Late Summer Stripers and Blues Bite on the Hudson

Hudson River anglers—this is Artificial Lure coming to you with your local fishing recap for Saturday, August 30, 2025. Sunrise kicked off at 6:21 AM and expect to fish till sunset at 7:31 PM, giving plenty of daylight to chase the late summer bite. According to tide-forecast.com for the Chelsea Docks section of the Hudson, your tidal marks are a low at 7:30 AM, peaking with a high at 2:22 PM, then dropping off with another low at 8:59 PM. The water movement should give you productive windows, especially leading up to the afternoon high tide—prime hunting for stripers and blues. Weather-wise, the National Weather Service is calling for northwest winds 10 to 15 knots in the morning, calming as we head toward mid-day with seas running a mild 2 to 3 feet. That’s ideal for both shore and small craft anglers, and comfortable enough for city pier regulars and kayak hustlers alike. Right now, the Hudson is seeing a classic late-August mix. Striped bass are starting to show more interest as the water cools; peanut bunker and herring are fueling some mini-blitzes, especially around the mouths of creeks, marina mouths, and deep channel edges. On theWater.com reports striper and bluefish action is on the rise with some double-digit blues moving just offshore, and sporadic weakfish are still around especially closer to Piermont Marsh and the Tappan Zee. Fish activity's been best early and late, but mid-tide cycles are pulling a mix of species. The past few days have seen solid striper action to 28 inches, lots of cocktail blues, and decent numbers of channel catfish for those anchoring up near structure. Local pier regulars also report small fluke and porgies taking bait in deeper eddies. For lures, stick to what’s local and matching the hatch—4” to 6” soft plastic paddle tails in pearl or bunker pattern are putting in work for schoolie bass and blues. Topwater spooks and poppers in the early morning are getting explosive hits from blues and resident stripers near the surface. Bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp! are still king, especially if you’re targeting fluke around rocky drop-offs. If bait's your game, live bunker and chunk mackerel are reliable for stripers, while bloodworms and fresh clams are still pulling catfish and a few perch. Near the marsh edges, cut herring and soft shell crab are pulling in weakfish and the odd schoolie. NYC parks fishing programs confirm more than 85 species are in play in these estuarine stretches, and this season has already seen porgy, black sea bass, and the rare Spanish mackerel make brief inshore appearances, especially south of the George Washington Bridge. A couple of hot spots worth your effort: - **Pier 96 in Manhattan**—good structure, regulated access, and plenty of current swings, known for late summer stripers, blues, and even the odd weakfish. - **Henry Hudson Park at Riverdale**—access to deeper channels and natural shoreline, often hot for channel cats, perch, and stripers working bait through late Augu This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.