Hudson River NYC Fishing Report - September 3, 2025: Stripers, Fluke, Bluefish, and More

Artificial Lure here with your Hudson River, NYC fishing report for Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025.

We had a textbook late-summer day out on the river—temperatures crested in the high 70s to low 80s, skies mostly sunny with a light breeze pushing in from the south-southwest at 5 to 8 mph. Sunrise came early at 6:23 AM and you’ll see the sun slip behind the skyline just before 7:25 PM. Weather like this means ideal conditions for most of your favorite river species.

Tide-watchers: The Hudson hit high tide just before noon today with a strong incoming running through the late morning, topping off activity along Manhattan’s west side piers and the Jersey flats. Low tide followed in the late afternoon, so the window right before and after lunch saw the hottest bite.

Fishing action has picked up with water temps staying in that upper 70-degree range. Based on recent catches logged on GreatAnglers.com and consistent buzz from the local piers, you’ve got a mixed bag just below the surface. Schoolie striped bass have shown up in good numbers, especially around the pilings near Pier 40 and Chelsea Piers. Oyster toadfish are getting nabbed in the deeper pockets off the Battery; a few fishers reported 11-inchers last week on cut mullet and squid. Bluefish blitzes have been brief but furious just south of the George Washington Bridge, usually popping up during rapid changes in current.

Late summer fluke (summer flounder) are sticking close to structure, especially on the Jersey side around the old docks and the mouth of the Harlem River. Best action for fluke has come on bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp! curltails or strips of squid—chartreuse is the color this week. Anglers working drop-shot rigs with spearing or soft plastics (like Zoom Flukes) are also getting into some feisty flatfish, though most are in the 16–19” range with the odd keeper sliding over the rail.

If you’re set on stripers, nighttime and dawn have produced best. Tossing small paddletail swimbaits in bunker or silver patterns tight to shoreline rocks and eddies is drawing quick strikes. For bait, live eels remain the top producer for bigger bass, but fresh bunker chunks set on a fishfinder rig will do work, especially on the evening outgoing.

Don’t overlook the panfish: white perch and yellow perch are hitting nightcrawlers near the Intrepid, and locals report snapper blues schooling thick under schools of peanut bunker at Pier 84. Some folks even picked up a couple of good-sized largemouths near Spuyten Duyvil using black and blue jigs, according to recent logs.

Hot spots today:
- The south side of Pier 40: strong mix of striped bass, perch, and the occasional blue—get there at first light or dusk for best results.
- Inwood Hill Park shoreline and the flats off Riverbank State Park: decent fluke action and a must-try for snapper blues if you’re out with the kids.

Remember, top lures for the Hudson now:
- Bucktail jigs (chartreuse or white), tipped with Gulp! or squid
- Soft plastic swimbaits (bunker & silver patterns)
- Metal spoons for bluefish and schoolie bass
- Classic topwaters at dawn (Zara Spooks, Pop-Rs)

For those bait-fishing, cut bunker and live eels will put you in prime position for stripers, and squid strips are tempting both toadfish and fluke.

Last but not least, even a couple “bonus” sightings: a few lucky boaters reported a humpback whale surfacing near the Brooklyn Bridge earlier this week, so keep your eyes peeled for more than fins out there!

Thanks for tuning in to your Hudson River report with Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe for your daily fix of NYC angling news and stories. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lore. Here with your Hudson River, NYC. Fishing report
for Wednesday, September third, twenty twenty five. We had a
textbook late summer day out on the river. Temperatures crested
in the high seventies to low eighties skies mostly sunny,
with a light breeze pushing in from the south southwest
at five to eight miles per hour. Sunrise came early

(00:23):
at six twenty three am, and you'll see the sun
slip behind the skyline just before seven to twenty five pm.
Weather like this means ideal conditions for most of your
favorite river species. Tide dash watchers. The Hudson hit high
tide just before noon today, with a strong incoming running
through the late morning, topping off activity along Manhattan's west

(00:45):
side piers and the Jersey Flats. Low tide followed in
the late afternoon, so the window right before and after
lunch saw the hottest bite. Fishing action is picked up,
with water tempts staying in that upper seventy degree range.
Based on recent catches logged on Great Anglers dot Com
and consistent buzz from the local piers, you've got a

(01:06):
mixed bag just below the surface. Schoolly striped bass have
shown up in good numbers, especially around the pilings near
Pier forty and Chelsea Piers. Oyster toadfish are getting mabbed
in the deeper pockets off the battery. A few fishures
reported eleven dash inchers last week on cut mullet and squid.
Bluefish blitzes have been brief but furious just south of

(01:29):
the George Washington Bridge, usually popping up during rapid changes
in current late summer fluke summer flounder are sticking close
to structure, especially on the Jersey side around the old
docks in the mouth of the Harlem River. Best action
for fluke has come on bucktail jegs tipped with gulp
curl tails or strips of squid. Truetruz is the color

(01:52):
this week. Anglers working dropshot rigs with spearing or soft
plastics are also getting into some feisty flatfish, though most
are in the sixteen to nineteen action range, with the
odd keepers sliding over the rail if you're set on stripers.
Night time and dawn had produced best tossing small paddle

(02:12):
tail swim baits and bunker or silver patterns tight to shoreline.
Rocks and eddies is drawn quick strikes for bait. Live
eels remain the top producer for bigger bass, but fresh
bunker chunks set on a fishfinder rig will do work,
especially on the evening outgoing. Don't overlook the panfish. White
perch and yellow perch are hitting nightcrawlers near the Intrepid,

(02:35):
and locals report snapper blues schooling thick under schools of
peanut bunker of Peer eighty four. Some folks even picked
up a couple of good sized large mouths near Sputinduville
using black and blue jigs. According to recent logs. Hotspots
today the south side of Peer forty strong mix of
striped bass, perch and the occasional blue Get there at

(02:57):
first light or dusk for best results. Inwood Park shore
and the flats off Riverbank State Park. Decent fluke action
and it must try for snapper blues if you're out
with the kids. Remember pop lures for the Hudson now
bucktail jigs, chartruse or white tipped with gulp or squid,
soft plastic swim baits, bunker and silver patterns, metal spoons

(03:21):
for bluefish and schooly bass. Classic top waters at dawn, tsara,
spooks pop ross for those bait fishing, cut bunker and
live eels will put you in prime position for stripers
and squid. Strips are tempting both toadfish and fluke. Last,
but not least, even a couple bonus sightings. A few

(03:43):
lucky bowters reported a humpback whale surfacing near the Brooklyn
Bridge earlier this week, so keep your eyes peeled for
more than fins out there. Thanks for tuning in to
your Hudson River report with artificial lore. Don't forget to
subscribe for your daily fix of NYC Angle news and stories.
This has been a quiet please production. For more check

(04:05):
out Quiet please dot ai