Three Lures for Big Bass

This article originally appeared in the Fisherman magazine  

It seems to me that many surfcasters reach the point in their lives when catching the average fish doesn’t satisfy them any more. They go on a quest of finding those few truly large fish that grace us with their presence every year. I’ve seen friends embark on this mission over the years with mix results. Stalking a big fish requires a lot of determination on the part of an angler. It also requires putting your body at the mercy of the sea and fishing in some of the foulest weather Mother Nature can whip up. It requires careful planning and the patience of a saint. Waiting for the perfect tide period each lunar cycle and then hitting it hard, regardless of other obligations that await your attention, is something a lot of us are unwilling to do. You also must have the “right” equipment, most notably the “right” lure to present in front of the face of a cow bass and not have it turn its nose up and swim away. I’ll admit I never quite made the transition from the content surfcaster to a cow hunter primarily because I like to catch fish of all sizes. Yes, even those pesky bluefish can make my adrenaline flow a little faster. But there are times during the season when I feel the call of the big fish and although sometimes more successful than others I answer it with glee. Nine out of ten times it will be with these lures because they have proved themselves over the years to be able to draw truly big stripers to their hooks

Darters

Darter, a quintessential Montauk lure is equally effective around the south shore inlets as it is in the rocky shorelines of Montauk Point . In fact, they are deadly in any area that features ample water movement. They are designed to be used in conjunction with current as darters zigzag under the surface, sliding to one side before reversing direction and sliding towards the opposite side. At the pivot point when the change in direction is taking place the darter will turn to its side making for a great imitation of an injured baitfish unable to swim. Frank ly, any lure that exhibits the tendency to move irregularly at some point during its retrieve is very effective in fast waters in which large bass are known to cruise looking for the weakest and most vulnerable baitfish. Large fish do not get to be big by chasing after every lure that is tossed in their direction and this is one reason why the irregular motion of a darter presents an appealing target to a wary fish. In addition, the areas that are most renewed for their tendency to cough up extraordinary large numbers of cow bass, inlets and the shores of Montauk Point share a common characteristic, abundant current and lots of structure. The most popular models are about 6 inches long and 2 ounces in weight and are made by Gibbs and Super Strike lures. In this size they offer a good profile for imitating squid, herring, tinker mackerel and juvenile weakfish. These two brands are productive in most shallow water locations with the 3 ounce models from Gibbs and Beachmaster better suited around deep water rips found around inlets. These wide body darters dive deeper then their slimmer siblings and offer outstanding presentation when large baits like adult bunker, herring or shad are the mainstay of a striper’s diet. In all cases let the water dictate the speed of your retrieve regardless of which brand you use. This means only retrieving fast enough to feel the tension on your line.

The darters are most effective in the rips that form around inlet structure or along points on the open beach with good moving water. Cast them up tide from the rip and retrieve them trough it. If this fails to elicit a strike move slightly down current and work the “seam” that forms were rip and backwash meet. Many times the larger fish will allow its smaller sibling to zip thru the rip while they take position in the calmer water of an eddy behind the rip, unaffected by strong current. Then they will move with few powerful strokes of their broad tails into the crease and ambush a baitfish even though it got thru the rip safely. When picking a color for a darter I would suggest yellow, yellow and more yellow. Kidding aside, yellow darters do take disproportionate numbers of big fish from the rips and have been the most productive patterns for many years. In addition to yellow, all black, herring and mackerel are some of the patterns that have always worked well in fooling big bass.

Bottle plugs

Bottle plugs like darters are another great invention of legendary Massachusetts plug builder, the late Stan Gibbs. From its inception to this day a big Gibbs 3 ounce bottle plug remains one of the best weapons a surfcaster can use when looking for big bass especially during periods of inclement weather. In fact, that exact model is responsible for one of the biggest fish ever landed from the surf on Long Island beaches. On Thanksgiving weekend in 1991 Long Island Surf Guide Mark Malenovsky feed a yellow Gibbs bottle plug to a massive 64 lb bass under the lighthouse at Montauk Point . Bottle plugs (or Casting Swimmers as they are also known) feature a large, oblong profile. This alone makes it attractive to bigger bass that are thought of as being selective in their feeding patterns and preferring larger meals than their smaller siblings. Because of their size these lures make great imitations of adult bunker, herring, shad, squid, juvenile weakfish and even a small blackfish. Another of its outstanding attributes is its ability to be used in nasty weather conditions when most of the other lures we use on a regular basis are useless. During Nor’easters, if bigger bait is present in the vicinity of the surf line it often gets tossed toward the beach bringing large bass close to the shore in pursuit. Because of the strong winds often associated with these storms and large waves they create it becomes difficult to use metal lips ,darters or needlefish .Bottle plugs however are almost tailor made for this type of fishing as they cut thru the wind well and “dig” into the rough surf these stormy conditions create. Like darters, they can also be utilized very effectively in calmer waters were current is abundant by casting up tide and then jerking the rod once to make the bottle plug dig under the surface. Consequently, this maneuver should also be utilized when fishing in stormy weather making sure the bottle plug has slid under the surface. This is often the difference between catching cows or having your lure sweep by in a hurry. Unlike darters which are retrieved with barely noticeable line tension you will certainly know when your bottle plug is working properly. Due to its scoped face and elongated lip, the bottle plug will dig into the water hard and will create great tension telegraphed thru your line to your rod. In fact, very often the rod will pulsate heavily under the strain of a big bottle plug holding in the wave or current and because of this tension there is never any question of not knowing when the hits occur. The strike can be vicious in nature and if you are using braided line it  will only increase this tension, hold onto your rod before you get jerked into the water. When it comes to color yellow again has always been the most versatile pattern which produces under a variety of conditions. Take in consideration the bait you think the bass will be feeding on and make your selection accordingly. Yellow is fantastic when juvenile weakfish are running along the beach, greenish hue for bunker, light blue for herring and obviously if you find your self up to your armpits in mackerel hopefully you’ll have a plug with a mackerel pattern. Look for opportunity to preset itself in the fall during a nor’easter especially during the period of a dropping tide on the beaches that border the inlets on their western side. In Montauk the north side can offer spectacular fishing for large bass late in the year during the same storm system but here I would look for incoming water on the north side of the lighthouse. In addition, a hard northwesterly can be your best shot to get the cow of your dream particularly late in the year and especially if herring make an appearance. Shagwong beach at Montauk on the dropping tide is probably the most popular place to make this wind work for you but don’t fret if you cant take a hundred mile ride out east. Places like Caumsett on the north shore or similar places that feature a drop off where in-your-face wind will sweep the baitfish along the beach and into the rip are all great locations to toss some large bottle plugs.

Bucktails

Even though darters and bottle plugs are great fish catchers neither one shines when worked around deep water rips that are found around the mouths of the inlets that dot the south shore of Long Island . Extremely fast water movement and great depth that are found along ocean front beaches requires a lure to get down in the water column fast and stay there. No lure accomplishes this better that a bucktail. This is the reason you will never meet a proficient jetty jock whose primary weapon of choice is not a bucktail. Yes, deep diving metal lips and large darters can also be utilized effectively in these areas but their proficiency and versatility pales in comparison to a bucktail. These inlet rips are well known for their propensity to hold big fishy and more times than not the bigger fish will be found closer to the bottom while their more aggressive smaller siblings will be patrolling the higher water column. Because of fast water movements in the vicinity of the inlet mouth most wood and plastic lures never reach the depth a bucktail does but in all fairness, they never were designed to do that in the first place. Bucktails, particularly those tied with sparse hair get down deep fast and can be worked close to the bottom very effectively. A good approach would be to keep increasing the size of your bucktail until you feel the lure touching the bottom during a retrieve and then working the lure thru the rip without dredging the sand. Slight (and I do mean slight) flicks of the wrist every few turns of the reel is sufficient to bring your bucktail to life. If you make exaggerated motions with your rod you are risking the chance of your bucktail moving in high arks off the bottom and out of prime fish habitat. Because the strength of the current is not constant and it changes during the tide phase you must adjust the weight of your bucktails depending on the currents speed. If the current is speeding up it might be necessary to use a larger bucktail and consequently if the current flow is waning a lighter leadhead might suffice.

Bucktails at first glance do not appear to present a large profile but then again bucktails are most effective when used in conjunction with an embellishment such as pork rind. If you are strictly targeting big fish I would implore you to forget about grubs and similar plastic trailers. Big fish don’t come in the shallows every night and most likely you will be concentrating on the times around new and full moons which should according to past results give you the best shot at a big fish. Since you are already limited to a few tides, during these lunar periods and the fact that outgoing water is by far the most preferred time to fish these areas, you are truly limited to an ever smaller window of opportunity. As you are fighting a loosing battle with Mother Nature and every minute counts I think “experimenting” with things that might or might not work is the wrong approach. Go with an Uncle Josh pork rind either 240S or 70S and concentrate on your presentation and not the color or shape of your trailer. As I mentioned before, concentrating on outgoing current a few days before and after new and full moons should give you the best shot for that cow you are seeking.

Since you are targeting the largest of species forgo bucktails with super sharp but thin wired hooks. I’ve seen these hooks snap on a teen fish too often for my comfort and when you add to the equation much larger fish and a very strong current you might be setting yourself up for a heartbreaker by using an inferior bucktail. Big stainless steel hooks are preferred by jetty jocks, like the ones that come with today’s most popular bucktails made by my personal choice, Andrus. If you have some ideas in your head that you will compensate for brittle hooks by loosening up your drag I have some very bad news for you. These inlet rips are renowned for their tendency to cough up big fish and most surfcasters are very well aware of this. For this reason the elbow room here is often at a premium and crowded conditions are often the norm and not an exception. Although most seasoned anglers will stop their casting and give you a chance to land your fish you better hope it’s a moose because if a twinkie takes you down the jetty and makes everyone stop fishing your experience from this moment on will probably not be pleasant. Keep that in mind when setting your drag to fish in these places. When it comes to color choices, the plain white has ruled for decades and has probably accounted for more fish then all other colors combined and then some. In my opinion you rarely will ever need anything more that white with exceptions being a dark, new moon night when black can be deadly and during dirty water when chartreuse or parrot green bucktails offer a bit of an edge because of their higher visibility. When it comes to pork rind colors red over white is the most popular one with plain white being a strong second choice.

There you have it, three great lures that are exceptional fish producers under normal conditions but are also renowned for their ability to entice their share of cows each year. If the big bass is on your agenda this year then heed the popular television slogan and “don’t leave home without them”. I know I won’t!