Wintertime Stripers and Perch Bite in the NYC Hudson River Stretch

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Hudson River fishing report for the New York City stretch.

We’re in a classic winter pattern now. Air temps are sitting in the 30s to low 40s with a stiff northwest breeze, and the river’s running cold in the upper 30s. National Weather Service marine forecasts for the Lower Hudson and New York Harbor call for gusty winds and a bit of chop, so bank fishing is a lot more comfortable than trying to run around in a small boat right now.

Sunrise is right around 7:20 a.m., sunset near 4:50 p.m., which means your real productive window has been late morning into mid‑afternoon, once that weak winter sun takes a little edge off the water temp. Early and late have been slow and scratchy.

Tide-wise, anglers watching NOAA tide tables for Battery Park and the George Washington Bridge have been timing the last of the incoming and the first push of the ebb. That softer water has lined up best with the short feeding windows we’re seeing on holdover stripers.

Most of the saltwater action in the city is on those **holdover striped bass** tucked into the deeper, slower stretches and around warmwater and structure: pier pilings, bulkheads, and the mouths of small creeks and outfalls. Recent word from local pier regulars along Hudson River Park is that schoolies in the 16–24 inch class are still being picked off, mostly at night and on the turn of the tide, not numbers like fall, but enough to keep you honest.

Best bet right now is to fish **small and slow**:
- Lures: 3–5 inch soft plastics on 3/8 to 3/4 oz jig heads in white, bone, or olive; small swimming plugs or slim profile shads; downsized metal like Ava or Kastmaster if the current’s really pushing.
- Bait: bloodworms if you can find them, sandworms, or fresh cut bunker when available. Soak it right on bottom with as little weight as you can keep in place.

A few winter **white perch** and occasional **schoolie bass** are also showing in the upper, more brackish stretches around Yonkers and north. Small pieces of worm or grass shrimp on a tiny hi‑low rig will do the trick there.

Couple of city hot spots to consider:
- **Pier 40 to Pier 62, Hudson River Park** – Deep water close to shore, lots of structure, and easy access. Work soft plastics slow along bottom during the top of the flood and first of the ebb.
- **Riverside Park / West 79th Street area** – Good shoreline access and current breaks; fish edges of the channel with jigs or bait. Night tides here have quietly given up a few nicer holdover bass.
If you’re mobile, the mouths of the Harlem River and around the Battery in Manhattan have also been worth a look on calmer days, especially for guys throwing smaller plastics.

Overall bite: slow but steady if you commit to fishing the right tide and crawl those presentations. Think winter: light fluorocarbon leaders, long pauses, and low expectations—then be pleasantly surprised.

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