The Hudson River is highly underrated as a fishery and paddling opportunity. When most folks think about this river, they are immediately jumping to the mouth where the river is really large. The big, lower reaches offer fishing and paddling with some stretches being accessible right from New York City but the river runs over 300-miles and has a ton of great areas to explore.
Hudson River Flows And Weather
HUDSON RIVER AT GREEN ISLAND NY
- Temperature: 79.52 ° F
- Streamflow: 20800 ft³/s
- Gage height: 17.85 ft
Rapids and Float Notes
Paddling the Hudson River varies based on location. The waterway has many different faces with some being slow, urban zones and other being fairly fast paced. It even has a canyon with a ton of whitewater. It’s not the river many folks think about, especially in the upper reaches.
Hudson River Gorge Rafting – This is the highlight of the river system with a full day run of whitewater ranging from class III-V. You can even turn this into a camp trip if desired. It’s a great run and is one of the most scenic floats in upstate New York. If you can make the trip happen, do not pass on the opportunity.
Paddling the Hudson Valley – After the river rushes out of the mountains and dumps through the gorge, it spreads out into the Hudson River Valley where it offers great open water paddling before reaching the bay. This is much slower pace and you can make a 5-7 day run in a kayak built for flatwater paddling. A canoe trip in the Hudson Valley Greenway is also a good approach, especially for multiple people.
Shuttle Services
Multiple rafting companies are operating on the Hudson and they all run shuttles for their internal guide services. The river is active in the spring, summer and fall months. Things shut down in the winter.
Adirondack Rafting Company – 518-523-1635. They are not advertising separate shuttles but are worth a try.
Beaverbrook Outfitters – 1-888-454-8433. They run whitewater and flatwater trips. Also rent gear. Try the number for a shuttle.
Hudson River Fishing Regulations
The fishing in the Hudson River is full of surprises and anglers can do well with gear or fly fishing techniques. You can find striped bass right off the shores of New York City. Having a boat can really deliver an advantage in the bigger lower stretches of river. Paddling or a motor boat will help out but shore anglers do well. Striped bass are the big draw in the estuary area and the river also has sturgeon and runs of shad in this zone.
Head upriver and things change pretty quickly, especially after passing the locks that act as fish barriers. Smallmouth bass become prolific in a very underrated fishery that is not well known despite the big name. Bring a rod on a multi-day canoe trip and you can have some incredible fishing here.
The Hudson River Gorge is also an incredible fishery with some nice brown trout. If you can brave the whitewater and cast a line when things are slow enough to control your rod, the gorge can really produce some great fishing in the Adirondacks of New York.
