Hudson stripers at peak run as bass season and spring stocking align

What's Biting

What's Next

With the Hudson sitting at 63°F near Catskill and flows running at 5,830 cfs at that gauge (USGS gauge 01357500) — building to 10,700 cfs by Poughkeepsie (USGS gauge 01358000) as tributaries add volume — conditions entering the weekend are about as textbook mid-May as they get.

The striper window is open right now. On The Water's May 15 migration map places fish as far north as Maine, meaning the Hudson's full tidal corridor is seeing active migration traffic. Tidal current changes are the key timing trigger: fish stack behind bridge pilings, rocky points, and channel edges on the turn of the tide. Dawn and dusk windows on moving water historically produce best. As flows moderate heading toward summer levels, expect fish to push progressively higher into fresh water over the next several weeks, potentially reaching the upper tidal sections if temperatures hold.

For bass anglers, water temps in the low 60s have smallmouth and largemouth in pre-spawn or early spawn mode across the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley impoundments. The NY DEC coolwater opener is now three weeks old and there are still several weeks of prime spring action ahead. Expect fish to concentrate on shallow rocky structure and sandy flats as temps creep toward the 65–68°F spawning range. Finesse presentations and shallow-running crankbaits in the 2–5 foot zone should cover staging fish, with warming afternoon sessions drawing out the most aggressive individuals.

Trout anglers are well positioned. NY DEC's Fishing Line confirmed active spring stocking of brook, brown, and rainbow trout heading into this period; freshly stocked fish in tributary streams and Finger Lakes outflows will be most accessible near hatchery truck access points. Water temps above 60°F keep stocked fish mobile and feeding rather than holding tight. May caddis and sulphur hatches typically begin intensifying mid-month, and the window for dry-fly action should improve meaningfully over the coming 7–10 days as surface activity picks up.

Walleye round out the lineup with standard post-spawn patterns now in play across the Finger Lakes. Fish have typically transitioned off spawning riffles and onto the first major depth break at 10–20 feet by this point in May. Evening jigs and live bait rigs on mid-lake structure should produce through the coming week, consistent with the seasonal timing NY DEC's coolwater season framework anticipates.

Context

Mid-May in the Hudson Valley is historically the heart of the striper run. In a typical year, fish push north through the lower Hudson riding the shad spawn in April and reach the Catskill-to-Albany corridor by the second or third week of May — right on schedule with where conditions stand today. The 63°F water temperature at Catskill is consistent with normal late-spring progression for this gauge; the 5,830 cfs flow at that site is a moderate late-spring reading, well below the peak runoff levels of early April and carrying serviceable water clarity through the tidal sections.

NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletters from March and April describe a season unfolding on a standard calendar. The April 1 inland trout and striped bass openers proceeded as planned; the coolwater sportfish season — walleye, northern pike, muskellunge — opened statewide May 1 on schedule; and spring stocking has been actively underway since early spring. Nothing in DEC's dispatches signals an unusually early or late season; the overall read is a normal, on-pace progression with no anomalies to flag.

The most historically significant note this spring is the Hudson River fish consumption update. Wired 2 Fish reports that New York health officials have lifted certain consumption restrictions on lower Hudson fish for the first time in approximately 50 years. The river's long association with PCB contamination — tied to decades of industrial discharge — led most informed anglers to practice de facto catch-and-release on Hudson fish regardless of regulations. The new guidance is species-specific and section-specific, not a blanket clearance, but it marks a genuine milestone in the river's environmental recovery arc. Anglers who have historically released all Hudson fish out of health caution should review the updated NY DEC consumption guidance; the landscape has meaningfully changed for the first time in a generation.