"Hudson River Fishing Report: Big Stripers, Bluefish Blitzes, and More!"

Artificial Lure here with your Hudson River, NYC fishing report for Friday, September 19, 2025. Day’s breaking with partly cloudy skies, mild temps—expect highs around 76°F and a hint of south-southeast wind at 5–10 mph. Official NYC sunrise is 6:39 a.m., sunset at 7:00 p.m. Tides today show a mid-morning incoming tide, with the peak around 9:30 a.m., which always turns up the bite through those city piers and bulkheads. Let’s talk recent catches—this past week, the bite’s had some real variety. Big stripers are cruising the lower river, especially from Battery Park up to the GW Bridge. Topwater bluefish blitzes have hit the east side in the predawn hours. A few keeper fluke surprised anglers near Pier 84 and off Randall’s Island; lotta shorts but some 20–28” slabs coming in. Weakfish are making those classic late-season appearances—small paddletails and light gear have teased out healthy ones. And yes, albies made a flash appearance in the inlets; several reports from folks tossing epoxy jigs right off the rocks by Riverside Park[On The Water reports]. Best lures this week: For stripers, you can't beat a bucktail jig tipped with Gulp, especially on that incoming tide. Bluefish have been smashing big poppers and 6” pencil plugs right at first light. Fluke respond well to white jerk shads on 1-oz jig heads, especially when bounced along channel edges. For weakfish, try small Saltwater Assassin paddletails—pink or chartreuse. Albies and bonito are hammering epoxy jigs or fast metals from shorelines and jetties. Live baits? If you can score peanut bunker or live mullet, you’re golden for stripers and blues. For fluke, a killifish or spearing on a hi-lo rig does wonders, especially around midday when the artificial bite slows. Hot spots today: - **Pier 66 (Chelsea):** Dawn incoming tide brings stripers and blues into casting range. - **Under the GW Bridge:** Sunrise and sunset bite for larger stripers, especially if you drift live bait from the walkway. - **Randall’s Island channel:** Fluke and weakfish stacking the deeper runs where tide rips by the rocks. Tonight expect the bite to heat up near sunset. When that sun dips, stripers start moving tight against structure—work those darters and swim shads right against pilings. Fish counts have been steady—most local reports show two to four keeper stripers per angler per outing, with bluefish catches in the dozens if you’re dialed in to the surface bite. Fluke are mostly shorts but each tide seems to deliver a couple of true keepers. Weakfish are fewer but quality is up—15–20” best seen in recent days. If you’re headed out, bring a mix of bucktails, poppers, and jigging metals. Cash in on the tidal movement, focus your effort that last hour before high and low tide, and be ready for a wild run—the fall migration’s got these fish hungry and moving. Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a bite, and remember—this has been a Quiet Please production, for mo This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.