Over the past several years I have used a countless array of baits when casting for striped bass and have spent more time testing these lures’ performances than any other baits I’ve owned. The vast majority of my time spent fishing for stripers has been around the Cape Cod area and my lure selection is keyed into what I believe best represents the local bait fish. Here I have compiled a list of five hard-baits that have not only brought me consistent success when casting for stripers, but also provide decent castability and a resistance to wear and tear. This list only includes artificial hard-baits rather than any form of live bait or artificial soft-bait. There is no ranking in the order of this list because each of these baits serve separate purposes. Naturally, everybody has their own set of favorite lures and if yours did not make my list please feel free to contact me and let me know what has worked best for you.
1. Hogy Lures’ Charter Grade Popper
These flat-faced poppers have only been around for a short time, and although I haven’t truly time-tested them, their performance last season was truly remarkable. These lures found their niche in my topwater setups on the boat, as they are too light to reach the long distances desired when casting from shore. From a boating perspective however, the casting distance was more than enough out of a 6.5 to 7 foot rod. They fly accurately, and do not toss and turn through the air. In the water its concave mouth and rattlers create plenty of commotion to draw the attention of nearby stripers, and upon seeing the presentation they typically found it irresistible. The design is strong for its plastic composition, holding up to harsh collisions against surfaced boulders with nothing more than minor scratches and in one instance a missing eye. They come in two sizes and five color options, able to mimic nearly any baitfish that stripers feed on throughout the season. I used the amber coloration the most, which coerced strikes even when squid weren’t the primary baitfish in the area. I also found that even schoolie stripers had no hesitation towards hitting the largest size for this bait (5.5 inches) so I never felt the need to scale down to 4 inches when targeting stripers.
2. Daiwa’s Salt Pro Minnow
These lures come in such a wide range of sizes and colors that nearly any coastal gamefish in the world can be caught on one. These lures have been around for several years and have become an effective tool from the boat and shore. Their small plastic lip gives them a quick, panicked action and keeps them swimming at a depth of around 3 feet under the surface. Their ultra slender design allows for fantastic casting distances that most other lipped plugs struggle to achieve. Its larger sizes at 6 to 6.75 inches out of a 9 to 10 foot rod are more than capable of getting out over the shoals that hug many shorelines. In the boat they can be cast or trolled, allowing for more versatility than most lures. I often have a place for these lures amongst my trolling spreads but they also easily get down to the bottom of the schooling baitfish when casting. I typically use the colors that represent mackerel, sandeels, sardines, or menhaden yet they also have several abstract colors that will induce stripers to hit.
3. Sebile’s Magic Swimmer
These are the most life-like hard swimbaits I have ever used. Their jointed sections flow fluidly through the water and they are perfectly balanced. Whenever big mackerel or menhaden are in the area this is one of the baits I am sure to throw on. They have a large assortment of colors, yet I have always used the menhaden, mackerel, or bone color. Typically in the boat I will use the 6.5 inch baits and when shore fishing in places like the Cape Cod Canal I will size up to the 7.5 inch to get that extra casting distance; each of which have options for sink rate. The casting distance and accuracy in both scenarios are admirable, although they do catch a little more wind that your standard topwater plugs would. I also only fish this bait when the tide isn’t pulling at full force because excessive current can limit the bait’s movement. They come with a corkscrew on the rear hook mount for attaching a softbait tail, but I typically remove this because it really doesn't need it. Regardless, I have caught some of my largest bass on these baits and expect that trend to continue.
4. Gibbs Lures’ Pencil Popper
This is a well known striper lure around New England for a good reason. This style of popper has been around for decades and although Gibbs does not bring anything revolutionary to the table, they make hardy baits that dance along the surface as any pencil popper should. Their simplistic designs can bring more pros than cons, as the only damage I’ve ever managed to do to one of these plugs is chip some paint (which never caused any issues as far as triggering a strike.) They offer sizes that are perfect for catching everything from the smallest schoolies to the monstrous 40 and 50 pounders. Essentially every color they offer can be effective at one point or another despite most of them being rather abstract. Being made from wood, they are fairly bottom heavy and dart through the air tail first during the cast. Their largest plug at 3.5 ounces is perhaps the farthest casting plug in my shore tackle bag and I always have one in there for that purpose. On the boat, these plugs work better in rushing currents than most others because they skim across the surface.
5. 247 Lures’ Chubby Needle
These plugs, much like nearly every lure made by 247 Lures, were developed to catch stripers and will get them to chase it all the way to the boat. When it comes to this model in particular being a perfectly viable plug for catching large stripers from the surf or your boat. They bob through the water, much like the action on a spook, except just under the surface and with a quicker retrieve. This model weighs much more than its thinner counterparts at 3.25 ounces, which greatly improves casting distance yet also makes it sink much faster. If you are fishing shallow waters I would suggest along the coast I would suggest using the lighter “Needlefish,” which weighs in at 1.75 ounces, but I take the heavier and deeper swimming bait when I can. I have tried each of their color patterns and not a single one disappointed me with its results. They use quality hardware and their paint is extremely scratch resistant, ensuring that each plug will last until your buddy breaks it off.
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