Hudson River Bite Report: Waxing Crescent Moon, Strong Tides, and Schoolie Action

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Hudson River NYC fishing report. We’re sitting on a **waxing crescent moon**, and that’s helping the current move just enough to wake the fish up. Around the Battery and up through mid‑Hudson, you’ve got a typical two‑high, two‑low tidal cycle today, with the stronger moving water pushing through on the mid‑morning and late‑afternoon turns. Aim to fish **the last two hours of the incoming and the first hour of the outgoing**; that’s when the bite’s been best along the Manhattan and Jersey edges. Weather-wise, expect a **mild early start**, light breeze off the water, and building warmth through the day with decent visibility. Cloud cover is in and out, which is perfect—enough light to see, just enough shade to keep fish from sulking deep. Winds are light to moderate; plan on slightly choppy surface conditions on the more exposed points. Sunrise slid in early over the East River, and sunset will drop plenty late, giving you long crepuscular windows. **First light to about 9 a.m., and then again the last two hours before dark, are prime.** Midday can still produce if you work deeper structure and shadow lines. Recent action report from local docks, piers, and boat crews: - **Striped bass**: Still around in decent numbers, mostly schoolies with the occasional legal keeper. More consistent south of the George Washington Bridge, especially around current seams, pier ends, and rock piles. - **Bluefish**: Smaller cocktails cruising with the bait, blitzes have been short but violent along the Jersey side and near pier lights after dark. - **Harbor porgy (scup)** and **sea bass**: Picking up on rocky edges, pilings, and around the cribbing; not huge, but steady pick‑away bites. - **Schoolie weakfish** and mixed bottom life (bergalls, eels, the usual NYC grab bag) showing up on bait rigs. For artificials, keep it simple and match the local forage: - **Best lures**: - 4–5 inch soft plastic paddletails on 3/8–3/4 oz jigheads in white, bunker, or olive. - Slim metal jigs and tins for bluefish and bass when they’re on top or mid‑column. - Small bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp‑style soft baits for porgy and sea bass along the bottom. - At night, black or dark‑purple swimmers and soft plastics around pier lights and shadow lines. For natural bait: - **Best bait** right now is **cut bunker**, fresh if you can get it, fished on fish‑finder rigs for stripers and blues. - **Bloodworms or sandworms** on hi‑low rigs along the rocks and pilings for porgy and other bottom dwellers. - **Squid strips** work as a good all‑rounder when the pick is slow. Couple of **hot spots** to circle on your mental chart: - **Pier 25–40 stretch on the Manhattan side**: Plenty of structure, good current edges, and reliable schoolie bass and porgy action when the tide’s moving. - **Morris Canal / Liberty State Park area on the Jersey side**: Productive rips and eddies for stripers and blues, especially on the outgoing tide, plus mixed bottom fish tight to structure. Fish smart: watch the current, work your offerings along the edges, and don’t be afraid to move if a spot feels dead after a tide change. The river’s alive—you just have to slide over to where it’s breathing. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn