Fishing the Hudson: Late Fall Stripers, Bluefish, and More

Hudson River locals, Artificial Lure here with your early November fishing report straight from the banks and bulkheads of the city. Today’s date is November 10th, 2025, and with the sun rising about 6:38 this morning and setting around 4:45 this afternoon, our daylight window for casting lines is getting tighter. Let’s talk tides. This morning’s high tide hit the mid-Hudson around 6:50 am, with low water expected near 12:30 pm, according to Fishingreminder’s tide tables for the Poughkeepsie region, which stays practically in sync with the tides through NYC. Another evening high tide lines up for about 6:50 pm. Planning your outing around these tide swings should put you on active fish, especially two hours before and after each high and low. Weatherwise, the National Weather Service Marine Forecast is calling for shifting winds—starting out southwest 10 to 20 knots, seas at 3 to 5 feet, and the chance of passing showers or even a stray thunderstorm through the day. Conditions will get breezier into tonight and tomorrow, so if you’re hitting the shorelines or piers, keep a windbreaker handy and watch for any quick drops in visibility. Fishing has been lively along the river edges as the water cools down. Reports from recent local trips tell of classic fall action for striped bass—schoolies and some slot fish, with the odd bigger cow pushing upriver on the evening tides. Bluefish are still causing a ruckus in the lower river, though thinning out. White perch, catfish, and the ever-present eels are steady catches around structure, especially on the slack water, while the diehards are still nailing the last of the season’s weakfish down near the Battery. Best baits right now for bass and perch have been cut bunker and bloodworms. If you’re running artificials, you can’t go wrong with a white or chartreuse soft swim shad up to six inches, or jigging bucktails, especially with a teaser above. Topwater plugs and pencil poppers at first light continue to draw those explosive hits. Folks working the nighttime hours swear by live eels drifted just off the channel ledges. Hot spots this week include: - **Pier 96**—consistent action for stripers and blues, and safe access for families and night anglers. - **Battery Park bulkheads**—great for multi-species, bait fishing, and a shot at weakfish on a bucktail jig. - **East River mouth near the ferry slips**—strong on the incoming tide, especially if you’re in search of bigger blues. If you’ve got a kayak or small craft, try the main channel edges near the George Washington Bridge or the flats upriver from Spuyten Duyvil—these spots load up with migrating baitfish, drawing in hungry predators. Local catch reports mention “a pile” of stripers pulled over the weekend—most of them schoolies, but at least one 31-inch keeper from above Harlem River. Catfish catches, mostly channel and white, are up as water clarity improves, and perch numbers look strong just south of Yonkers. All in all, fall’s in full swin This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.