I'm considering a boat purchase in the spring for mainly fishing w/ occasional pleasure boating. Either launching or docking near Newburgh. I've had freshwater boats on big water, but never river or saltwater. Looking for info on suggestions for type of boat, size, etc and what kind of fish can be caught in the river. The research so far is that Newburgh is the line between salt and fresh. What does that mean as far as maintenance to the boat/motor? Are stripers available? What about LMB and SMB?

I fished the Newburgh area for striped bass for the last 15 years. Mid April till about the first week of June. Run blood worms about 15 feet down and in about 30 to 40 feet deep of water. Drift. Do NOT anchor! Drift from the bridge all the way down past Cornwall. Fish bite best when tide is either high or low and it slows down when tide is moving.  I would average 150 to 200 stripers a year. Only kept a few each season. Mostly catch and release.  Delicious Fish! Crabbing in the Cornwall bay was fun also from late July to early September.  Another delicious critter. I used to use a bass boat and it was great on nice days but in cold weather and high winds it was rough. The river is very wide in that area and on really windy days the waves can approach 5 feet or so. The last 3 years I had an 18 foot sea ray fish and ski type boat. Open bow and deeper v hull. Was much more comfortable and could button down and get out of the wind and weather if needed. That size boat would be my minimum suggestion for a family.
I'm living in Pennsylvania now. Still have my boat. Striped bass fishing in the Hudson is really the only thing I am truly gonna miss in NY.

Eta: The water is brackish there. Some days you can taste the salt in the air. Especially when there hasn't been a lot of rain for a while. I used to use the public launch in Newburgh also. Get a pass from the city. $100 for the season. Otherwise it's  $16 a day. Launch is packed during striper season. Be careful. Lots of people that don't know how to drive a truck and trailer or maneuver their boats. Just watch out for yourself and you will be fine.

Also. My sea ray is an i/o. I wish I had bought an outboard. Easier to maintain and repower if needed. If you are really worried about the salt just run the motor with a hose hooked up when you get home. It really shouldn't be a problem though. My old bass boat had a 1989 Johnson 88hp and I never had a problem from the water. Only thin I ever had to do was rebuild the carb and replace the power heads. That was a great motor and is still running strong for my friend who bought it from me.

Thanks for the good writeup cowboyrick. That's what I was looking for. I had a 18' four wins fish and ski with an IO, similar to yours. Great boat. I think this time I'm looking at an outboard, with a bow mount and maybe a center console.  Still not sure yet though.  If I can find the right one at the right price over winter I'm going to give it a try. Never been striper fishing but it looks great. I'm and catch and release 99% of the time.

Your right on the boat launch. I could just sit and watch the launch all day and be entertained.

One of these days I need to fish that river for stripers

A few from 2016




I absolutely love striper fishing. I would take a whole week off in May every year and fish every single day. Even saw a bald eagle grab a striper out of the river just south of Kingston one morning. What a beautiful thing to witness!

That is awesome!   I'm currently in the middle of my annual week off to salmon fish, its been one of the best runs in years!   Funny what you said about the eagle, yesterday I got splashed by an osprey flying into the water right next to me to grab a salmon.   He dropped it but it startled the hell out of me, lol

I've never been salmon fishing. Always wanted to but just never did it. Yeah the eagle happened so fast all I could do was say my buddy's name and point! He flew away with it still wiggling around. Fish had to be at least 30 inches long. Probably a once in a lifetime thing to see.

Those are some beauties. That's what I'm after. Is that Spinning real and ugly stick what you used?

Yes. Med heavy 6' ugly  stick with Penn reals. I like a shorter pole on the boat. 30lb test braided with 4' of 20lb mono leader. 4/0 circle hook and 3/4 oz weight. Email me if you want some more tips.

Fished it for striper in a 16' Aluminum V-Hull with a 40HP outboard - ran the 4hp kicker most of the time. You don't need much boat to fish it.