Hudson River anglers, Artificial Lure here bringing your October 30th, 2025, fishing report for New York City and the lower river. Fall is in full swing, and as long as you’ve got a little grit in you for the morning chill, you’re in for some classic autumn action.

**Start with the conditions:** Today’s sunrise came at 7:35 AM and you’ll lose the sun at 6:01 PM, giving you a solid window for those early and late bites. Weather’s crisp and pleasant: clear skies, highs tapping out near 55°F, just a light breeze – perfect for a sweatshirt under your waders.

**Tides are on your side:** At the Hudson River entrance, the first high tide is around 3:21 AM at 4.07 feet, bottoming out for the morning low at 9:46 AM at 1.71 feet, and rolling back to high at 3:56 PM, again topping four feet according to Tideschart. This means the incoming tide from mid-morning on is your prime moving-water window.

**Now for the fish:** The fall run is absolutely in gear, and it’s as good as it gets across the City. According to Fishingreminder.com, schools of bunker and peanut bunker are drawing **striped bass** and **bluefish** into the river and around the piers. Blues in the four- to eight-pound class have been slamming surface plugs and metals, especially where birds are working, while the bass – some keepers in the mix – are falling to chunks, soft plastics, and swimmers at dawn and dusk. The action is fast at first and last light, but don’t skip the night shift – the shadow lines around piers and under bridges are yielding steady bites, with a few bigger bass reported on fresh bunker.

**Recent catches:** Reports this week have solid numbers of slot stripers coming from the Battery up to the George Washington Bridge, plenty of cocktail bluefish mixed in, and tautog (blackfish) now getting active as water temps cool into the low 60s. Black sea bass and porgy are still chewing wherever you find deeper structure, especially on squid or clam strips.

**Best baits and lures:** For stripers, dawn and dusk mean magic with SP Minnows, Bomber A-Salts, and soft plastics like the classic white Zoom Super Fluke or Al Gag's Whip-It Fish. If it gets breezy or the water’s churned up, swap to darker colors or scented baits like Gulp! Nighttime, bunker chunks or live eels fished on fishfinder or three-way rigs are tops. For bluefish, 2- to 3-ounce diamond jigs or epoxy jigs in silver or green will get hit hard – just crank ‘em fast! For tautog around the rocks and pilings, use green crabs quartered on a short leader, close to structure.

**Hot spots:** Two places lighting up right now:
- **Pier 40/Hudson River Park:** Nighttime stripers and bluefish on the move, shaded by those famous Manhattan lights.
- **North Cove Marina and nearby seawalls:** Birds, bait, and blitzes at first light; tautog and sea bass deep on the pilings if you want a mixed bag.

**Quick tip:** Keep a rod rigged with a small metal or epoxy jig – when you see birds or a quick surface feed break out, you’ll be ready to cash in.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI