage of
Bloods, that’s not the gang either, we have plenty of them around here. So,
if your coming to fish check for bait first. By the end of this week’s hot
spell the fish should really get to feeding. We are so lucky to have this
Hudson Valley to fish in. Enjoy it, Respect it, Protect it.
Good Fishing, ChasBo
4/30/01 Sandy Hook Tom Paciorkowski
Fish report for the web.
Took the boat out yesterday, Monday, going for flounder. Anchored in
Shrewsbury River on Sandy Hook side, 15 feet of water, between Plum
Island and the Sea Bright-Highlands Bridge. Julians B&T reported bass
came in Sunday nite, biting on clam. I fished 4 rods, 3 for flounder, 1
for bass. I anchored at 12:15 pm to 5:45 pm and boated 12 bass, 3
bluefish and 1- 3lb.3oz. flounder. Bluefish were 23"-25"-26", all 4 lbs.
few ozs. either way. Bass were between 25" to 34", from 6 lbs.8 ozs. to
14 lbs. 10 ozs. Majority of bass were 25-27". I switched to 2 rods for
bass & 2 for flounder. Hi tide was 2:30 but water flow changed between
3:30-4. From 4:30 to 5:30, I had hits every 10 minutes. Lost 6 bass at
boat at net. Kept 1-27" bass, 1-23" blue & the 1 flounder, released all
others.
Small, 6-7 inch bunker were all over the place, blues were
regurgatating half eaten bunker. Even though bunker were numerous, all my
fish were caught on clam. There was 1 other boat fishing this area and
about 10 shore guys. Only we boat guys were catching fish, saw no shore
anglers catching.
I stopped fishing when I ran out of clam. I fished sandworms &
clam, no hits on the worms. At one point my hands started to cramp up
from working the 5 minute plus battles in the strong current.
Thom (*< - - -
4/29/01 54 Lb Striped Bass Saugerties
| The fish was caught on the Hudson River off Glasco NY. It
was taken on Chunkbait (herring) on outgoing tide. Water temp around 50 deg. |
 |
Fish weighed 54.6 lbs and was 47.5 inches long. It has
tied the state record for freshwater Stripers. Angler was Charles Graham. Boat is docked at Saugerties Marine on the Esopus Creek. |
4/29/01 Island Beach, NJ Peter Von Rudenborg
PETE VON RUDENBORG caught 2 Striped Bass (Released)
from 21 inches ? ?lb. ?oz.
to 19 inches ? ?lb. ?oz.
fishing on 4/29/01 7 AM-3 PM from
Surf on ATLANTIC OCEAN ISLAND BEACHNJ
Using 20 LB pound test line and CLAMS & MACKERAL STRIPS
Water temp MID 40s conditions Windy
THERE WERE FISH BEING CAUGHT ALL DAY, MOSTLY SHORTS BUT THERE WERE MORE THAN A SPRINKLING
OF KEEPERS THROWN IN. THE WATER TEMP SEEMS TO BE RISING NOW SO IT WON'T BE
LONG BEFORE THE BIGGER ONES START ROAMING IN LOOKING FOR A QUICK MEAL.
4/28/01 Beacon Still Slow
went over to the beacon bridge and the action was slow to none my brotherinlaw
and i only waited untill 4:30 when we caught 2 cats really bad day
rich&don
Croton
Croton Point 4/28 Adrian
Finally got out to wet a line but got to the park about an hour after the bite finished.
Locals reported good activity about three hours before low.
I thought I'd give it a few casts anyway. No stripers but I did manage a first on fly - a
30lb Carp!
There were a few folk fishing bait from shore but not much activity except for one man who
had his son with him on their first fishing trip together. They'd hooked and released
about a dozen catfish and were having a blast!
April 26,2001 Croton George Gieger
George Gieger caught 2 Striped Bass
from 39 inches 25lb. oz.
to 24.5 inches 7lb. oz.
fishing on April 26,2001/ 5-7PM from Boat on Hudson River Croton Bay NY
Using pound test line and Herring Cut Bait
Water temp 50 conditions Windy
Ro-Sea "G" fished Croton Bay on the Hudson River. George Gieger and Art Hyslop
fished outgoing water. Only two fish were caught. Wind was out of the south (wind against
the current). Art had the big fish of the trip a 39" 25 pound striper. The smaller of
the two fish had a tag which will be returned to the Littoral Society. Approximately
three and a half hours spent on the water.
4/26/01 Newburgh Joe
South of Bridge
We went out late and the fish were scattered, alot of fish at 6` I think
they were shad. As soon as it got dark, the larger schools showed up at ,
24 feet, 53 degrees, and we caught six 22-26 inch fish trolling a silver &
black Rapala, we left around 9:00 pm. The fish are here, see you out there!
it was pretty busy too bad we have to Work or I'd still be out there.
Beguiled Joe
4/24/01 Newburgh John George
hello to all , the fish are in Newburgh as I saw a lot on the graph. bounded a
few balls off them as we trolled sat, Sunday and Monday, not to good yet. water temp 48
surface and 40 at twenty feet. Monday was the best as the river got to a 57 temp and then
turned over. I think this week should produce fish as I saw a few hooked up Monday. I know
of a seventeen pound caught on a lure . so it is going to start soon boys. also no docks
in Newburgh yet as the town is not doing it as I hear orange county is. I hope it happens
soon as it is hard to launch your boat. good luck to all and see you on the water.
John
1/24/01 Albany Cynthia Flaherty
I caught a 32 inch sixteen pound striper in the upper Hudson just north of
Albany. The herring are finally in the canals & are easily caught with throw nets.
Looking forward to a good run. Cynthia
4/23/01 Ross Dock Gerry Hujber
Gerry L. Hujber caught 1 Striped Bass (Released)
from 29 inches .
fishing on 4/23/01 from Surf on Hudson GWBNJ
Using 14 pound test line and Shad
Water temp conditions Sunny
Had some time this morning so I went down to the hazards ramp and threw in a line. Much to
my surprise I hooked this nice 29" striper. I had to land it off the floating dock
LOL.
Gerry
4/23/01 Croton Walt Weglinski
PS BASS ARE HITTING IN CROTON NY. UP TO 40 LBS. OVER 95 BOATS IN CROTON
AREA THIS PAST FRI SAT &SUN
DOCK'S MARINA <>{ <>{
<>{ <>{ WALTER WEGLINSKI RT. 46
BEAUTIFUL BUDD LAKE NJ. 07828
4/23/01 Bass Buster Newburgh.
Fish were being marked from Cornwall to the Newburgh Beacon Bridge, but
there were very little caught. Sundays weather brought out the fishermen and the
fish but the two never hooked up. All reports on the VHF radios were, we see fish on
the finders but they were not hitting. People tired ells, blood worms, herring, and
lures they did not hit.
4/22/01 East River Gil Hawkins
Gil Hawkins caught 2 Striped Bass (Released)
from 27 inches lb. oz.
to 18 inches lb. oz.
fishing on 4/22 10:00-11:30 AM from on East River NY
Using pound test line and sand worms
Water temp conditions Calm & Clear
Slack high tide (28) and running (18) out.
4/23 Monday .... Old Crow 2 Joe Spilewski
First trip out. Made it to the East River and noticed my engine temperature
was rising and the heart beats started to rise. Went thru the normal procedures. Started
back home, engine appeared to cool down some. Proceeded back, over heating
again, started back home, cooled down, went back and fished one of your holes .
We caught one 29" striper on a chunk of herring. Decided to go home due to
the engine. Made it to Jersey and anchored near Alpine, no luck . Engine
normal now and we went to the Bay Ridge flats, nothing except for a small
schoolie that liked one of my teasers.
All aside it was
a great day.
Saturday 4/21/01 Corwall Bay Jay
10am-6:30pm Bait: Bloodworms, from shore
We had a group of about 10 of us and we were fishing from shore. We caught
about13 stripers between us and a heck of a buzz. All small, between 10-20
inches. Run has not gotten up here yet but I'll keep you posted. We will start fishing
from the boat in a couple of weeks. Right now its like trying to find a needle in a
haystack. ....Jay
Alpine
Saturday 4/21/01 4:00 PM to 6:45 PM Gerry Hujber
BAIT Cut Shad..
We Caught a few shorts and there were many short stripers caught. Only a few catfish today
and no keepers that I saw or heard of.all in all a very slow day at Alpine.
4/21/01 Fishin' Mission Mark Strober
Fishin' Mission - Fishing report: Fished Saturday 4/21/01 The weather men
were totally wrong as always! They called for high wind and rain. Went
anyhow and had fantastic weather NO WIND or rain. Fished the NY Harbor and
surrounding areas for 13 Stripers. largest were 31" - 29" & 28".
< Pssst
Charlie, one of your favorite stomping grounds was producing > Saw a few
guys doing great with the winter flounder. ( over 150 between 3 boats! )
Surface water temps have risen nicely to 47 - 49 degrees.
Friday 4/20/01 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM Gerry Hujber
BAIT Cut Shad and Bloodworms
I caught a few short stripers on the worms, and ridiculous numbers of catfish on
Shad..there were 4 keepers caught at Alpine today,I witnessed and measured all of them
24.5", 29" 31.5" 35"
4/19-20 Croton
Reports slow fishing and late Spring in Croton.
Thursday 4/19 3:30pm-7:00pm fished Croton Point and North side of point toward bay.
Striper run was non existent with little amount of fish being marked. No hits at all.
Friday 4/20 9:30Am-5:30pm Fished outer Croton Bay with some luck . (2) Cats (2) stripers
26"x18lbs and 28"x24lbs.
Waiting for the RUN!!! Capt. Jethro Stella
Blue
Questionable Figures! Captain Jethro's Figures would seem to be a bit off...wouldn't
you say? 26inches...18lbs! 28inches...24lbs! I think not!
26 inches...should be about a ten pound fish even if loaded with eggs. 28
inches...15 pounds tops! 36 and 38 inches ...maybe!
Chas <'////><
4/15/01 Chelsea Town Ramp Info
People are starting to use the free town ramp but the docks are not in
yet.
Makes launching a real adventure. Tried fishing with nite crawlers but the
water is far to cold as yet. Due to heavy spring runoff the visibility is
about 3 inches...No kidding!
A guy capsized and is feared lost on Saturday just north of Chelsea. Use
your life preservers. The life you save may be your own.
Dennis G from Chelsea Yacht Club.... chelseayacht.org
Saturday 4/14/01 Alpine NJ Gerry Hujber
WHAT A DAY!!! I have never seen so many fish pulled over the bulkhead in a single
day. from 9 AM to about 12 noon, without exaggeration there was well over 100 fish caught.
( mostly catfish and perch with only 9 shorts and 1 keeper striper ) I personally caught
41 Catfish and 2 short stripers. it was a great day to be outdoors and fishing.
4/14/01 Mark Strober
Fished Sat. 4/14/01 with Ron and Collette on the "Reel
Wild" out of Nyack,
NY ramp. Story of my life " should have been out with us yesterday
trips!
1 striper @18inches, 1 large catfish and 1 perch!! Tried lots of spots,
they were surprised on how slow it was being last trip out they had lots of
fish! Oh well there's always next time!
4/14/01 East River Renegade
First of the season! Saturday , April 14, incoming tide. Lots of fish on
the fish finder, middle depth and on the bottom, probably migrating
shad. I got one 27" striper on a blood. Still a little early, the
weather was great but the water was cold. Gil Hawkins with Paul Helmold
on the Renegade.
FRIDAY 4/06/01 21:30 PM to 7 PM Alpine NJ Gerry Hujber
BAIT Cut Shad & Bloodworms
1 short striper......and the catfish are in. 2 of us caught well over 20 catfish , and all
were 2 to 5 pounds. Must have been that nice day we had Thursday. Didn't do much for
striper fishing, but it seems to have awakened the catfish.
Saturday 4/7/01 Alpine NJ South of the Marina Gerry Hujber
BAIT- Cut Shad & Bloodworms
lots of short stripers up to 20", and catfish up to 5 pounds
Flounder
4/12/01 Manasquan Flounder Wayne Guider
Wayne Guider just called me with a flounder report. He took his
boat to the Manasquan River and caught 28 winter flounder in 2 1/2 hours,
no chumming.
Date: April 12, 1 hr. before hi and 1 hr. after, plus slack
water. Biggest was 2 lbs. 2 ozs., 16". 16 fish were over 1 lb. Smallest
fish was 12", Using sands and bloods. Wayne reported as soon as the
water started to slow down, the bite began. As the current started to
move faster after the high tide, bite stopped. The only other boat at
that spot was a party boat and another private boat.
4/13/01 Bell Harbor Ronnie
My friend and i went out of belle harbor marina in stony point ny.It was a
nice day late in the afternoon the wind picked up but all in all we had a good
time.Several 16,17 inchers were caught also boated two 23 inchers.I plan to go back in a
few days.Yes the stripers are in so get out there and enjoy your self. Have fun hope
to see you out there.GOOD LUCK.
Ronnie
4/13/01 Croton Mike B.
Fished the south side of Croton Point on 4/13/01 and had a great day. The
fish ranged from 15 to 32 inches and there were plenty of em. I threw lures all
day, there was no reason to pick up bait.
mike b.
4/13/01 Navasink Flounder Fred Rung
I do have a fishing report on the Navesink by the Oceanic bridge. The
flounder are starting. A SLOW pick is the best way to describe it. I
caught two yesterday (4/13/01) (Friday the 13th) 14.5 and 15.5 inches long( 1lb 4 oz and 1
lb 10 oz). Saw three others caught by the 20 - 30 boats out there. They are
big but still dug into the mud.
Friday 4/13/01 Alpine NJ Gerry Hujber
3 catfish and a few shorts all day and a surprise 23" Sturgeon
4/11/01 Beacon Jason Williams
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON I WENT FISHING IN BEACON.
CAST MY PINNACLE REEL EQUIPPED WITH A 4.0 HOOK AND A BLOOD WORM. A 23" STRIPED
BASS BENT MY POLE AND THAT'S ALL IT TOOK FOR ME TO BECOME EXCITED ENOUGH TO JUMP UP,
GRAB MY POLE, YANK BACK AND HOOK MY FIRST BEACON N.Y STRIPED BASS IN THE YEAR
2001. NOW I CAN ALERT MY CO – WORKERS SO THEY DON’T DRIVE ALL THE WAY
TO CROTON HARMON JUST TO CATCH A
STRIPED BASS. THEY’RE HERE FELLOWS!!!
Wednesday 4/11/01 Alpine NJ Gerry Hujber
Bait Cut Shad, Bunker, Herring & Sand Worms
Time 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Bait Cut Shad, Bunker, Herring & Sand Worms
fished all day only had one real nice hit, but I missed it.
Not a striper in site.....but I caught 39 catfish. All in all, not a bad day.
4/10/01 Alpine NJ Gerry Hujber
32" and a 33" striper and a monster that broke off at the beach in
Alpine....No pics of the big cow.
4/9/01 Nyack Art Hyslop
George and I had a good afternoon. Left Nyack dock at about3:00P.M.and anchored in about
11 feet of water about 1000 yards south of the dock. Fished with bloods and herring
chunks. Caught a 15.9 lb.(34inch)fish and a 6.5 lb (24 inch fish on chunks and had
two other run offs. Also caught about 20plus small stripers on bloods within 2 hours. We
were back at the dock just before six P.M. and a wicked thunderstorm that blew in from the
west. Great afternoon of fishing. Photos to be developed.
Monday 4/9/01 Alpine NJ Gerry Hujber
catfish galore, and a few shorts
Seems the tide as always has nothing to do with fishing...you need to follow the currents.
At alpine 3 hrs after high tide to 3 hrs after low ebb is producing the most fish, just as
it has in Alpine for the past 4 years....some things never change.LOL
Sunday 4/8/01 7 Am to 2 pm Alpine NJ Gerry Hujber
BAIT -Cut Shad & Bloodworms
A FEW SHORTS BUT OTHERWISE A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME
4/7/01 Bear Mountain Bridge John Van Herk
I Fished under the Bear Mountain Bridge yesterday (Saturday) with my buddy Rich
from 8:30AM to 6:30PM
We caught 4 Striped Bass and one white perch. the bass were 26, 18.5, 17.5 and 12
inches. We started catching them on the out going tide around 3:00PM with blood
worms. The bait shop up the road on 9W has closed up, but there is a sign on the
road that gets you to someone's back yard shop. There was one other bass caught on the
pier that day 19.5 "
Good luck Fishing!
John Van Herk
4/7/01 Alpine Boat Basin Mick Latimer
Fished ABB Sat. 4.7.01 on the incoming in the pm, there where many cats off
the pier. In addition our rigs where picked clean on a regular basis, bring
plenty of bait. A no show on our striped friends.
Mick Latimer
FRIDAY 4/06/01 21:30 PM to 7 PM Alpine
1 short striper......and the catfish are in. 2 of us caught well over 20 catfish
, and all were 2 to 5 pounds. Must have been that nice day we had Thursday. Didn't do much
for striper fishing, but it seems to have awakened the catfish...
TIGHTLINES
Gerry
Piermont
4/5/01 Piermont Pier Art
I fished with my partner George on the Ro-Sea on April 5,2001. Launched out
of Nyack and headed south to the pilings south of Piermont Pier at 5:00 P.M..
Began fishing with bloods in 14-15 feet of water. The water temperature was
45/46 degrees, a welcome change to the 41 degree water a week before. Caught
a 12incher and a cat. moved into 8 feet and caught a 16 incher and a cat.
moved again and caught another 16 incher. Arrived during dead low and fished
the incoming tide. Moved again just south of the bridge in 9 feet of water
and caught another 16 incher. By now it was 8P.M. and the wind came up .
First fish of the season put in the boat. good luck this season see ya on the
water. Art
Englewood
4/4/01 Englewood Boat Basin
HRFA member Jim Macaluso fished the incoming tide in the vicinity of the
Englewood Boat Basin on Weds.,April 4 with blood worms. The results of 2.5
hours of fishing were 5 schoolies to 16" and two perch. They're starting to
hit!
4/3/01 Nyack Pier
Mr. G., a local comercial fisherman who sells us our bait, has started
catching some herring in his nets. With the herring coming up river we all know the
stripers can't be far behind.
Fished the Nyack Pier today--hooked into 2 shortie stripers and two
pesky perch. The guys I was with also pulled in a few shortie stripers.
All caught on Bloods and all caught on the incoming tide.
Rich
Tapzee
4/1/01 Tappan Zee Bridge
HRFA member Willard Bierwas and Artie Cole fished the south side of the
Tappan Zee Bridge on 4/1/01. We caught 41 stripers from 7:00 AM until 10:15
AM on the outgoing tide. The largest stripers were 17 1/2" long - no
keepers. The water temperature on a certified thermometer was 39.4 degrees.