Fishing the Hudson: Fall Run Stripers, Blues, Porgies and More

Hudson River anglers, it’s Artificial Lure here with your October 18, 2025, fishing report, coming at you as the sun cracks the horizon over New York City. This morning, sunrise hit at 7:09 am and we’re looking at sunset tonight around 6:14 pm. Water temps are holding steady near 65°F—perfect for fall fishing. Air temps are crisp, climbing from the upper 40s into the mid-50s, and there’s a decent NW wind at 16 mph gusting to 19. If you’re heading out now, bundle up and keep an eye on that chop. Tidal movement today is prime for pushing bait and predators into reachable zones: High tide comes this evening around 5:28 pm, while low tide is at 11:21 am. The moon’s major bite windows are from 8:10 to 10:10 am and again tonight between 8:43 and 10:43 pm, so if you can hit those, do it—especially around those tidal swings. The fall run is on, and schools of peanut bunker, bay anchovies, and herring are thick from Battery Park up to Spuyten Duyvil. That’s bringing in stripers and bluefish hot and heavy, particularly at dawn and dusk. Early birds casting swimmer plugs and soft plastics at first light along Edgewater, 79th Street Boat Basin, and around the battery bulkheads are reporting keeper-size striped bass up to 34 inches and plenty of fiesty bluefish in the mid-20s. Night-time action along the piers—especially by the bridge shadows—is steady with bunker chunks doing damage. Over the last few nights, locals have watched birds working tight pods of bait off Pier 66 and Riverside Park. That’s your tell-tale sign: keep a rod rigged with a silver or green epoxy jig, and when those birds crash, fire into the blitz and hang on. Metal jigs and swim shads are killing it on the faster retrieves—especially when blues are mixed in. If you’re thinking bottom, black sea bass and porgies are on the chew where the tide moves strongest. Down in the Lower Bay and around Coney Island structure, hi-lo rigs baited with squid strips will put scup and sea bass in your cooler. For the tog hunters, the water’s cooled just enough—tautog are moving in on the wrecks and scattered Hudson rockpiles. Green crabs on short leaders are getting hit, especially on outgoing tide. With last week’s blow stirring things up, visibility’s fluctuating. On the dirty-water days, go with darker or scented soft plastics. After a clear-out northwest wind, switch to flash—chrome or bunker-imitation lures pull fish from further off. As for reports, plenty of local shops and chatter from Hudson River Park’s regulars point to a real deal run—stripers, blues, sea bass, porgy, with a few early blackfish mixed in. If you’re bait-and-wait, chunked bunker is king—fresh if you can get it. Artificial diehards are loving 6-inch soft swimmers in paddle and split tail, white or chartreuse, and those classic jointed swimmers at low light. Hot spots? You can’t beat the Pier 25 Pier 40 area for multi-species action right now. Around the George Washington Bridge pilings, especially on the Manhattan side wh This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.