Outdoors: Changes to striped bass rules may be coming
The striped bass still captures the imagination of diehard river anglers who fish the Hudson River from New York Harbor to the Barrier Dam in Troy. The big fish will soon be returning to the river for its annual spawning run, and while the rules of engagement have not yet changed, it will not be long before new regulations will be in place that will impact the size of the fish that anglers may keep.
Currently, Hudson River Anglers may take one fish a day during the open season, which runs from March 16 to Nov. 30. All fish smaller than 18 inches must be released.
Proposed changes to the recreational fishing regulation in the Hudson River north of the George Washington Bridge would retain the one fish a day limit, but would change the size requirements to a slot limit. One fish could be taken between 18 and 28 inches.
The new regulations may also require the use of circle hooks. No fish between 28 and 44 inches could be taken. The one fish limit could be satisfied by a fish more than 44 inches. If the mandatory circle hook provision is not adopted, then anglers may continue to use "J" hooks.
There are also provisions for a split season that applies slot limits. If those new regulations are adopted, the Department of Environmental Conservation will make an announcement prior to the season opening on March 16.
Stripers are migratory, meaning that they spend the greater part of their lives in the ocean, but travel into rivers — such as the Hudson and a host of other coastal rivers — to spawn. That, in turn, makes them anadromous because their spawning runs take them from salt water to freshwater.
Striped Bass spawn in water of 55 to 69 degrees from April through mid-June in the flowing water of their chosen river. One female may release as few as 10-15,000 eggs or as many as three million, without providing any protection or parental care because they are not released into a nest of any sort. The fertilized eggs are carried along in the current, which supplies the copious amounts of oxygen they need before they mature. Those not lost to predation or environmental calamity will hatch in about 48-72 hours. They emerge as larvae before becoming fry.
Of the millions of eggs released each spring, few survive into adulthood. During spawning, seven or eight males surround a single large female and bump her to the water's surface. While the males jockey for position, they create a lot of splashing sometimes called "rock fights" and they may release so much milt to fertilize the eggs that the spawning area may take on the appearance of being flooded with milk.
Striped bass will continue feeding during their spawning runs, making them fair game for recreational anglers. Every "expert" striped bass fisherman has his or her favorite baits or lures and the techniques they apply while using them. Bait fishermen use everything from clams, eels, anchovies, bloodworms, nightcrawlers, chicken livers, menhaden, herring, shad and sandworms. At times, striped bass can be very finicky about the baits they take. Because of the wide variety of baits that are known to work and their selective nature, fishermen consider them to be opportunistic feeders, but it is estimated that fish comprise the major portion of their diet.
East coast striped bass are usually found as far south as South Carolina and north to the Canadian Maritimes. Chesapeake Bay serves as the major east coast nursery for striped bass, with the Hudson River being a major producer. The spring migration starts in March when the fish return to their native rivers to spawn. Females start making the trip at about four to five years of age. Males may participate as early as two years of age, according to some studies.
Because of the historical significance of the striped bass, it has been designated as the official saltwater (marine) fish of New York.
Striped bass can easily reach 48 inches in length and more than 50 pounds. The current inland record for striped bass is 60 pounds. According to the DEC, that fish was caught in the waters off Orange County by Eric Lester in May of 2014. He took it on a blood worm. The current marine (salt) water record was taken off of Montauk Point on Long Island in 1981 and it weighed 76 pounds.
Bill Conners of the Federation of Fish and Game Clubs writes on outdoors issues in Players. He can be reached at email@example.com