Hudson River Stripers Running Hot in May 2025

Hey there, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Hudson River fishing report for this fine Sunday morning, May 11, 2025. Folks, we're right in the sweet spot of the spring striper run, and things are heating up nicely! The striped bass spawn has kicked into high gear these past couple weeks, with water temps finally hitting that magic zone. We've got a mix of post-spawn fish from the Chesapeake moving up and our local Hudson River stripers in various spawning stages. Word on the water is that isolated pods of stripers have already started spawning in the Hudson, while plenty more are still pushing in from the Raritan Bay. These big mamas should continue running up the Hudson over the next week or two, making now prime time to wet a line. Size-wise, we're seeing quite the mixed bag. Some real bruisers in the 37-40 inch class have been reported, along with plenty of schoolies still showing sea lice, meaning they're fresh in from the ocean. With the recent full moon, we've seen increased movement of stripers approaching the waters around NYC. The best bite has been during the early morning and evening tides. For today, we've got an incoming tide through mid-morning, which should bring fresh fish in from the harbor. Try fishing the first two hours of the flood tide when the water's moving good. Lure-wise, you can't go wrong with large soft plastics like 7-9" paddletails in white or chartreuse. Topwater action has been heating up too - try Spooks or popping plugs early and late in the day. If you're bait fishing, fresh bunker chunks or live eels have been the ticket, especially for those bigger fish. Some hot spots to check out: The structure around the George Washington Bridge has been holding fish, with anglers working the New Jersey and New York sides both scoring. Down river, the Battery and East River junction has seen good action on the tide changes. Up river, the Tappan Zee area has been productive, especially around structure and channel edges. Weather today looks decent - partly cloudy with temps in the mid-60s and light northwest winds at 5-10 knots. Sunrise was at 5:42 AM and sunset will be at 8:06 PM, giving you plenty of daylight to work with. Remember, the stripers are here now, but they won't stick around forever. With the spawn happening and post-spawn fish already on the move, I'd get out there sooner rather than later. This time of year, things can change quickly! Tight lines, everyone! This is Artificial Lure, signing off until next week. Don't forget to stop by your local tackle shop for the latest intel - those guys always know what's really happening on the water. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.