Big City Fishing, offered in the Summer, is FREE and available for all ages.

The program’s fishing poles provided on a first come, first served basis, with a half-hour limit when others are waiting. Call 212-627-2020 for more information.

Big City Fishing is an important tradition at Hudson River Park. The program gives anyone and everyone the chance to fish, and is appropriate and fun for those as young as five. The Hudson River Park Trust provides all of the necessary supplies, including rods, reels and bait, as well as formal instruction for all participants. Beyond learning to fish, the program also provides participants with a first hand opportunity to learn about the Hudson River environment. In a typical session, Trust interns offer a brief introduction to ecology and water quality, followed by an overview of the many fish species that live in Hudson River Park’s Estuarine Sanctuary. Visitors are also able to view plankton through microscopes, to examine live specimens – caught that morning, either in traps or on someone’s line –, and to identify species from the Hudson River Park’s signature Fish Poster, which is available for purchase by contacting the Trust.

Common species caught last summer include the American eel, striped bass, black seabass, fluke, snapper, oyster toadfish, windowpane, cunner, white perch, flounder, porgy, silver and red hake, grass shrimp, Atlantic lion’s mane jellyfish, and rock, blue, and hermit crabs. Because we practice catch-and-release fishing in Hudson River Park, all fish are returned to the river at the end of the program.