Your Best Artificials from the Surf this Year, and Why?

[DarkSkies]

Thanks for the repsonses, guys. Some good ones so far. Monty that Dookster looks pretty sad, but a beat up plug usually equals a happy fisherman.



Just wanted to add a bit about the Mag Darter...still producing bass for me even in July.....

"the Mag Darter IMO is one of the most under-rated plugs out there......I'm still catching bass this late in the season, thanks in part, to that plug....

As for the other choices, rubber should be something that no surfcaster has missing from his bag,,,,if you can't get any action at all from a pink zoom, that tells you the fish are either scattered, or not there that night....and a bucktail and pork or twister combo is, IMO, fast becomeing a lost art in NJ as a lot of guys have given up on fishing this way in favor of the "guaranteed results" of the Daiwa.... "






I kind of started this thread because of the hype over the Daiws....
Had a conversation just yesterday with one of the best fishermen I know....

he said..
"It's not the plug that catches the fish...it's the guy fishing it...."

[storminsteve]

I love the magdarter for the fall, great plug for when the peanut bunker and mullet are thick.

[DarkSkies]

Plugs with BBs or Rattles.....


As for the BB observation, some of the success I've had this year has been due to plugs of that type. Clear water, rattles not absolutely necessary, but when you are dealing with big surf, a swell with short duration period, or murky water IMO those rattles give you a definite edge.

The bomber used to be the standard for a lot of guys. I think some of the plugs that rattle and move differently will bring more hookups, or at least hits..when the water is slightly dirty or the fish are sluggish...

.the rest is up to you.....

[baitstealer]

Rattle traps also work great in fresh water in the summer. The largemouths and pickeral love them.

[surfstix1963]

Rattle traps are my favorites when it comes to noise makers.I've caught all kinds of fish on those chrome ones weakies love them when the snappers are around.

[DarkSkies]

This is some advice I gave the other day.....







I was doing OK on the x-rap in the Winter when the herring were around. I found other plugs to be better when the fish were on top, but on nights where the swell was big and the surf was nasty with a fast duration, IMO something that stays on top is not really in the strike zone long enough to pass where the fish are.


On those nights, when a bottle plug or NB bottle darter didn't work, I always had an x-rap with me.....Sometimes I would have to throw that one plug for 1-2 hours, just blind casting, but it did pay off with mid teen to bigger fish.


The beginning of the mullet run, the mullet were smaller, and a better profile to match that has been the SP.


However, some of ya's may have noticed that while there are not a lot of mullet left, the ones left behind tend to be bigger...7" up to corncob size...














I would say if you are out in the next few days,,,bring that X-Rap plug with you.
It's something you have to believe in, as often it seems futile, casting and casting....but now that the migratory fish are starting to show up, this plug is a great choice in rough surf, or when you are fishing current and the fish do not seem to be feeding on top, or visible.


good luck, let us know when you have success.....

[DarkSkies]

Rattle traps are my favorites when it comes to noise makers.I've caught all kinds of fish on those chrome ones weakies love them when the snappers are around.

And not just bass but picky larger bluefish at night.....thanks Surfstix!

[DarkSkies]

Metal Lips, Dannys, etc etc.....believing in what you are throwing.....

---

The peanut bunker we are seeing now are anywhere from 5-9".......

When they are around in numbers like they have been recently, IMO one of the best profiles for targeting bigger bass is these swimmers........

It may take some patience, and you may get frustrated if you pick water where there is not much bait around.....

Generally speaking, in my experience when there is a "bunker bite" in the day....the fish tend to slide off at night and the pickings can be slim.....

You have to believe in the metal lips enough to keep throwing them over and over.....

but if you know bunker were, or are, in an area that day, the ML is a top shelf profile to throw at night........


When you get slammed by a fish that almost pulls your arm out of its socket because it hits you that hard....screaming drag.....you just might become a believer......