Fly Fishing Locations Upper Hudson

[zdorfman]

Not looking for anyone to give up their favorite spots or anything..... but, I'm new to striper fishing the hudson. I live just outside of albany. I've been fly fishing stripers mostly in Mass, with pretty good success for a number of years now, but would like to try the hudson thing.

I'd be willing to share techniques, fly selections that have all worked very well for me on the cape, mass north shore, marthas vineyard etc.

would like to crack the striper on the upper hudson, without starting from ground zero.

thanks in advance

[hot tuna]

I have been trying for about 4 years with the last 2 seriously to consistently catch stripers with a fly rod. I live on a very good trib north of hudson and for most my life have been able to catch them with a basic bucktail jig on a spinning rod (well before the big boom 10>15 years ago)
But the flyrod has been my goal. To tell you it has been very inconsistent, meaning never out in the river and limited in the trib. The only (3) stripers that I had success tell me I have the right setup-pattern & depth so that is not what is in question. For the tribs I use a super X 180 grain shooting head, on the river I tried a 550 grain. Since, I have stuck with fishing the tribs. on the flyrod Problem with the tribs is pressure, it's become very tough to fly fish unless it's during weekdays, even then busy pressure puts down fish. I have not been able to figure a successful method out in the main river mostly due to depth, current & tide. For myself I just don't feel my flies (clousers) are reaching the depth necessary for their strike zone, my guess would be 15' or below in the river.
I know on the coastal water flyfishing is very effective but are the depths near the same as the main river ? Seems to me from what I have seen most costal stripers are taken in the serf, flats or off jetties in much shallow depths close to how I fish the tribs.
Maybe between the few of us flying for them we can find an effective method on the big water and share information.

[klaypigeon]

I'd love to try this too at some point. I have all my salmon gear from my years in Oregon which should be fine. Maybe some kind of hybrid technique. I am not a purist, more of an anything goes kinda fisherman. Down rigger with mono to a big fat herring pattern or even a jet diver would work. You could also probably get away with no weight by just drifting with your heavy grain but a small weight would keep the line tight. Fishing the slack tide might work best if you want to be doing some casting. Just a few ideas.

[omc]

I know this isn't fly fishing but we use our 9' 9wt with some mono and drift worms. It is more for the fight on the fly rod than fly fishing. All I can say is those rods always seem to be the ones that get hit and its a great fight our largest was 44lbs.

[yakin]

Originally Posted by omc

I know this isn't fly fishing but we use our 9' 9wt with some mono and drift worms. It is more for the fight on the fly rod than fly fishing. All I can say is those rods always seem to be the ones that get hit and its a great fight our largest was 44lbs.

center pining? are you doing this in a river or a creek. there is a youtube video of a guy catching a striper on a center pin rod on the hudson somewhere.

[omc]

No not centerpinning we are drifting in a boat and set the rods in holders.

[FishOn73]

Anyone have the link for the centerpin striper?? I looked and couldnt find one. Thats been a goal since I started on the pin about 5 years ago! Idk what I would even use as bait with it. Over the past winter I went close to 15 times to the salmon river for steelhead on the pin. It is hands down my favorate rig to fish and it can be used properly for any fish from lake O tribs to the wapp creek and everything inbetween. That being said ive never tried it for stripers and would pay for the beer and food for anyone willing to go on an outing one day!

[Pazienpa]

Near the end of the run I have had good success from my kayak using my 8wt near the fed dam. There is a rock outcropping and I fish between it and the whitwater casting and trolling . I also have caught shad. Great fun. I would be happy to join you some night and see what we can get into?