Late Summer Fishing on the Hudson: NYC Anglers Report

Artificial Lure here with your Hudson River, New York City fishing report for September 17, 2025! Let’s get to it—conditions, hot bites, and today’s best spots. First off, we’ve got a gorgeous late summer day on tap. Official sunrise hit at 6:44 AM, and we’ll see sunset at 7:15 PM. Skies are clear and temperatures began in the upper 60s, heading for a high stretching near 72. Winds are calm—perfect for casting or drifting. Water on the Hudson around NYC has been running steady, and tides this week are classic September: morning lows with rising water through midday and a strong evening push, always prime time for predatory fish to feed. Your best bite windows are going to cluster around those tidal swing periods—especially the two hours before and after peak changes. Now, on to fish activity. According to recent word from local New York City tackle shops and chatter along the West Side piers, anglers have been reporting fair to moderate action on **striped bass** early and late, with fish mostly in the 20-28 inch range. While the striped bass population is under some pressure up and down the coast—a recent report from Seacoastonline noted this year’s Hudson spawning numbers were below average—the Hudson’s urban stretch is still giving up keepers, plus lots of schoolies if you put in the hours. There’s also been a pickup in **bluefish** action, especially when schools of bunker and peanut bunker show up with those evening tides. Scattered **weakfish** and some good-size **white perch** continue in the brackish stretches between Battery Park and Yonkers. Fluking is quieting down as water cools, but the occasional doormat still comes from the deeper holes near the George Washington Bridge. Best bets for lures—if you’re chasing stripers or bluefish, stick with bunker-pattern swim shads (think 5- to 7-inch paddletails in white or chartreuse), fresh cut bunker or mackerel, and topwater pencils during low light. As September wears on, don’t overlook metal—midweight epoxy or tin jigs are dynamite for both bass and blues, especially when they’re dialed into smaller bait profiles. Classic bucktails tipped with Gulp! swimming mullet are taking weakfish and the stray fluke. Those after panfish and perch can keep it simple: small live nightcrawlers, bloodworms, or even soft-plastic grubs bounced near pilings and drop-offs do the job. A couple of today’s hot spots: - **Pier 96 (Clinton Cove):** Always popular for its access and deep water. Dawn and dusk this week saw multiple stripers landed on shads and plugs. - **Inwood’s Spuyten Duyvil Creek mouth:** Known for tidal mixing and gamefish ambushes—try casting around the outgoing edges and bridge shadows, particularly for blues and perch. - **Harlem River confluence:** The stretch around the 145th Street Bridge gives up keeper bass with live eels or bunker chunks late at night. A quick tip—On The Water magazine reminds us that end-of-summer fish can be fickle; if the bite slows in clear water, downsize yo This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.