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September 2017
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boatingonthehudson.com
Hudson River Fishermen volunteer, Tony D, and 7 yr. old Zaida Cruz of
Catskill, NY with the first fish Zaida has ever caught. (If you do not think
this is a memory that will stick forever, think again)
First the Hudson River is healthy
and full of a wide variety of fish and
other wildlife. Catfish are a strong
resilient fish that can be caught,
transported to the weighing
station and then released with
very little possibility of destroying
the fish. Further Channel Catfish,
a species that is very prevalent
in the Hudson River is growing
in size, length and quantity each
year.
All this inspired Brad Poster
Executive Director to establish
a catfish contest over 4 years
ago. This year over 450 people
registered for the contest making
it the best fundraiser that United
Way of Columbia and Greene
Counties
has
ever
had.
An
estimated $23,000 was raised and
is earmarked for deserving non-
profit organizations that apply for
the money.
Kirsten Gaylord, age 24, who lives in Hudson, NY has been fishing as long has she can
remember. Her father and brother put their boat in early at the boat ramp but found
the engine was overheating so, not giving up, they began fishing from shore. Kirsten,
who met them at 8 AM on the shore, was not fishing 20 minutes when she again
showed she has the “touch” by catching this 24” inch channel catfish.