1 - The Black Minnow by Fiiish
The first lure on my list is the Black Minnow. Its reputation on European bass is well established and its effectiveness on striped bass is undeniable. I use the sizes 120, 140 and 160 mostly on the offshore head. The offshore head, allows to cast far and to go down quickly to the bottom, even in the zones of very strong current as the exits of river to falling tide. Moreover, it allows an animation which I like very jerky, with a rise followed by a fast descent. Concerning the color, two colors clearly stand out for this destination, the khaki for clear water and the orange-yellow for tinted water.
2 - The slugs
Slugs, those lures that look like eels or sand eels, are very good for bass. They are accompanied by a lead head with a good solid hook. The weight of the head I use will depend on the action I want. Either I use a light head (10-20gr) for fast animations, close to the surface. This is ideal for fast prospecting of large areas. Or I take a heavier head (30-50gr) which will allow me to insist on a well marked position, and to carry out a jerky animation, as explained previously, by seeking the depth. Good references are for example the Crazy Sand Eel from Fiiish or the Slug-Go from Lunker City. These come in sizes from 15 to 20 cm and in white, pink or natural colors.
3 - Minnow jerks
Shads and slugs are the essentials for sea bass, but you should have some hard lures. Minnow jerks are good bass lures for fishing from the shore because they cast far and don't swim too deep. In this area, the Takle House Feed Shallow Plus is a good prospecting lure, it moves quickly or slowly and has a very convincing swim.
Note
Topwater, like surface stickbaits and poppers, have not brought me anything. I tried them several times, including on shallow areas with fish underneath. The water is very cold, which must make their effectiveness limited for this destination, it is useless to bother with these lures.
For striped bass, it is not necessary to have many references. On the other hand, on days when the fish are very numerous, your soft lure pockets will quickly diminish and it is better to plan a little large in stock to take along. Having a few hard lures is therefore essential, as this will reduce the consumption of soft lures if you come across a school in a frenzy.
