Captain Tony's NYC Harbor Report - October 21, 2025
The city that never sleeps, and neither do the fish. That nor'easter shook things up a bit, but the harbor is settling down and the bite is back on. The water is cleaning up, the bait is moving, and the bass are hungry. It's a good time to be a city angler.
The Harbor Lowdown
The big news is the arrival of the big bass. We're seeing a good push of fish into the harbor, with some real cows in the mix. The fish are chasing the bunker, and the bite has been good on live-lining and trolling. The blackfish season is off to a strong start, with some quality keepers being taken on the rockpiles and wrecks. The water temps are dropping, and that's only going to improve the bite. The New Moon tide is going to be a big factor this week, so expect some strong currents and a hot bite.
The Battery to the Verrazano
The bass bite has been solid in the lower harbor, with fish being taken on trolled bunker spoons and mojos. The key has been to find the schools of bunker and troll the edges. The blackfish bite has been good on the wrecks and rockpiles, with some quality keepers being taken on green crabs.
The East River
The East River is holding a lot of schoolie bass, with a few bigger fish mixed in. The key has been to fish the eddies and current seams with jigs and plastics. The fish are holding tight to the structure, so you've got to be right on top of them. The blackfish bite is just getting going on the bridge abutments and rockpiles.
The Hudson River
The Hudson is starting to see a good push of bass, with fish being taken on trolled plugs and jigs. The key has been to fish the channel edges and drop-offs. The fish are moving upriver with the tide, so you've got to stay on the move to stay on the fish.
Tony's Tip
Don't be afraid to fish in the city. There are a lot of fish to be had right here in our backyard. You just have to know where to look. And right now, the place to look is wherever you find the bunker. Find the bait, and you'll find the bass. It's as simple as that. Now get out there and catch 'em up.
The city that never sleeps, and neither do the fish. That nor'easter shook things up a bit, but the harbor is settling down and the bite is back on. The water is cleaning up, the bait is moving, and the bass are hungry. It's a good time to be a city angler.
The Harbor Lowdown
The big news is the arrival of the big bass. We're seeing a good push of fish into the harbor, with some real cows in the mix. The fish are chasing the bunker, and the bite has been good on live-lining and trolling. The blackfish season is off to a strong start, with some quality keepers being taken on the rockpiles and wrecks. The water temps are dropping, and that's only going to improve the bite. The New Moon tide is going to be a big factor this week, so expect some strong currents and a hot bite.
The Battery to the Verrazano
The bass bite has been solid in the lower harbor, with fish being taken on trolled bunker spoons and mojos. The key has been to find the schools of bunker and troll the edges. The blackfish bite has been good on the wrecks and rockpiles, with some quality keepers being taken on green crabs.
The East River
The East River is holding a lot of schoolie bass, with a few bigger fish mixed in. The key has been to fish the eddies and current seams with jigs and plastics. The fish are holding tight to the structure, so you've got to be right on top of them. The blackfish bite is just getting going on the bridge abutments and rockpiles.
The Hudson River
The Hudson is starting to see a good push of bass, with fish being taken on trolled plugs and jigs. The key has been to fish the channel edges and drop-offs. The fish are moving upriver with the tide, so you've got to stay on the move to stay on the fish.
Tony's Tip
Don't be afraid to fish in the city. There are a lot of fish to be had right here in our backyard. You just have to know where to look. And right now, the place to look is wherever you find the bunker. Find the bait, and you'll find the bass. It's as simple as that. Now get out there and catch 'em up.
