Hudson River Striper Bonanza: A Memorial Day Fishing Report

ARTIFICIAL LURE'S HUDSON RIVER FISHING REPORT - Monday, May 26, 2025 Good morning anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Memorial Day fishing report for the Hudson River and NYC waters. The big news today is we're right in the thick of the spring striper run, and things are looking mighty fine despite that cold snap we had last week. The Hudson's warming up again, and those stripers that were spawning earlier this month are still active in the system. Currently, we've got a mix of post-spawn fish moving back downriver and fresh fish still pushing up. According to reports from last week, there were already isolated pods spawning, with plenty more fish running up from the Raritan that should now be well established throughout our waters[3]. Weather-wise, today's shaping up decent after those gale winds over the weekend. We've got moderate temps and light winds, perfect for getting out there. Sunrise was at 5:28 AM and sunset will be at 8:17 PM, giving us nearly 15 hours of fishing time. Tide-wise, we're looking at a high tide around noon in the lower Hudson, with outgoing water through the afternoon. That post-lunch outgoing tide should trigger some excellent action as stripers position themselves along channel edges. Size-wise, we're seeing a real mixed bag. There are schoolies with sea lice still showing up, but also some legitimate bruisers in the 37-40 inch class making their way through the system[3]. The full moon's influence from last week is still driving some big fish movements. Bait selection has been critical with these temperature fluctuations. For artificial offerings, slow-trolling mojos has been productive in deeper water (25-55 feet), and snap-jigging bucktails with soft plastic trailers is catching fish when they're being finicky[4]. Live or chunked bunker remains the top producer for bigger fish, especially during dawn and dusk periods[1][4]. Hot spots include: 1. Battery Park area where the outgoing tide concentrates baitfish 2. The Palisades stretch, especially near structure and deeper holes 3. The Tappan Zee/Mario Cuomo Bridge area, where post-spawn fish are staging Further east in Long Island Sound, they've been hammering stripers up to 25 pounds on trolled mojos and chunked bait at night[4]. The weakfish bite was also tremendous last week on the east end with silver jerk shads, though blues may have pushed them out by now[4]. Remember folks, this time of year is all about being flexible. Fish can be anywhere from 3 feet to 50 feet deep depending on bait and temperature. Keep moving until you find them, and don't be afraid to switch techniques frequently. Tight lines, and see you on the water! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.