The Hudson River is one the most predominate spawning grounds for the striped bass. Striped bass are a anadromous fish, which means they travel from salt water to fresh water to spawn. The Hudson River spawning grounds are shared with herring, shad, and smelt. Herring are usually the first to arrive, being a large source of food for the striped bass, they follow. Water temperature, length of day light, tides and current are what triggers the fish to run up the Hudson. The fish use the sun and current to navigate their way here. The male stripers reaches sexual maturity before the females. It takes a female striper about five to eight years to reach maturity.
    Spawning for the striped bass occurs with a water temperature of about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The spawning for the most part occurs at night, but I have witnessed it during the day. The fish prefer calm flat water. The spawning happens at or near the water surface. The female will roll from side to side as the males push up against her to release the eggs and fertilize them. I have witnessed this on several occasions and its a sight to see. The eggs float then sink to the bottom. The eggs hatch about three days later. The fry are very vulnerable to predators for the next eight weeks. The striped bass then live in the Hudson River for two to three years before entering the ocean.
    Scientist have determined that a female striper measuring 20 to 24 inches will produce 50,000 to 60,000 eggs. A 35 pound striper will produce about five million eggs, out of these 1 out of 100,000 will survive. I've always prefer to release the large females for this reason, besides the smaller males are better tasting fish to eat.
    The striped bass life expectancy is about twenty years and has been known to grow more than four feet in length. The females grow larger than the males. The scales on a bass grow as the fish grows, similar to the growth rings on a cut tree. When there is lots of food and the fish eats well you will see a larger ring, less food will yield a smaller ring. The rings on the scale will also be smaller when the fish has spawned. So from the scale you can determine the age and how many times the fish has spawned.The striped bass can swim about 12 mph so when you hook up with a 20lb. striper you will have your hands full!
    A little about myself... I was born and raised in the Hudson Valley and come from a long line of outdoorsmen. My grandfather Leighton Winchell was an avid trapper, raised six children on the sport of trapping. He was well known for the sport and I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with him growing up. I remember walking the river banks with him and he would constantly point out signs of animals showing me what they ate and the direction they were moving. Most of all he taught me to respect the animal and the land. I would follow him along the river banks listening to him with great interest ,soaking all the knowledge up I could, but most of the time I had a fishing pole in my hand. My father Wayne is an avid sportsmen today, continued to teach me  respect for the animal and how they moved ,where they were going and what they were eating. They both always said " if you don't know how they move you can't catch them."
    My grandfather was known for beaver, my father for fox, and me, well, I am going for the striped bass. For some reason, the striped bass have consumed my life. I constantly read any thing I can get my hands on, learning how they move and feed.
    I fish the Hudson River between Norri Point and Saugerties. I have learned the river bottom the hard way, with out a map or GPS," its my back yard I know it like the back of my hand." I am a bait fisherman at heart, but have learned the sport of trolling and enjoy the challenge. The river is constantly changing and I've learned to change with it, to catch fish. Ask any one who has fished with me I never stop working to produce fish. Bait fishing, trolling or drifting my goal is to put fish in your hands.