New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-01
NEAR THE END or THE SEASON.
SHAD FISHING IN THE HUDSON ALMOST
OVER FOR THIS Wharf.-The Num-
RER CAUGHT.

The shad season Is ORA wing TO n close. The legal
termination is on June l5 bu; the practical end OF
the season has already arrived. The Hudson River
is the Mecca foI shad fishermen every spring. "spe-
cjallv in the section including PcekskAl Bay Yer
planck's Point Haverstraw Bay. Grassy Point. etc
The season az Peeksk!ll IS about over. \ few ot
the more tenacious fishermen. however. are stu
hanging on in expectation OF the hon'ysuckle school
a SORT & shad aftermath. which usually makes its
apDearance about the end OF the season. The prc7-
ent prospects are. however, that even this schoo!
Will fail come TO tin,e.
There were many prophets last winter who pre-
dicted A short and Improbable shad season, basing
the prognostcat lions on the dearh or snow ana icr
last winter and the unfavorabe condition Of the
water They have been verified in their predictions
In ordinary the catch has ranged from TWO
TO four thousand man. according TO the skill and
the hustling propensities of the fisherman tbs
year the best most ardent and faithful fisherman
has been fortunate to entrap in the meshes Of his
net = thousand Of the hnny tribe. Many were
unable 10 muster I'D a total Of hyc hundred as
the seasons catch. Shad have been selling for {l2
a hundred net. which has been enough to discourag"
any fisherman and cause him To sell his nets and
look for Study lob" elsewhere. The fishermen.
both deep-ne and top-water have also been greatly
Inconvenience by the immense amount Of wreck
age which fouls the nets Hours that should have
been spent in fishing been used in cleaning AMI
repairing nets Not only the smaller stuN sticks.
chips. hay. grass leaves. etc has hoated along,
but large sticks. poles boards and logs have come
down stream, tipping and destroying nets. and
carrying away not few. This has been the result
Of the high waters and the freshets in the Hudson
last winter and spring from Pouehkeepse north.
The FIST Of shad generally begins the latter
part Of April. although occasionally few may be
caught several weeks earlier In 1874 the first shad
was caught of Peekskil March n Last year
the first shad captured in the week II April Is
This the first Of the tribe was found in the net
OF Charles Underwood on April H. The delay this
year ca used by the cola weather and the fresh
cts before referred -.
week in Nav 10 the third or fourth wee in June.
Sometimes. however: they are discovered spawning
on or before the middle Of May In the upper Hud-
son II All depends on the temperature ~ the water
when they begin TO spawn.
River was given l.G00009. In 1890 and 1891 there
were about 100000 each year caught Since then
should \ law protecting the parent shad IS
in great degree responsible for this Increase This
spawning season by prohibiting fishermen from
setting or using any net In the bay hartor or river
every Monday during the season. thus giving the
much abused and followed FISH weekly opportunity
In order to learn the extent OF the shad fisheries
along ihe Hudson. which extend from the Highlands
to he State dam Troy. State Fish culturist
Chsney r eycS made Of m
a S OF Of Peeskl was appointed to gather P and
compile the statistics. lie found that last year the
Fort Lee y j. 1l4.SOO; Kingston. 5000. Bay Ridge
% OoG: Alpre. " j. 94l0D: Osbornville ~ j. 90 900;
Gravesend Beach. 30sl2. and others scattering.
The shan fishermen Of the Hudson River Valley
include all 'yres and classes of men but they can
not derive sufficient income from this source TO ss-
tain them throughout the entire year Many men
who are employed in the numerous fOundri~s about
Peekski relinQush their work April and apply
themselves to shad fishing for a couple Of months
and resume their Indoor labor at the end OF the
season The same holds true OF men who en-
ployed in the other factories. At Verblanck's.
Haverstraw and other localities whore there are
brlckyards the men divide their time between the
yards and the waters OF the Hudson. In the cold
winter months their evenings spent al home
knitting nets for the spring fishing. Some fishermen
hire their rowboats. others own Their own boats
and after the fishing Is derive a livelihood from
ferryng. especially during the State Camp season
They generally travel In pairs and FISH together.
After the haul he nets. piled in the stern OF
boat are rowed ashore and spread TO dry uDon
huge framtworks built for that purpose. and while
they drying the necessary repairs made.
After every drift IL IL usually necessary 10 repair
rip made by refuse in the river or
perhaps by the frantic efforts Of a particularly
strong shad. even some other heavier fish. a
sturgeon the Ike.
The FISH usually taken nv in each
town. and ny him shippcd 10 the Wholesale dealers
In NewYork or Newburg Some of the smaller
fishermen se directly to the local dealer TO the
street vender.