Wooden Lures: Fall Striped Bass, Bluefish and Albies

9/12/11 Report- With the fall run upon us and schools of fish beginning to mingle its best to be prepared with a variety of plugs for whatever may pop up next to you. Here are 3 lures that are cornerstones of the plug bag for anyone casting or trolling this fall.

Danny Deep Diver- Used strictly at night, this plug is trolled very slowly over rips and boulders. Some even find it more effective to anchor over a rip and let the lure slowly swim in the current. Blue, white and black are all lethal colors for big cow bass. You can fish this plug with wire or mono, just be sure to use a snap swivel. The snap swivel allows the lure to swim freely and without restriction. Take this plug with you next time you plan to fish at night and it will forever have a spot in your plug bag! Try areas in Boston Harbor such as Deer Island and the Southwest Ledge at Block Island.

Pencil Popper- I have the most success with this lure in the 1/2 oz and 1oz sizes in the "Green Death." AKA "limen." From false albies, to blues to bass this small plug is a swiss army knife for the fall run. With big bass frequently inhaling this tiny plug it’s advised to swap out one or both of the treble hooks with a big single hook with a bucktail. Try a slow retrieve for the bass and speed it up if you're looking to mess with some False Albies. Other great colors to try are the white and yellow. Try cruising the beaches to find the pods of fish breaking the surface.

Tuna Candy 2oz- AKA "the stub." Yes it is designed for Tuna and very overkill for inshore species however I had great success with this plug last fall. This plug is a great weapon of choice for III reasons: I) Paint jobs such as our "Hickory Shad" and "Half Beak" mimic schooling bait such as spearing and peanut bunker. II) The size of the plug matches the size of the forage that schools up along the beaches this time of year. Throwing oversized plugs into schools eating 3 to 4 inch bait will not entice hook ups. MATCH THE HATCH. III) Often times fall weather includes heavy winds. Therefore pitching small baits is difficult. Unless of course you are casting the 2oz Tuna Candy. This plug casts like a bullet and will put you on the fish when they're acting boat shy.