Striped Bass Fishing Forums Forum banner

So what are you going to do differently this year?

8K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  MXK883 
#1 ·
With the off season grinding by, thought maybe some discussion would help pass the time. Last season was my first spring bank fishing the Hudson for striper and I was pretty unsuccessful. Spent about 90% of my time fishing frozen chucks around the Albany area, and spent a Saturday in Newburgh feeding bloodworms to ravenous perch while staring at a group of guys catching off a small point they had staked out that could reach deeper water.

So, what am i going to do differently this year? For one, i think im going to concentrate my efforts on fishing the troy dam. The location is convenient, and it seemed to be the only spot with a more serious crowd, especially at night. The other locations are by no means secret and if they produced consistent fish i think you would see more guys there.

Next bait. Since i plan on spending a lot more time at the dam, those conditions are going to favor lures. I've been slowly expanding my bag over the summer and im finally reaching a point where i think i have a nice variety of poppers, darters, crank baits, bucktails and some soft baits like sluggos and eels to get me started. With the current the way it is at the dam, trying to fish chunk or live lining just seemed very impractical (i tried). Its not impossible, but you better have a cooler full of bait and a helper to hand rods off too for rebating if you want to enjoy your self and actually spend time fishing. Or you could just sling lures.

As for tackle and equipment I've added a second rod to my outfit. That 9ft penn fierce combo is just too good a deal to pass up for freshwater applications. And you can even get it with the live liner feature. Planning on using it as my chunking rod should the opportunity arise. Having 2 rods that can be configured for different needs is a great time/aggravation saver. I'm also planning on picking up a set of breathable waders and some korkers before the season gets underway as well. While these aren't totally necessary, i do a bit of surf fishing in southern Maine during the summer and they will certainly make getting out in the evening's or early AM hours more appealing.

So that's about it. Hoping with last years time and experience i can land a few fish this year. What about everyone else? What are you going to adjust to get into more fish this year?
 
See less See more
#8 ·
Please keep doing what your doing Doc, you're an inspiration and a Local legend, I Love reading your posts, and I gotta tell ya... it keeps me informed on whats coming up river !! You Are the Man Doc !!! Striper Slayer !!!:mental:
 
#5 ·
I started using circle hooks 2 seasons ago . Ive tried all the major brands with mixed results. I had the most success using mustad demon perfect circle. I hooked up every run in the corner of the mouth every time. They are a inline hook with a straight eye. I still snell them just make sure to run the leader through the eyelet the right way. The only difference this season is I will go from a 7/0 to a 8/0 hook. I may also switch to a lighter braid line and lighter leader. The ref # of the hook is 39951np-bn.
 
#7 ·
With the off season grinding by, thought maybe some discussion would help pass the time. Last season was my Well spring bank fishing the Hudson fSpor striper and I was pretty unsuccessful. Spent about 90% of my time fishing frozen chucks around the Albany area, and spent a Saturday in Newburgh feeding bloodworms to ravenous perch while staring at a group of guys catching off a small point they had staked out that could reach deeper water.

So, what am i going to do differently this year? For one, i think im going to concentrate my efforts on fishing the troy dam. The location is convenient, and it seemed to be the only spot with a more serious crowd, especially at night. The other locations are by no means secret and if they produced consistent fish i think you would see more guys there.

Next bait. Since i plan on spending a lot more time at the dam, those conditions are going to favor lures. I've been slowly expanding my bag over the summer and im finally reaching a point where i think i have a nice variety of poppers, darters, crank baits, bucktails and some soft baits like sluggos and eels to get me started. With the current the way it is at the dam, trying to fish chunk or live lining just seemed very impractical (i tried). Its not impossible, but you better have a cooler full of bait and a helper to hand rods off too for rebating if you want to enjoy your self and actually spend time fishing. Or you could just sling lures.

As for tackle and equipment I've added a second rod to my outfit. That 9ft penn fierce combo is just too good a deal to pass up for freshwater applications. And you can even get it with the live liner feature. Planning on using it as my chunking rod should the opportunity arise. Having 2 rods that can be configured for different needs is a great time/aggravation saver. I'm also planning on picking up a set of breathable waders and some korkers before the season gets underway as well. While these aren't totally necessary, i do a bit of surf fishing in southern Maine during the summer and they will certainly make getting out in the evening's or early AM hours more appealing.

So that's about it. Hoping with last years time and experience i can land a few fish this year. What about everyone else? What are you going to adjust to get into more fish this year?
So you're off to a good start, you didn't give up!! Some do, the Hudson is a difficult river to walk into and expect results, my first year I got one, it got better after that, slowly but it took a lot of searching and scouting After the season to understand where I was going wrong and why.
The Hudson in our Albany area where I fish also is a maze ,and fishing it from the bank is determined by the tides and time of day as well as flow of water and most importantly bait. Stripers are here to do two things, spawn and go back to the ocean, fortunately they are also eating, A lot. The big question is when and what are they eating. This is going to be a huge answer to your question so I'm going to break it up into a few parts.
Lets talk bait,
Yes we all wait for the arrival of bait (Herring) to be exact, its a good sign that the Stripers are near, and yes they will be, but , Stripers will be coming up river with the warming of the water and not Waiting for the Herring, there is a Ton of bait in the Hudson and being a Striper who is one of the Most opportunist of fish that will eat anything it can get into its mouth, we have options.
The Hudson is full of fish, there are Bass, Rock Bass, White Perch,Walleye, Catfish , Tons of minnows, shiners etc. and Eels to name a few. and I use this window of opportunity to offer Stripers a variety of options that I have . Basically anything that I use in Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard, The Elizabeth Islands, Cape Cod Bay, The Canal and CuttyHunk is going to be thrown at them, Everything saltwater can and will be used.
The Hudson is Tidal and moving, Always moving, and up in the Albany area we have an edge, It gets narrower, Very narrow, and for the shore fisher whos willing to put the time in and Move a lot we are then able to chase and intercept them.
If you are fishing in one spot for more than 20 minutes without a hit or a bite its time to move, 100 yrds. can make a lot of difference, as I said this area from the Corning Preserve to the Dam , about 6 miles is a maze of structure, Stripers like structure bottom line, if it aint there they are moving along. And from the Corning Preserve the First piece of good structure is at the first rock point just after the boat launch.
If you've ever been to the Hudson in the summer at low tide you'll see a whole different river, the water is at its Lowest and everything pops into sight. That area has Four different pieces to it in just a couple of hundred yrds.
First is the shallow mud flat, smelly but beneficial, its going to warm the water in that area first, second is the water outflow that comes from the tides filling up a Back Bay area, that out flow runs for over 100 yrds. through the mud flat and has a rock and stone bottom, is about 15-20 ft. wide and come out into the river at the edge of the channel just North of the Boat launch. At the rock point itself and directly down river is a gravel bar approx. 70 ft wide and narrows down along the outlet torward the boat launch which runs high along the channel of the river and last is the channel itself from the Corning Preserve to the I-90 Bridge, Yeah been there seen it ,did it, done it. Not overly impressed , BUT, the fish must go Through this area on their way to the Dam. I fish fast through there and theres a reason why and its just North of the I-90 Bridge.
Lets talk Bait, yeah I'm going off topic a little But if it aint Fresh its Garbage, nuff said. Fresh fish has slime on it , this slime is detectable to fish for a hundred yards down river, the eyes must be sparkly and shiny not pastey and filmy, this is a fresh piece of bait and I'm talkin Herring, White Perch or what ever yer slinging. Keep it Fresh. So I'm gonna break this up again and start on another topic, Lets talk Lures and why.
 
#10 ·
Lures for me this year are basically the same as always , Jigs both Bucktail and Paddle Tail, SP Minnows, 7" Hellcats, Bombers, Darters,Little Neck Swimmers and Big Macks.
Jigs are by far the most used for me , they are my Go-To search lure. Two years ago if you didn't have a BuckTail you weren't catching Anything. Last year the Savage 7 1/2" 2 1/3oz was King. And I'm gonna be bringing some 1oz under spins also. This year I'm gonna be tyring some new jigs that were just killer last year torward the end of the run and using them for most of the run this year.
And I have Tons of others that will be in the bag !
 
#11 ·
So let’s get back to the stretch of river just above the I-90 Bridge.
This is an interesting stretch of water, two miles long from bridge to bridge (South Troy) and Loaded with great structure.
For the Shore Caster this couldn’t be any better, the Bike Trail runs up about four miles from the Corning Preserve to the parking lot on Broadway near Passano Paints.
There are Many areas along this route that are fishable.
So the First part from the Preserve to the I-90 Bridge is one mile and fishable, the next 2 miles from the bridge and up is one of my favorite areas to fish.
Both sides have their advantages and disadvantages for the shore fishermen.
I do ALL my fishing in the Spring on a bike, well fitted with a crate and two rod holders, this makes it easy for me to hit places quick and move if necessary, that’s on the Albany side. On the Rensselaer side is a different story.
If I’m not catching fish on Albanys side in the deep holes it’s time for me to get across the river and fish the shallow areas, this is where it becomes a bitch.
There are two ways of getting over, one I’m not going to suggest and then there’s going over the South Troy bridge.
So now I’m on the other side and from the I-90 bridge I’m gonna encounter some serious structure, first is lots of rock, then a long gravel bar all nice area to stick and jab, this goes up a little ways to the stone break wall, fishing this stretch is actually very easy as there are heavily traveled trails just beyond the bank. After that the trails end and you have alot of work ahead of you.
I like this two mile stretch for a couple of reasons, the first mile has a gravel and stone/rock bottom and a slight grade to the channel, the next mile is just a Hellish nightmare full of huge rocks and is just a magnet for baitfish.
Fishing this area is not for the anyone who is not in good health, it will beat you up especially if you are moving like I do and traveling with a bike. There is alot of carrying and portaging till the next road.
I fish this area with an 11’ rod, I like to be able to get my lures out to the channel and swim them in slowly covering Everything possible and then move and overlap with fan casting. I’ll use two or three different presentations here as I go and two different types of rods.
The Albany side is a bit different and after the first mile past the bridge becomes shallow, a bit of a bitch to access and is quite a stretch to the channel, a longer rod is necessary at times to reach certain areas, but at the same time, this area also warms up a bit faster because of the shallow water. I’ve had some good success fishing this area at night as the Stripers move into shallow water and feed. This is All depending on water temperature where and what side I’ll be on and what time of day.
 
#12 ·
For me it’s not what I’m going to do differently but what I’m going to tweak out from the last season.
First is gear and I’m always up-grading. I still have a lot of the same gear from last year but it will not be used for a lot of different reasons.
So now onto the new season, like I said I still have some stuff I will be using but only for certain areas and time of season.
First is rods, I have a lot and they all have a good purpose.
I’ll be using the 10’ Penn Fierce 2 and the 9’ Ande Tournament Surf both for 2-6 oz. at the Dam.
On those I’ll be using the Diawa BG’s in 5000 and 6500 with 40 and 50 lb test.
For earlier in the run I’ll be using a Century 11’ 2-5oz rod with the 5000 and I’ll also be using an ODM 11’ for 3/4- 4oz with a Shimano Aero Technium 12000 reel. Yeah , that’s a $1200.00 set up.
I’ve already used the ODM for holdovers at the Dam this July and did very well throwing 1oz jigs 50-60 yrds. I landed a 34” Striper quite easily at the Dam also.
This will be used early this season as most fish will be small for the first two to three weeks and my jigs that I’ll be using will be from 5/8- 1oz maybe 1 1/2oz.
 
#13 ·
So let’s talk about fishing TheDam.
A lot of people fish the Dam because, we’ll, it’s easy to get to, has good access and for some part usually ends up stacking some good fish in a small area.
But let’s remember something, the fish have to swim through every area that I just talked about to Get There! , There are Many Great places to fish, the problem is that its Very difficult to get to a lot of these places by foot and on Bike, but it Can be done. The reality is that most shore fishermen are generally incredibly lazy so they go to the easiest spots and expect results.
During the Spring season I “ live” on the river in a tent for 3-4 days at a time,and fish 14-16 hrs a day, I travel by bike 10-12 miles a day “Hunting “ Stripers and pick off Many Before they arrive at the Dam three weeks into April.
But it must be fished , yes of course it must but if you’re gonna try it Please do it right.
I’m now going to give you a basics list for fishing the Dam.
First is rods, 9-10 ft is plenty for the Dam, med/ heavy and for 2-6 oz lures.
Second is reels, think Strong with drags of at least 22 lbs. The Penn Fierce 2 8000 is a very good and inexpensive reel very capable of handling fish up to 30 plus lbs in heavy current, add 40 lb Braid and a 40-50 lb leader.
I stress using braid here also, you’ll basically be using jigs 2,3,4 oz here and losing them in the rocks a lot , by using braid and a leader of 36” to 48” will reduce the amount of mono that’s left “dangling “ after a break from a snagged jig. For foot wear I usually use hip boots with Titanium screws drilled into the lug soles.
And really there’s a small crowd of guys that really know how to fish the Dam, those are the guys right At the Wall , a very tough crowd that took me two years to earn respect from, stop down with what I told you to use and just Watch these guys for a bit like I did, I guarantee that you will learn by doing so .
 
#14 ·
FyshhTrap you're and encyclopedia man, thanks for the detailed posts. I'll be coming back here for weeks to come trying to distill all that info to hone in on fish. You're right, some of us shore fisherman do tend to be a bit lazy. With the season being as short as it is when i get out of work i just want an spot where i can pull up and get straight down to business. I did recon part of the shore line you mentioned north of the corning preserve, as well as south of the Broadway parking lot early last season. Encountered a lot of steep banks, high water, and trees trees trees. So many dammed trees. I'll have to go back and explore more this year when i have time so i can zero in on some of those spots. I can see some of them on the sat imagery for the area. Maybe next season i'll work on outfitting a used bike to cover more ground with if i'm successful.

Both my reels are spooled with 40lb braid, and 50 pound leaders so g2g there. I'm pretty lite on jigs at the moment so i think i'll expand what i have there next. I saw in another post you mentioned the joe baggs parrot fish. I'm thinking i'll grab a few of those as I have nothing quite like that yet. I've got a couple 2oz bucktails in white, and some 2oz savage sand eels.

Thanks again, hope to see ya out there!
 
#15 ·
FyshhTrap you're and encyclopedia man, thanks for the detailed posts. I'll be coming back here for weeks to come trying to distill all that info to hone in on fish. You're right, some of us shore fisherman do tend to be a bit lazy. With the season being as short as it is when i get out of work i just want an spot where i can pull up and get straight down to business. I did recon part of the shore line you mentioned north of the corning preserve, as well as south of the Broadway parking lot early last season. Encountered a lot of steep banks, high water, and trees trees trees. So many dammed trees. I'll have to go back and explore more this year when i have time so i can zero in on some of those spots. I can see some of them on the sat imagery for the area. Maybe next season i'll work on outfitting a used bike to cover more ground with if i'm successful.

Both my reels are spooled with 40lb braid, and 50 pound leaders so g2g there. I'm pretty lite on jigs at the moment so i think i'll expand what i have there next. I saw in another post you mentioned the joe baggs parrot fish. I'm thinking i'll grab a few of those as I have nothing quite like that yet. I've got a couple 2oz bucktails in white, and some 2oz savage sand eels.

Thanks again, hope to see ya out there!
Oh yess, trust me I'll be out there, let me know what you wanna talk about and I'll try to help in any way, by the way do you have a Bike ?:banana:
 
#18 ·
OK Then, I hope you got at least 10 for a start, especially if you're fishing the Dam. I'm not saying you suck, trust me , we All lose jigs at the Dam. A lot.
The Dam was co-engineered by Satan himself, he said "I got a Great idea,"
"Lets take All the rocks from the Cape Cod Canal and put 'em here"
This is why fishing this small stretch of the river is very much like fishing the depths of the Canal, and of course the Hudson is Tidal so,just when you think you got it the water level changes and:smiley17e:AARGHH, lots of fun !!
 
#23 ·
I think this year I'll try to fish at night, I haven't tried this yet but, I've been told that it can actually be productive. So far late afternoon/evening has been the best time. I'm usually off the water at the brink of darkness...smallboat...no radar...maybe anchor for the night. Never know, it may work well.
 
#24 ·
Due to my recent job change i wont have as much time to fish this year... It really blows. but I'm looking to beat my 2017 numbers and i am going to be trying more night fishing and learning how to catch them around the clock.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top