Background:The
Hudson River flows over 300 miles, from North
to South, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
It begins several miles north of Tahawus at Henderson
Lake. The Federal Dam separates the Upper Hudson
River Valley from the Lower Hudson River Valley.
South of Troy, the river is tidal and widens as
you go South. There is much information available
for boating on the lower Hudson, but this website
is focused on the river from Coeymans to Troy
(because that is where we do our boating).
Local Knowledge:
Be aware that the river is tidal. This means that
not only water levels change based on the tide,
but the current changes speed and direction. As
the tide is going out, the current runs south,
and when it is coming in, it runs north. During
slack tide, there is no current. Navigating a
river can be tricky by itself, but a tidal river
adds more variables. For example, the breakwater
at Coeyman's Landing Marina is about a foot underwater
at high tide, but is several feet above the surface
during low tide. When approaching the marina at
high tide, it is obviously helpful to know where
the wall is. As with all rivers, be aware of debris
in early spring or after heavy rains.
Pollution in the river has always been a concern,
and it makes me hesitant to jump in there and
throw the wakeboard on, but I see many people
skiing and boarding. They are in the process of
removing PCBs that were caused by General Electric
dumping their waste in the river, so many of these
concerns are being addressed, but it takes time
to clean it up.
There are some exceptional fishing spots on the
river. Stripers run up the river every spring
and attract many anglers. They can be caught from
the banks of the river, bridges, or from several
of the local charters that will take you out.
Useful Resources:
Hudson River Marinas (Coeymans to Troy)
Public Boat Launches
Striper Fishing Information
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