Five Great New England Fishing Lures
When it comes to fishing lures, anglers have an ocean of possibilities to choose from. But here in New England, a select few lures have proven to be consistently effective for hunting New England inshore game fish and have become favorites among local fishermen. Here are five of them:
Danny Plug – This traditional wooden lure is great to use when striped bass are feeding on big baits such as herring and squid near rocky shorelines. Its wide profile makes it easy for fish to see, and reeling it in slowly makes it wiggle like a wounded baitfish.
Cordell Pencil Popper – Featuring a hard plastic body and two sets of trebles, the Cordell Pencil Popper attracts everything from stripers to tuna with its wobbling surface action and the sound of its internal rattles. A great topwater plug for rocky shorelines, it’s exceptionally effective on large bass and bluefish in the spring.
Diamond Jig – This basic but effective lure imitates a variety of baitfish, such as squid and herring. Its wobbling action and flat, reflective sides easily capture the attention of predators. It comes in different sizes, and the fishing is as basic as the design itself: You can cast and retrieve them parallel to the surface if that’s where the fish are feeding, or drop them to the bottom and jig them vertically.
Slug Go – This versatile, soft plastic lure attracts almost any species of game fish in the Northeast, including sea bass, tuna, scup and stripers. False albacore seem to love its action and sleek profile. It comes in several different sizes to match nearly any type of baitfish, such as large herring and sand eels.
Santini Tube – This lure has proven especially effective for stripers and bluefish. Its success is most likely due to the way it moves like an eel. Your best bet is to troll it low and slow around rocks and ledges. And always use a live seaworm on the hook.
