Hudson River Early Summer: Stripers, Blues, and the Perfect Tide Window

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Hudson River fishing report for the New York City stretch. We’re on a warming early‑summer pattern. The National Weather Service calls for temps climbing through the 70s into low 80s, light southwest breeze around 5–10 mph, and only a slight chance of a passing shower later. Skies are partly sunny, humidity creeping up but still comfortable. According to timeanddate, sunrise is right around 5:25 a.m., sunset about 8:30 p.m., so you’ve got a long, fishable day with classic low‑light windows at dawn and dusk. Tide-wise, NOAA’s Hudson River gauges for the Battery and West 145th Street show a predawn low followed by a strong incoming through the morning, peaking mid‑day, then a draining outgoing in the late afternoon and after dark. That means the morning flood will push bait up along the Manhattan and Jersey shores, while the evening ebb will pull everything off the flats and around structure—perfect ambush setups. Recent word from local tackle shops along the West Side and Pier 40 crowd is that **striped bass** action has slowed from peak spring but there are still keeper‑class fish hanging around, especially in the deeper channels and along the pilings at first light and after dark. Schoolies are more common, with a few 30‑inch fish taken this week on soft plastics and live bunker. The **bluefish** bite has been on and off—mostly cocktails to low teens, blitzing peanut bunker and spearing when the tide really rips. **Stripers:** – Best lures: 4–6 inch soft plastic shads on 3/4–1 oz jig heads in white or bunker pattern; slim metal lures and bucktail jigs bounced near the bottom; and small to mid‑size swimmers like SP Minnows after dark. – Best bait: live or fresh bunker chunks, bloodworms if you’re fishing closer to the Albany line, and the occasional clam chunk for picky fish. Fish the edges of the channel and around pier pilings on the first push of the incoming or the start of the outgoing. **Blues:** – Best lures: metal spoons, surface poppers, and anything you don’t mind getting chewed—think flashy and fast. – Best bait: fresh bunker chunks or mackerel strips drifted mid‑water in the rip lines. There have also been **schoolie weakfish** reported sporadically, mostly at night on pink soft plastics and small bucktails, and plenty of **harbor species**—white perch, eels, and the usual mix of porgies and sea robins down toward the Verrazzano as the water continues to warm. A couple of hot spots to circle: – **Pier 25 to Pier 40, Manhattan:** Good access, strong current seams, and lots of structure. The morning incoming pushes bait right along the wall, and guys have been picking off stripers on soft plastics and bunker chunks. Night sessions here can be very productive when the lights pull in bait. – **George Washington Bridge area / Fort Washington Park side:** Deep water, heavy current, and classic lines where the main river meets shoreline eddies. Bucktails and heavier jigs are the ticket here; fish the start of the outgoing when the river really starts to move. On the Jersey side, the stretch around **Liberty State Park and the old piers** continues to give up a mix of bass and blues, especially on the evening ebb. Work the rip lines where the current breaks around jetty tips and pilings. Tactically, think low‑light and moving water. First light with that incoming tide: throw soft plastics and swimmers tight to structure. As the sun gets high, drop deeper with jigs and bait. Then switch back to plugs and topwater right before sunset and into the night, especially around lit piers and any place the river necks down and the current pinches. That’s the scoop from Artificial Lure on the Hudson today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn