Late Fall Fishing on the Mighty Hudson

Artificial Lure here with your Hudson River fishing report for Wednesday, November 19, 2025. We’re off to a brisk and breezy morning—highs will climb to about 55°F with patchy rain and thick clouds blanketing the city. Winds are whipping out of the north around 18 mph, so bundle up and keep an eye on that chop. Water temps are holding steady around 60°F, just about perfect for late fall fishing. Sunrise hit at 7:22 AM, sunset will close things down at 5:57 PM, giving us about ten and a half hours of daylight. Today’s tides are classic fall swings: we saw low tide early, bottoming out just before 8:30 AM, and the next high will roll in mid-afternoon around 2:40 PM. Plan your tidal strategies tight—stripers and walleye have been working the moving water windows hard. According to the latest Hudson River entrance tide chart, the falling and rising tides should trigger peak activity, especially within an hour of high or low slack water. Striped bass action has stayed reliable as temperatures drop. Fish up to 30 inches have been reported all week, with the bigger cows starting to creep in from the lower harbor on the night tides. Anglers are also hooking into a solid mix of yellow perch and the occasional feisty bluefish, especially on the outgoing. The fall walleye bite is the sleeper story—not huge numbers, but dedicated jig anglers are finding them tight to the deeper ledges. For lures, this is prime time for finesse presentations. Classic soft plastics—like white and chartreuse paddle tails on 1/2 oz jigheads—are working in the murky tide lines, while black or purple rubber shads are a killer choice when the water’s stained from rain. This week, the humble spybait has proven itself along midriver drop-offs; slow and steady retrieves with Duo Realis Spinbait 80 or Lucky Craft Screw Pointers are drawing bites from suspended stripers and even a few fat perch. When the water’s clear, try a small silver or blue Rat-L-Trap. Live-bait folks are hitting well using bloodworms and fresh bunker chunks, especially near structure—always a safe bet for striper. Don’t overlook herring if you’re after the bigger bass in deeper, slower water. On the artificial side, black bucktails tipped with pork rinds remain a go-to for both walleye and late season bass. Top spots today: - The area around the George Washington Bridge is lighting up, especially near the pilings on incoming. Try vertical jigging or slow trolling around 30-40 feet. - Down by Pier 96, the pierheads and riprap attract feeding schools at dawn and dusk—work those edges slow with soft plastics or spybaits. - West Harlem Piers and the rocky drop-offs below Riverbank State Park have given up some solid walleye and perch for those willing to cast long and cover water. Hudson River Bait and Tackle reports brisk business in bloodworms and confirms bunker chunking has landed several keeper-size stripers near Battery Park. Remember, boaters—watch for floating debris after recent rains and dress for sp This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.