Swimbaits and other lures for inshore stripers

[snake95]

The last few years I have been trying to catch stripers from shore in New England, mostly from rip rap jetties.

 

Sure, there are a huge amount of books and videos out there for striper lures and fishing in the surf.

 

What bass lures translate well to shore casting for stripers?

 

I've had luck with "striper" plugs like the creek chub striper strike, and I've had the best success walking one-knocker saltwater spooks as if I'm fishing for largemouths. They tail slap and toy with them, but I also get solid bites.

 

Thinking of throwing swimbaits on jigheads this season.

 

Any other ideas to try?

 

 

 

 

[MassBass]

Swimbaits on jigheads have really gotten popular for stripers, and they have accounted for a lot of big fish. You can also change your presentation between jigging and steady retrieve, depending on the weight, current, etc. 

[RoLo]

 

I've always fished from a boat, but several of my salt buddies were jetty jockeys,

and did remarkably well with stripers (former world-record was taken from the Jersey surf)

Frankly, whether fishing from shore or a boat, the most successful striper anglers

are using live bait. The most popular are live herring, live eels, and live menhaden,

locally called mossbunkers. 

 

Whether using naturals or artificials, it's best to fish the ebbing tide with a west wind

especially around dawn & dusk. Get as close to the outer tip of the groin as safely possible 

 

Roger

[NHBull]

Sluggos (sp) and large jerk bait

[snake95]

@RoLo thanks for the advice.  Absolutely; safety first when it comes to... breakwaters.

 

@MassBass thanks for the tips, I will pack a few big paddletails to throw.  I take it you fish the area so you've probably tried this yourself.

 

@NHBull that's interesting.  I met a guy motoring past last summer who was fishing sluggos and I was interested to hear that.  I will cast a few of those too.  I got lucky the first time I went out there and there was a school of blues busting bait and I could just barely cast into them.  This time I will be armed with big flukes to throw.  Not sure how to protect against bluefish teeth but will be ready anyway.

 

Much appreciated, guys, I'll report back.

 

[MassBass]

23 minutes ago, NHBull said:

Sluggos (sp) and large jerk bait

 I'll second the slug-go suggestion, definitely a key lure in your striper box. 9'' is the size but I reckon the 12" would work, maybe even bring out the biggins more than the 9". The tandem rigs are good, for sale on the lunker city page. I have not caught a striper on a slug-go this season but in years past it was always my go to. White is the basic color that works but other colors can call up fish to.  

[NHBull]

17 minutes ago, snake95 said:

@RoLo thanks for the advice.  Absolutely; safety first when it comes to... breakwaters.

 

@MassBass thanks for the tips, I will pack a few big paddletails to throw.  I take it you fish the area so you've probably tried this yourself.

 

@NHBull that's interesting.  I met a guy motoring past last summer who was fishing sluggos and I was interested to hear that.  I will cast a few of those too.  I got lucky the first time I went out there and there was a school of blues busting bait and I could just barely cast into them.  This time I will be armed with big flukes to throw.  Not sure how to protect against bluefish teeth but will be ready anyway.

 

Much appreciated, guys, I'll report back.

 

6/0 superline EWG hook

[Crestliner2008]

Nothing like a 9" Sluggo - for any kind of bass!

[snake95]

8 hours ago, Crestliner2008 said:

Nothing like a 9" Sluggo - for any kind of bass!

Well, this certainly seems to be the consensus.  

 

I assume you fish them like zoom flukes?

 

Also, what colors do you choose for stripers in the ocean?

Does it matter?

 

Thanks, Crestliner and anyone else who wants to chime in!

[Crestliner2008]

Yes, fish them just like a fluke texposed with at least a 9/0 offset worm hook. A striper seeing this thing twitching and jerking about will crush it, regardless of the color. If I had one to choose, I'd probably go with the pearl white.

[Catch 22]

6" sluggos Arkansas shiner w/1/2 to 1 oz jig heads has tricked many fish for me.I use 6" pearl sluggos as trailers on bucktails sizes 1 to 3 oz for yrs now.The swim baits do very well too.

[snake95]

Just a quick update on what I actually did - and it worked!

 

I caught lots of small stripers and one beauty that I was able to keep and grill for my family.

 

I used various Heddon spooks with good success in the very early hours right around sun-up:

 

Bright pink one-knocker

Pink and gold super spook

Chartreuse super spook Jr

 

On my last morning out, when the topwater bite died off, I did what I might do for largemouths: went underwater with swimbaits on a jighead.  I used the 4.3 inch Keitech swing impact fat, silver flash minnow, on a Trokar 1/2 oz swimbait jighead, and caught two more.

 

I also tried white magnum super flukes on a weighted swimbait hook - I watched several followers but no bites on it.

 

I also tried flinging a 3-lure umbrella rig with white Mann's paddletails and got no response.

 

Thanks for all the input, guys.

 

 

[Looch]

A 3/4 to 1oz Spro bucktail which is basically an oversized hair jig(no lure on the planet has caught more smallmouth) with an uncle josh pork rind, if you dont have a jar stashed in bottom of your tacklebox, other companies are trying to make them. This crushes marine stripers and bluefish. Uncle Josh stopped making pork rinds, became too hard and too expensive to get hog skins old enough to make their famous rinds, I have like 11 unopened jars left so I should be good for next 25 years of annual trips to the coast. RIP Uncle Josh pork rind

 

Locally, I have been experimenting with 1/8 to 1/4oz hair jigs and chunks of old gulp minnows and it's been working for smallies, wipers, and our landlocked stripers here in NW PA.

[Jigfishn10]

1 hour ago, Looch said:

A 3/4 to 1oz Spro bucktail which is basically an oversized hair jig(no lure on the planet has caught more smallmouth) with an uncle josh pork rind, if you dont have a jar stashed in bottom of your tacklebox, other companies are trying to make them. This crushes marine stripers and bluefish. Uncle Josh stopped making pork rinds, became too hard and too expensive to get hog skins old enough to make their famous rinds, I have like 11 unopened jars left so I should be good for next 25 years of annual trips to the coast. RIP Uncle Josh pork rind

 

Locally, I have been experimenting with 1/8 to 1/4oz hair jigs and chunks of old gulp minnows and it's been working for smallies, wipers, and our landlocked stripers here in NW PA.

That's the way I fish'em. There's something about swimming a hair jig for stripers that's tough to beat...And yeah, I wish I had some of Unc's Rind, but I ran out.

 

An LJ Crippled Herring can't be beat as well.

 

I've heard good things about the Clarkspoon that I'll be trying out next.