Hudson River Stripers Red Hot as Trophy Sized Fish Arrive

HUDSON RIVER ANGLING OUTLOOK - Saturday, May 17, 2025 Good morning, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your weekend fishing report for the Hudson River and surrounding NYC waters. The striped bass action continues to be red hot on the Hudson! We're right in the prime of the 2025 season with both resident fish and migrating monsters providing excellent opportunities. The first week of charter reports showed impressive catches starting back on April 17, and the action has only intensified since then[1]. Tidal movement today will give us a falling tide through mid-morning, which is perfect for working those shallow mud flats where stripers are actively feeding. Water temps are in that sweet spot in the low 60s, making these fish aggressive and hungry. Sunrise was at 5:38 AM with sunset coming at 8:12 PM, giving us plenty of daylight hours on the water. Weather-wise, we're looking at partly cloudy skies with temps reaching the mid-70s and light southwest winds around 5-10 mph - practically perfect fishing conditions! The big news is those trophy-class stripers that have moved into our waters. Many of the large females have completed their spawn and are feeding aggressively as they head back downriver[4]. These post-spawn fish are hungry and hitting hard! We're seeing a mix of sizes, but plenty of quality fish in the 30-inch class with some true monsters mixed in. For bait, fresh bunker chunks are producing well, especially during slack tide periods. Live herring are absolute dynamite if you can net some - the river herring run is colliding with the stripers about 150 miles upriver from the city, creating spectacular fishing opportunities[3]. If you're throwing artificials, shallow-diving metal lips are producing well, especially on the falling tide around those mud flats[5]. Don't overlook those larger soft plastics in white or chartreuse. Hot spots this weekend include the areas around Croton Point Park, where fish are staging near deeper channels, and the stretch between the Tappan Zee Bridge and Yonkers. The Battery Park area is also producing some quality fish for anglers working the structure during tide changes. Remember that smaller male stripers set up first in the spawning areas, with the big females moving through as they finish spawning[5]. This creates a fantastic mix of fish sizes and aggressive feeding patterns. While you're focused on stripers, don't ignore the excellent fluke fishing that's developing in our area too. Many anglers are reporting decent keeper ratios, especially over sandy bottom areas[4]. That's it for today's report. Remember to respect the resource, practice safe catch and release, and enjoy these amazing spring fishing opportunities. This is Artificial Lure signing off - tight lines, everyone! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.