Hudson River Ice Fishing Report: Braving the Deep Freeze for Stripers and Perch

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here, your go-to guy for Hudson River angling straight outta NYC. It's February 6th, 2026, and this brutal cold snap's got the river locked in ice in spots, with temps hovering around freezing and northwest winds at 10-15 mph under mostly cloudy skies. Sunrise hit at 7:05 AM, sunset's 5:15 PM—short days, but prime for hardy souls. Tides today: high at 9:15 AM and 9:45 PM, low at 3:30 AM and 3:45 PM per standard NYC charts—fish the incoming for best action as stripers stage deep. Fish activity's slow but steady in the deep holes; New York State DEC reports young striped bass numbers crashed again in their 2025 Hudson survey, just 8.27 per haul—way below average for the third year running, so expect fewer schoolies long-term. The Fisherman notes not-so-great Hudson striper news too, with 'em hunkered in the big freeze. Recent catches include perch, pickerel, and scattered stripers from 28-31 inches (one-fish limit till Dec 15), plus panfish and occasional trout via ice jigging. Amounts are low—mostly small hauls for diehards punching through ice. For lures, tungsten jigs tipped with soft plastics, mealworms, or wax worms are killing it deep, per ice reports; spoons and under-spins for trout. Bait-wise, small shiners on tip-ups or jigs shine. Artificials like green pumpkin sticks or black/blue jigs mimic prey in this murk. Hot spots: George Washington Bridge deep pockets for stripers and perch; try Inwood or Marble Hill shorelines where ice breaks allow access—bundle up! Thanks for tuning in, folks—subscribe for daily updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. (1487 chars) Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.