Hudson River Regulation Changes

License requirements
There is no longer an exemption to the requirement for a license to take fish from the Hudson River south of the Troy Barrier Dam at Troy. Anglers will need to have a license when fishing the Hudson River. Depending on the specific location of the Hudson River fishing activities, and the specific species fished for, an angler may need to have a recreational marine fishing license, a fishing license or both licenses:

• If you are fishing downstream from the Tappan Zee Bridge, you are considered fishing in the marine and coastal district and will need to have a recreational marine fishing license.
• If you are fishing upstream from the Tappan Zee Bridge and are fishing for non-migratory fish (such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, catfish, carp, walleye, and perch), you will need to have a fishing license.
• If you are fishing upstream from the Tappan Zee Bridge and are fishing for "migratory fish from the sea" (such as striped bass, American shad, hickory shad, blueback herring, or alewife), you need a recreational marine fishing license.
• If you are fishing upstream from the Tappan Zee Bridge and are fishing for "migratory fish from the sea" and for non-migratory fish, you will need a recreational marine fishing license and a fishing license.

What license do I need to fish the tributaries to the Hudson River?

The same rules apply to the to the tributaries of the Hudson River as applies to the mainstem of the Hudson River up to the first barrier impassable by fish. A fishing license is required if you are fishing upstream of the first barrier impassable by fish.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/31427.html

Customizing a Blue Fox Wildeye

I have had good luck with my Blue Fox® in-line spinners, especially my #5 silver Wildeye®, which has been one of my go to weapons to hook up on the bigger fish. So I decided to customize one to use alongside one that is not customized, to see what advantages I could create. Customizing baits and lures; finding the combinations that produce fish and building a tackle box full of gear that works add to the fun and enjoyment of fishing. Plus, building customized gear gives you something to do in the off season when you're not in the woods with a boom-boom stick stalking brown, furry, four legged critters with horns.



I started with a #5, 7/16 oz. Wildeye® cutting off the treble hook with a pair of diagonal cutters. I then added a white silicon skirt with silver flakes, made by Strike King Lure Company®, to a red colored VMC® #2, Barbarian treble hook. I made sure that the skirt was facing the correct direction so it will perform well in the water. After the skirt and treble hook was all set, I added a #4, 50 lbs. Owner® split ring to the treble hook and attached the treble hook to the wire at the end of the lure.



The end result of my customizing project is an in-line spinner that is silver with a white colored silicon skirt and red treble hook. The lure now looks like a more expensive lure and I think it will look yummy to the bigger fish. I can now easily replace the skirt with a new if needed or switch the skirt with one of a different color.

    Customized Blue Fox® In-line Spinner.  Photo taken by Shawn Thompson.

Stay tuned for upcoming customizing projects here on Capital Region Fishing.



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Fishing Has No Boundaries, Inc.(2009) states on their website, “Fishing Has No Boundaries®, Inc. (FHNB) is a non-profit 501-C3 organization whose goal is to open up the great outdoors for people with disabilities through the world of fishing. FHNB has grown into a National Organization with 23 chapters in 11 states, enabling thousands of individuals with disabilities to participate fully in this spirit lifting, morale booster, trouble free recreational activity. Continue to look for additional announcements for new chapters in new states, opening up new dreams for persons with disabilities that might not otherwise experience what you or I might just take for granted. We believe through education, training, and the use of adaptive angling equipment, everyone is able to share in a dream come true”.

FHNB is providing an outstanding community service to disabled people of the Capital Region through their Albany, NY chapter. Their Albany chapter has a Facebook page located here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=252710092338.  If you are interested in helping out or would like to make a donation, please contact the FHNB.

Reference

Fishing Has No Boundaries, Inc.(2009). Welcome. Retrieved from http://www.fhnbinc.org, on February 27, 2010.

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Fishing in the Normans Kill, out of Tawasentha Park, Guilderland, NY.

The Normans Kill offers good bass fishing and a good stretch of it can be accessed through Tawasentha Park in Guilderland.  This part of the Normans Kill is feed from the Watervliet Reservoir and the water is fairly clean.  Vehicles can be parked about 100 yards from the water with an easy walk to the water.  I usually fish near the foot bridge and on a small island near the foot bridge.

The fish in this area consists of sunfish, carp, bullhead, rock bass, and smallmouth bass.  I have had people tell me there are largemouth bass, but I am yet to catch any.  The rock bass are typical and the smallmouth range from small to medium-large. There is plenty of cover to fish that is easily reached from the banks.  From my experience, the smallmouths are usually easy to catch with typical bass gear.

I have had great success catching the smallmouth with my #5 Blue Fox Super Vibrax inline spinner that is silver.  It usually produces bass when put at the edge of cover.  I have been careful of tree branches and logs in the water, which can be difficult to see most of the time.  So far I have only lost one #5 while fishing there.  I made a bad cast and put it into an overhanging tree branch.  It could have been recovered by wading in the water, but the water was too cold to wade in, being that it was fall, so hopefully I can recover it this summer and use it as a back-up.

I have also had good success using Zoom’s Super Fluke, in the Baby Bass color. These baits are great for fishing right in the cover when rigged weedless.  They swim and fall with a natural look to them.  I rig them weedless with no weight and a 1/0 worm hook, working them in and around cover.  I use a ‘soft jerk and let fall retrieve’; and usually get a bite on the fall.  It is important to let the fish take the bait, meaning not to set the hook the very instant you feel the bite.  You want to pause and set the hook when you feel the weight of the fish and a hard hook set is not needed.  You can add weight to the Super Flukes by putting a bullet weight before the fluke.  I think this is the easiest way to weight them and can be added and removed quickly.  The bullet weights are a great addition to your tackle box because they can be used on many different rigs.

Top water lures work in this area of the Normans Kill as well.  I’ve caught some fish with a Heddon Torpedo and a Super Spook Jr.  The Torpedo is an easy lure to use and has a little propeller on the end of it that creates sound and vibration.  You can retrieve it slowly across the water or pull it sharply for a foot or two.  When pulling it sharply, you want to pause until the ring in the water spread out to 5 feet or more before pulling it again.  When you pause is usually when the fish attacks the lure, which is a spectacular sight to see.  The Super Spook Jr. is a little trickier to use, at least when using it as it is intended to be used.  It takes a little practice, but you should use the “Walk the Dog” retrieving technique.  This technique causes the lure to zigzag left and right across the water.  It is all done by having the correct tension on the line and moving the rod correctly.  There are a few videos on Youtube that can help you learn this technique.

In the 2010 fishing season I will be experimenting with soft plastic, jigs, spinner baits, and customized #5’s.  I look forwards to sharing my experiences.


Tawasentha Park is located between Rt. 20 and Altamont, on Rt. 146, in the town of Guilderland, NY.  Town of Guilderland residents can enter the park for free; with proof of residency (driver’s license works best). If you’re not a resident you can park in the winter recreation parking lot just past the park entrance and walk down to the water, but it is a longer walk.

This blog is now the official blog of Capital Region Fishing

Fishing information specific to my location has been very difficult to find, so I am dedicating this blog to fishing the Capital Region.  Future posts will discuss fishing locations, techniques and equipment; customizing tackle, lures and baits;  fishing tips and pictures specific to fishing the Capital Region, Albany, NY.  There will also be a list of useful links.  Posts will be open to comments.  This blog will be linked to its counterpart, a group on Facebook, which is also open for comments.


My goal is to provide and gain information on fishing the Capital Region.  I have fished since I was a young boy and enjoy fishing immensely.  Like many fishermen, my fishing time is limited, so I try to make the most of it and that is one of the reasons I started Capital Region Fish.


I look forward to adding more articles to this blog and reading your comments. I have a lot of ideas and topics to write about, so check back often.