Hudson River Fishing Report: Chasing Fall Blitzes and Moonglow Tides

Let’s roll down by the river, the mighty Hudson, just as the city’s stirring for coffee and the sun’s crawling up the skyline. Sun cracked the horizon at 6:52 a.m., and it’ll drift off past Jersey at 6:39 p.m., leaving us with about 12 hours of light—plenty of time to bend a rod. The moon’ll ghost up later, creeping over the rooftops after lunch—3:23 p.m., give or take, hanging at about 54% illumination. Not a full wolf moon, but enough moonglow to keep the late crew up and feeding. Tides in town today: low tide scraped the bottom at 2:16 a.m., high tide swelled in around 8:15 a.m., then low again at 2:45 p.m., slinking up once more just shy of 8:30 p.m. The swing’s decent—low this morning around -0.26’, high close to 5.5’, so watch for good moving water, especially in the hours around those highs and lows. When the Hudson’s on the move, the fish usually are too, according to local reports from Fishingreminder and seasoned guides who’ve been schooling at the Battery, the East River, and out by Jamaica Bay. Okay, the fall run—this is what we wait for. The water’s still holding in the low 60s, and the bait’s pouring in—hickory shad, peanut bunker, silversides—those schools are thick from Wallabout Bay to the Rockaways, pulling in hungry stripers and bluefish hot on their tails. Dawn and dusk, that’s the magic. Early birds have been seeing stripers in the 20-inch to upper-slot range, and bluefish hammering anything that flashes. Work the current seams with a 4-inch shad-profile swimbait, flashy metals or a loaded soft plastic. If you’re a night owl, piers and shadows under bridges have been steady—think a black bucktail with a pork rind or a sinking pencil popper. Lower Bay, over by Coney Island, the black sea bass and scup (porgy) are chewing. Hi-lo rigs with squid strips—deadly. For those throwing metal, silver and green epoxy jigs are getting crushed on the fast retrieve. Breezy Point’s been alive with blitzes—look for birds diving, cast into the mosh pit, and hang on. False albacore have showed, too—not every day, but when the bait’s thick, so are they. Tautog (blackfish) are just waking up as it cools—green crabs, short leaders, close to the structure. There’s a wreck or rock pile out there with your name on it. Now, hot spots—Wallabout Bay’s always a good shout for someone casting from land, especially at twilight when the tide’s turning. North Cove Yacht Harbor is another sleeper, sheltered and often littered with bait. If you’ve got wheels, Breezy Point’s always a sure thing when the tide rolls and the birds work. For sheer city grit, West 42nd Street Dock or Pier 83 at sunset—a cold beer, a Zara Spook, and a schoolie ripping drag. Weather-wise, it’s clear and crisp—no rain, but that cool bite in the air says fall’s here. Dress in layers. Water clarity? If it’s been calm, it’s fishable. If it’s been blowing hard, go darker, maybe a scent-soaked lure, but after a clearing NW wind, add some flash—chrome, white, chartreuse. The bite’s bee This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.