Saltwater Swimming Lures
Bomber and Mega Bait
The Bomber is one of the most effective lures for catching striped bass. The Mega Bait is also very productive. Cast a bomber lure into the pocket by a jetty as the sun goes down and catch a striped bass.
Follow this link to see: Bomber Lures on Amazon.com
A good alternative to the Mega Bait lure, which is no longer available, is the Daiwa SP Minnow, shown below.
Daiwa SP Minnow Salt Pro Swimmer
The Daiwa SP Minnow lure has been getting rave notices all along the striper coast.
Follow this link to see: Daiwa SP Minnow Lures on Amazon.com
This lure has a slender shape and an internal weighted ball bearing system. The ball bearing system allows the weight to transfer from front to back inside the lure. It comes in numerous colors, with Mackerel being the most effective
The SP Minnow weighs 1.1 ounce, which is a little heavier than a bomber, thus you can cast it somewhat farther.
There are now both floating and sinking versions of the SP Minnow. The sinking version is just a little heavier, weighing 1.25 ounces.
Daiwa SP Minnow Bullet Lure
Daiwa SP Minnow Bullet Lure Sand Eel
The Daiwa SP Minnow Bullet Lure is new lure from Daiwa. It is similar to the SP Minow Lure but it doesn't have a lip. It is somewhat like a needlefish lure and it is a great choice when sand eels are the predominate bait.
The SP Bullet Lure is 6 inches long. It is a sinking lure and comes in two weights: 1-1/2 oz. - sinking, and 2-1/8 oz. - fast sinking.
Follow this link to see: Daiwa SP Minnow Bullet Lures on Amazon.com
Sebile Magic Swimmer
Sebile Magic Swimmer Jointed Lure
Some fishermen have had good results catching striped bass around the T-Jetty in Atlantic City,
using the Sebile Magic Swimming Lure.
The Sebile Magic Swimmer is a jointed lure, that has a subtle swimming action when retrieved.
Follow this link to see: Sebile Magic Swimmer Lures on Amazon.com
About Swimming Lures For Striped Bass Fishing
Swimming lures are either wood or plastic and have a protruding lip that bites into the water and makes the lure dive. It also imparts a side-to-side motion, or wobble, to the lure that makes it appear like a swimming baitfish. Some swimming lures have metal lips that can be bent, or tuned, to make the lure bite in more and dive deeper.
One good place to use swimming lures is around jetties, especially in the pockets. Baitfish often get stacked up in the pockets, and striped bass go looking for them there. If you can, without interfering with others fishing from the jetties, make a few casts right up close to rocks around the jetties. Baitfish hide among the rocks.
You can fish swimming lures at different depths by:
1. Casting out the lure and retrieving it slowly along the water not allowing it to
dig in much. The lure will stay close to the surface and make a "V" wake. Often this will get some
attention and draw a strike.
2. Cast, then retrieve the lure a little faster, just enough to make the lip dig in and create the
characteristic wobble. You can feel the resulting pulsation through the line so that you can
tell if the lure is working as intended. This is the most common way to fish a swimming lure.
3. Use a plug with a metal lip bent down a little, or a lure with a longer lip. This plug will
dig in more when retrieved and go deeper in the water column.
I usually fish these lures with a teaser ahead of them. Then you have two lures working at the same time, one small lure (the teaser) with a larger lure (the bomber) chasing it. Also the bomber acts as a casting weight for the smaller lure.
The bomber is also a good sand eel imitation, especially with the teaser ahead of it.
The Daiwa SP Bullet Lure, shown above, might be an even better sand eel imitation.
For striped bass, retrieve slowly. Fast retrieves are for bluefish.
Fishing the White Water
The secret in catching stripers with lures is to throw them where the stripers are. The stripers are where they have an advantage. That is where the waves are breaking, tumbling and disorienting the baitfish. Many surf fishermen try for distance, thinking the further they cast is the best. They are often throwing their lures right over the stripers, which may be in or near the white water right in front of them.