Striped Bass Tagging Program Records

striped bass

Each winter from November to April approximately 10,000 - 25,000 striped bass are tagged in the Hudson River. Over 400,000 fish have been tagged through 2004.

Below are the top records in various categories as reported to Hudson River Foundation by anglers who return their tags and questionnaires.

What to do if you catch a striped bass with an HRF tag.
When you catch a striped bass with an HRF tag, regardless of whether you intend to keep the fish or not, please cut off the tag and make a record of the date, location, total length of the fish (the distance from the tip of the upper jaw to the tip of the tail), and the condition of the tag insertion site. Then send the tag to:

Hudson River Foundation
Box 1731
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163

Top 10 Greatest Lengths Reported at Recapture
Place Length Angler Location Distance Release Recapture Time at-large
1 4ft 0in Tom Britt Sandy Hook Bay, Sandy Hook, NJ 19 miles 12/04/1991 11/15/1996 4 years, 348 days
2 3ft 11in Thomas F. Nuhn Fisher's Island, New London, CT 135 miles 04/18/1987 06/06/1998 11 years, 52 days
2 3ft 11in Jerry Adams Oregon Inlet, Kitty Hawk, NC 370 miles 12/01/1992 02/13/2004 11 years, 76 days
4 3ft 8in Joseph Lupinacci Sluiceway, Orient, NY 122 miles 04/05/1991 06/30/2001 10 years, 89 days
5 3 ft 7in Raul Vintimilla Cross Bay Bridge, New York, NY 27 miles 01/18/1989 11/21/1998 9 years, 309 days
5 3 ft 7in Somchit Norinth Long Island Sound, Bridgeport, CT 69 miles 03/17/1988 08/15/1995 7 years, 152 days
7 3 ft 6in Joe M. Brown Nauset Beach, Chatham, NY 290 miles 04/09/1986 07/13/1997 11 years, 98 days
7 3 ft 6in Francisco Serrano East River @ 106th St., New York, NY 14 miles 04/19/1994 07/15/1996 2 years, 88 days
7 3 ft 6in Richard L. Hedrick Maryland Bay, Point Lookout, MD 389 miles 04/08/1986 11/26/1999 13 years, 235 days
7 3 ft 6in Joseph Monforte Long Beach, Long Beach Island, NJ 73 miles 12/09/1993 08/01/2003 9 years, 237 days
7 3 ft 6in Tommy Yuan Verrazano Bridge, Brooklyn, NY 16 miles 01/12/2001 10/15/2004 3 years, 277 days
Greatest Time At Large
Place Time at-large Release Recapture Angler Length Location Distance
1 15 years, 286 days 02/07/1989 11/16/2004 Don Westhoff 2ft 8in Montauk Light, Montauk Point, NY 137 miles
2 15 years, 228 days 11/23/1988 07/05/2004 William Bowers 3ft 0in Old Field Point, Port Jefferson, NY 59 miles
3 15 years, 71 days 12/28/1989 03/05/2005 Gil Dickson 2ft 6in Atlantic Ocean, Avon, NC 408 miles
4 14 years, 292 days 03/19/1990 01/01/2005 Lisa Stokes 2ft 11in Atlantic Ocean, Nags Head, NC 362 miles
5 14 years, 244 days 03/19/1990 11/14/2004 David E. Lilly 2ft 9in Sandy Hook Channel, Sandy Hook, NJ 17 miles
6 14 years, 58 days 02/08/1991 04/03/2005 Robert B. Flora 1ft 8in Hudson County Park, Bayonne, NJ 20 miles
7 13 years, 326 days 12/05/1988 10/24/2002 Dennis Kaleda 2ft 9in Hudson River, Hoboken, NJ 5 miles
8 13 years, 293 days 03/20/1990 01/04/2004 Joe Stagnato 2ft 11in Cape Henry Light, Virginia Beach, VA 301 miles
9 13 years, 235 days 04/08/1986 11/26/1999 Richard L. Hedrick 3ft 6in Maryland Bay, Point Lookout, MD 389 miles
10 13 years, 229 days 12/20/1989 08/03/2003 Raymond A. Jobin 3ft 2in Fisher's Island Sound, Westerly, RI 136 miles
Top 10 Greatest Distances from the Hudson at Recapture
Place Distance Location Angler Length Release Recapture Time at-large
1 514 miles Penobscot River, Bangor, ME Jack Bolster 1ft 8in 04/02/1986 07/19/1986 0 years, 108 days
2 495 miles Penobscot River, Brewer, ME Lise Albert 1ft 10in 12/29/1997 06/20/2000 2 years, 174 days
2 495 miles Penobscot River, Bangor, ME Tom Cook 1ft 10in 03/09/1999 06/20/2001 2 years, 104 days
4 485 miles Mill Pond, Casco Bay, ME Jo-Anna Graves 1ft 4in 02/07/1995 06/08/1996 1 year, 122 days
5 466 miles Sears Island, Searsport, ME Dawn Goodrich 2ft 2in 12/22/1997 07/21/2002 4 years, 212 days
6 464 miles Penobscot River, Prospect, ME Ray Aldrich 1ft 8in 03/01/2001 07/20/2002 1 year, 141 days
7 461 miles Searsport Harbor, Searsport, ME Stephen L. Garton 1ft 3in 12/20/1993 08/14/1996 2 years, 238 days
8 453 miles Warren Island State Park, Islesboro, ME Cassandra Chernack n/a 03/18/1996 08/05/1998 2 years, 140 days
9 451 miles Dice Head Light, Castine, ME James Woodhead 2ft 6in 12/18/1992 06/25/1996 3 years, 190 days
10 447 miles Kennebec River, Augusta, ME Darren Curtis 2ft 1in 02/06/1997 06/12/2000 3 years, 127 days
Top 10 Rod & Reel Anglers Providing Recapture
Place Number of Fish Angler First to Latest
1 43 striped bass Richard Weckesser 02/1996 to 11/2005
2 37 striped bass Ralph Scaglione 11/1986 to 11/1994
3 36 striped bass Fred Lindquist 03/1994 to 10/2001
4 31 striped bass Capt. Bill Herold 10/1986 to 09/2002
5 25 striped bass Charles Costigan 11/1986 to 07/2004
6 25 striped bass Frank Solecki 12/1986 to 11/1998
7 24 striped bass Juan J. Medina 10/2000 to 11/2002
8 22 striped bass Dwight Kaehrle 10/1986 to 11/1994
9 21 striped bass Ralph Roth 10/1993 to 11/2002
9 21 striped bass Alexander Perednia 11/1994 to 05/2003