Hudson River Late Spring: Schoolie Stripers and Tide-Driven Action in NYC

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Hudson River fishing report for the New York City stretch. We’re sitting on a warming late‑spring pattern now: mild mornings in the upper 50s to low 60s, climbing into the low 70s by afternoon, with light west to southwest breeze and decent visibility. Skies are partly cloudy, so you’ll get some sun but also enough cover to keep fish comfortable in the top of the water column through mid‑morning. Humidity’s creeping up, which usually helps the bite feel a bit “sticky” around structure. Sunrise comes early this time of year, just after 5:20 a.m., with sunset a little after 8:20 p.m. That gives you long, productive low‑light windows. Focus hard on first light through about 8 a.m., then again from 6 p.m. to dark. Midday is still fishable, but you’ll want to go deeper and tighter to current seams. Hudson River tides through the city run strong, and today’s pattern gives you classic moving‑water windows: an early incoming that tops out mid‑morning, then an afternoon ebb that pushes bait south. The last two hours of the incoming and first hour of the outgoing have been the most consistent for action along Manhattan and the Jersey side. Recent catches from local piers and bulkheads have been a mixed bag. Anglers along Pier 25, Battery Park, and the West Side Highway have been into schoolie striped bass, with occasional keeper‑size fish pushing the mid‑20‑inch range. Upriver, around Riverside Park and the George Washington Bridge, folks are still reporting a few late striper pushes plus steady white perch and the usual mix of catfish. The big spring run is mostly past, but there are still enough bass cruising to make it worth the effort, especially at night. Best baits right now: fresh bunker chunks, bloodworms, and clams for stripers and bottom species. Nightcrawlers and small pieces of shrimp are producing white perch and panfish around docks and quieter eddies. If you’re throwing artificials, lean on 4‑ to 5‑inch soft plastic paddle tails in pearl or bunker colors, small bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp, and suspending jerkbaits in natural patterns. When the tide really starts ripping, go a bit heavier on the jig heads and let the current do the work. Hot spot number one: the lower Manhattan waterfront from Battery Park up to about Pier 40. Fish the edges of the main channel on the tide swings, especially where there’s rock or broken structure. Hot spot number two: the stretch around Riverbank State Park and the piers just south of the George Washington Bridge, where current lines, eddies, and depth changes stack bait and give you shots at stripers, perch, and big cats. Overall fish activity is moderate but very timing‑dependent. Get out there on the moving tides, keep your bait fresh, swap colors on artificials until you get followed or bumped, and don’t be shy about covering water along the wall. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn