NYC Harbor Rundown: Stripers, Blues, and Tog Biting on the Hudson

It’s Sunday, October 5th, and you’re tuned in with Artificial Lure, your local line in the water for what’s biting in and around the Hudson River here in New York City. We’re off to a crisp start: sunrise clocked in at 7:05 am, with sunset at 6:40 pm. Temps are looking seasonable, topping out around 63°F by day’s peak, and skies bright and mostly clear—classic early autumn in the Five Boroughs. The tides today set up just right for anglers working both banks and piers. The fall run has fully arrived, with big bait balls pushing into the Hudson and the famous New York City harbors. Those river mouth tides are moving strong—perfect setups for ambush feeders and classic fall fishing action. Early morning ebb and evening flood coincide nearly with the best bite windows, so plan to work that dawn and dusk sweet spot. Striped bass are flowing in with the bait, and you’ll find they’re set up along current seams, outflows, and any spot with swirling water near structure. The word among regulars is that both schoolies and some decent 30-inch fish have been landed this week on soft plastics—white or bunker-pattern, and swimming plugs like SP Minnows or big paddle tails. At night, when things quiet down city-side, piers and bridge shadows are hot zones. Drop bunker chunks for the best odds on those bigger bass. Bluefish schools are still blitzing through, especially where you see birds working bait near the surface out by the Battery and West Side piers. Metals and epoxy jigs—think silver, green, or classic ‘Diamond Jig’—on a fast retrieve have been putting blues in the bag throughout the week. An occasional false albacore has surprised a few anglers working the main channel north of Hoboken with epoxy jigs. Always keep a small metal or jig handy—you never know when a blitz explodes within casting range, and that fast-changing bite is a hallmark of NYC’s October run. With water temps rolling down into the low 60s, tautog, or blackfish, are alive on the structure—wrecks, pilings, and rocky clusters along the Lower Hudson and outflows. Green crab on short leaders is the go-to bait. For more relaxed bottom action, scup (porgy) and black sea bass are chewing on squid strips along deeper edges and piers—hi-lo rigs do the trick when the tide’s running. Windy days have colored up the water, so fish darker profile plastics or scented baits if it’s muddy, and switch back to shiny metals right after a decent northwest blow. Best bets for action? Check out Pier 40’s southern end at the right tide for a multi-species morning, or the rocky pilings near Riverbank State Park for a shot at tog and bass. For adventurous boaters, the channel edges north of the GW Bridge and the warm water outflows near 125th have both produced mixed bags recently. Reminder: Artificial lures are crushing it for blues and stripers, but if you’re going for tog or porgy, fresh green crab and squid strips are essential. Standard 1–2 ounce jigheads or hi-lo rigs will put you in the zone—go l This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.