Access Points
Ross Dock // Hazzards Ramp // George Washington Bridge
Ross Dock ¶¶ |
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| Fort Lee, N.J. Palisades Interstate Park. Fort Lee, N.J.
Take River Road to the entrance of the Palisades Interstate Park just south of the
G.W. Bridge. Go down the hill at the first circle and in to the parking lot of this newly
renovated area. The parking lot holds 350 cars and it will cost you $4.00 per car load to
park. Great area for the family with outstanding views of the George Washington Bridge,
the river and the Palisades Cliffs that rise above.hawks, falcons, osprey, turkey
vultures, and all sorts of other wildlife can be views from this location. Open mid
April to mid November, sunrise to sunset. Original site of the H.R.F.A. annual Hooked on
Hudson Fishing Contest and Shad Bake, late April/early May. Both incoming and outgoing
tides produce well at this location with the two hours before and after high tide being
the best. Catfish can be caught here just about all year long along with white perch.
Striped bass are present mostly during the spawning run in the spring. Tommycod
have all but disappeared during the last coupe of years. At our Hooked on the Hudson
festival on April 27th of 2002, our fishing contest tagged and released numerous striped
bass, white perch, catfish, fluke and a couple of giant eels. Yes...you can catch fluke
here as well! Cut bait sitting on the bottom or sand worms are the bait of choice in
this area. This location had been under construction since the winter of 1998. The construction was completed in the fall of 2000. The construction of the area consisted of raising the land 6 to 7 feet higher than it was originally. The old park had problems during a full or new moon with the higher tides washing in to the parking area. Made it difficult to get back in your car! That is no longer a problem. What has become a problem is fishing during a low tide condition. At those low tides, you are so far above the water, it makes it difficult to bring in your fish. Park office 201-768-1360. |
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A opening of the newly redesigned park took place at the HRFA NJ Annual Hooked on the Hudson event in May of 2001. Catfish are the main species caught in this area. 75 catfish were caught and released this day in May 2001 |
| Hazards Ramp // George Washington
Bridge ¶¶Fort Lee, Entrance through Ross Dock in the Palisades Interstate Park. Has a
public boat ramp. You must have trailer to drive down to the ramp. You
will get a ticket if you don’t have a trailer in this area! Without a car
you can walk south to and beyond the ramp. Don’t pass the ramp area without throwing
a line in! Boat fishermen coming in, usually throw their left-over bait overboard in this
area and the fish know it.
Follow the footpath to the south of the launch ramp to a couple of rock jetties that jut out. Try an incoming tide with sandworms in the spring for some great catfish action. |
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The ramp, Hazards Ramp, is one of the only public boat launching sights on the Jersey side of the Hudson. Launching fee is $10 per day. A seasonal pass is available for $100. The newly designed ramp was completed in the summer of 1999. Schools of baitfish are found in the waters surrounding the ramp in late August. The jetty on the right in this photo...at the end...is a great spot for the catfish in the spring and stripers in the fall. |
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| The floating dock at this ramp is a big advantage for launching or retrieving your boat when alone. Ample room is provided for tying up and getting your trailer. The ramp does get crowded on the weekends during the summer months particularly with jet skiers. Bigger boats will want to use the north side of the ramp as the conditions...wind, tide, current and wakes make it difficult to negotiate on the southern approach. Low tide can be a problem on the south side as it fills in with sediments due to the longer jetty on that down current side. |
| On the N.Y. side of the bridge, at “Fort Washington Point”, fish off the red light house near the south stanchion, or the large white granite rocks by the north side of the stanchion. Cast as far as you can in this area to reach a 40 foot hole that bass love. Some big bass come out of this northern spot each year with sandworms fished on the bottom. At least five stripers over twenty pounds have been recorded each year off this spot. From the shoreline or a boat you can let a sandworm or a piece of cut bunker sit on the bottom in this hole and wait for the excitement to happen. |