Late Fall Stripers on the Lower Hudson - Tides, Lures and Top Spots

Striper fishing on the lower Hudson is in classic winter-transition mode, with fewer but still very catchable fish holding in the deeper bends and around structure from the George Washington Bridge down past Battery Park. Short feeding windows around the tides matter more than ever, and anglers willing to grind through the cold are finding some solid schoolies with the occasional better fish mixed in.

## Weather, wind, light

Cold, seasonable air and water temps in the mid to upper 40s have the river feeling like true late fall. Expect a mix of sun and clouds, light to moderate northwest to west winds, and a raw feel along the piers and open shorelines. Sunrise comes late and sunset early this time of year, so the prime low-light bites are compressed into the first couple hours after daybreak and the hour or two before dark.

## Tides and timing

Around New York Harbor and the lower Hudson, today’s tides are running moderate, not the huge moon swings, which is perfect for fishing the eddies and seams off the main flow. Aim to fish the last two hours of the incoming and the first of the outgoing; that’s when the bait lifts and bass slide up onto the edges. If you’re fishing from shore, time it so there’s enough flood to cover the rocks without pinning you to the bulkhead.

## Fish activity and what’s biting

Most of the migrating stripers have pushed south, but a mix of resident and late-run fish are still hanging on the river side of Manhattan, up toward Inwood, and along the Jersey side from Jersey City north. Expect mostly schoolies in the 18–26 inch class with a few slot fish if you put in the time. Nighttime action can outproduce daylight now, especially on calm, clear evenings.

## Best lures and bait

- Soft plastics on 3/8–1 ounce jigheads (white, olive, or bunker-pattern paddletails) slow-rolled just off bottom.
- Slim metal jigs and epoxy-style tins for casting distance from shore, worked with a slow lift-and-drop.
- Small swimming plugs and slender jerkbaits in natural bunker or herring colors for the dusk and night bite.
- Bait anglers are scoring with fresh or salted bunker chunks and bloodworms on simple fish-finder rigs in the deeper channels.

## Local hot spots

- The stretch from Pier 25 down to Battery Park, working the current breaks around ferry traffic lanes and pier pilings.
- The west side around Riverside Park and up toward the George Washington Bridge, especially on the Jersey-facing seams and any area with pronounced eddies off the main river.

Tight lines from Artificial Lure—thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

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