Hogy’s Best Striper Lures for Casting and Jigging
At Hogy, we literally make thousands of different shaped and sized lures for fisheries all over the world. Although the vast majority of our lures work for striped bass, we have compiled the list below to highlight our most commonly used lures, what their applications typically are, and how to fish them. Many of our lures are extremely versatile and can be used both for casting and jigging.Wherever we have further information in the document that applies to our lures, we have referenced the page number where you can find that information.
Cheers!
Captain Mike
MID-RANGE: SOFT BAITS
1. Hogy Pro Tail Series: “Multi-Purpose Bait Fish”
Paddles: The Hogy Pro Tail Paddles are our best-selling soft baits due to their versatility and general baitfish shaped profile. They come in a variety of lengths, colors, and weights, with all models internally weighted. They can be fished just below the surface by keeping your rod tip up and maintaining a faster, steadier retrieve, while they really excel as a deeper, subsurface lure. The depth at which one can be fished is determined by the weight of the Pro Tail you use and how long you allow it to sink, as well as the speed of your retrieve; a slower retrieve will allow the lure to remain deeper and at a more consistent level in the water column, while increasing the speed of retrieve will tend to draw one up to the surface. An erratic retrieve, featuring pauses and even shaking of the rod, will give a Pro Tail an injured baitfish appearance. The heavier versions, typically from three ounces on up, make good vertical jigging lures as well. Hogy Pro Tails come pre-rigged and feature VMC hooks that are strong enough for inshore and offshore applications.
Eels: The Hogy Pro Tail Eels are excellent imitators of sand eels and squid due to their long slender profile. They are internally weighted like the Paddles and are best suited for a subsurface presentation, whether cast-and-retrieved or vertically jigged.
Casting Retrieve: Hogy Pro Tails can be fished at all retrieve speeds with the rod tip pointed at just about any angle.
Casting Application:
- Open water feeding fish: Try to lead the front fish if possible. A good way to target bigger fish is to let the lure drop under the school. Often, that’s where the big fish are. Be ready for hits on the drop, especially with the Paddle model, since the vibrating tail will give the lure good action as it falls.
- Over Structure: The Hogy Pro Tail is a good search bait when used over structure. The variety of weights they come in allows an angler to select one that will reach the level of the structure and work it effectively while reducing the chances of hanging up.
- Casting in heavy current: The Hogy Pro Tail comes in a variety of weights, up to 6 oz. Select the lure size needed given the current speed and depth, cast uptide and let the bait drop as it swings.
- Distance in heavy wind: The smooth, more aerodynamic inter-phase of the weighted head and soft plastic body helps Pro Tails achieve greater distance. A snap cast will help punch the bait with some extra distance.
- Blind Casting: The Hogy Pro Tail is an ideal blind cast bait: the tail vibrates for attraction, the lure can be fished at all depths and speeds and it’s relatively snag resistant when fishing from shore.
Jigging Applications:
- Vertical Jigging: The heavier versions of the Hogy Pro Tail are designed for jigging. The drop is slower on the Paddles than the Eels due to the vibrating tail on the former, but fast enough to cover the water column on a vertical presentation. You get two speeds in one jig: slow on the way down with the paddle and fast on the way up.
- Slow, Targeted: Drop the bait to the desired depth. Slowly raise and drop the rod tip. This will simulate a wounded baitfish that can’t make much progress swimming.
Colors: Hogy Pro Tail Paddles are excellent imitations of bunker, herring, mackerel, butterfish and scup. Hogy Pro Tail Eels are excellent imitations of sand eels and squid. Our best selling colors are olive, pink and white.
TOPWATER SOFTBAITS
2. Hogy Originals: “Top Water Finesse”
Notes: Unweighted soft baits imitate just about every baitfish around, especially eels, squid and sand eels, three of any striper’s favorite meals! They have amazing action, and come in a variety of colors natural colors. They best way to rig them is with a Hogy Swimbait hook which each hook sized and designed to interface with each of the softbaits we offer.
Casting Retrieve: A, B, C Hogy Original Softbaits rigged on Unweighted or lightly weighted Swimbait hooks can be fished in all manner of ways from skipping on the surface to slow and low.
Casting Application:
- Shallow water estuary situations: There is not better bait than a Hogy 7” Original fished in skinny water. Rigged on a Swimbait hook, Hogy Originals are weedless and snag proof. They can be scuttled on the bottom or twitching on the top.
- Heavy structure such as boulder fields: the larger 10” size is most popular in heavy cover situations where the larger size best replicates a live eel.
- Shallow rips, shoals and heavy currents: Hogy Originals in both 7” and 10” sizes are killer in the rips. Cast Up tide, let the bait swing into the rip. Stripers will be laying in ambush waiting to strike. Best to rig in this situation with a weighted Swimbait hook.
Jigging Application: Not ideal for jigging.
Top Colors: Black, Olive, Bone, Pink and Amber colorations are all you need to imitate eels, sand eels, and squid, in that order.
Videos:
TOPWATER: PLUGS
1. The Hogy Slider “The Swimmer”
Notes: Swimming plugs come in a vast array of different shapes, sizes, colors and material. Smaller 5-inch sizes are great for schoolie-sized stripers and those keyed in on smaller baits and 7-inch sizes are more appropriate for larger fish or those keyed in on large baits such as mature herring, large squid, mackerel and bunker. Swimming plugs are very easy to fish and are a good choice for relatively inexperienced anglers. Since the action is “built-in” to the lure and they also lend themselves well to trolling. Use them when conditions are not weedy
Casting Retrieve: B, C Fish with a horizontal rod tip or rod tip pointed slightly downward. Play with retrieve speed. This lure has neutral buoyancy, meaning it has a horizontal decent when sinking. This is a very natural presentation so a series of pauses are recommended on the retrieve.
Casting Application:
- Open water-feeding fish: Similarly to other sub surface lures, work the perimeter of the school. A slider will give you extra weight without a fast sink. This si a go to lure when stripers are feeding on large baitfish.
- Over Structure: A slider is at home over structure, particularly in a blind casting situation. Long steady retrieves allow you to cover a lot of ground.
- Casting in heavy current: A slider will swim happily in moving current. A slider will not dig in and swim too deeply in current.
Jigging Application: Not applicable for jigging
Colors: The usual: pink and amber, green, black and blue and olive to imitate squid, mackerel, herring and bunker respectively.
Videos:
2. The Hogy Popper: “The Noise Maker”
Notes: You can’t beat an old fashioned popper’s effectiveness for covering ground and making a commotion. With its cup-faced nose, it creates a ton of commotion with each twitch of the rod. Poppers have been popular since WWII Regardless of how you fish a popper, most anglers love watching a big striper come up and smash the lure.
Casting Retrieve: Pop Pop Pause, Pop Pop Pause
Casting Application: The popper is the best way to cover the most water near structure. With its cupped face, it makes a loud pop. Most poppers float, so that makes it easy for anglers to present the lure for a longer duration while in the zone.
Jigging Application: Not applicable for Jigging
Colors: The usual: pink and amber, green, black and blue and olive to imitate squid, mackerel, herring and bunker respectively.
Videos:
3. The Hogy Dog Walker: “The Slow Dancer”
Notes: The spook is probably one of the more under utilized lures on for stripers. I would argue it is a cross between a swimmer and a pencil popper. They are easy to cast and draw crazy strikes. If there was a downside to them, they don’t fish well in rough water and are slightly more technical in presentation requiring constant observation and adjustments in retrieve to ensure the best presentation.
Casting Retrieve: Twitch Twitch, Pause, Twitch Twitch Pause
Casting Application: My favorite time to fish a spook is in calm conditions. A spook with a good rattle will draw attention from pretty far away. An ideal situation would be working it slowly over big boulders or some sort of structure. For whatever reason, I do best with spooks early in the morning or at sunset.
Jigging Application: Not applicable for Jigging
Colors: The usual: pink and amber, green, black and blue and olive to imitate squid, mackerel, herring and bunker respectively.
Videos:
LONG RANGE: JIGS
The primary differences of these jigs are their size and profiles. Although the methods and techniques used for each of these jigs are relatively similar, the lure action and go to situations can vary from lure to lure.
1. The Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure “The Multi Purpose”
Notes: The Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure is a very unique jig in that its largely made out of a light weight but durable resin. This is important to mention because the clear epoxy offers natural light refraction through the lure that simulates the translucent nature of many bait fish. The lure also has a heavy length to weight profile so that it casts well but has a far slower sink rate than a metal jig. They light(er) weight nature of the Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure allows for a deadly wobble and any speed. They come in a variety of lengths, weights and colors ranging from 3/8oz all the way to 4oz.
Casting Retrieve: The length, weight, density ratio of the Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure is balanced such that here is no wrong way to fish it. Play with retrieve speed, rod angle, rod motion and pauses. The lure will come to life. The higher the tip and faster the retrieve, the more the lure will skip on the surface.
Casting Application:
- Open water feeding fish: Go with the skippy retrieve! It’s as much fun as it is effective. Keep your rod tip pointed toward the sky and reel quickly while imparting shart rod tip twitches. The lure will simulate a fleeing baitfish skipping in the water in a very frightened manner.
- Over Structure: Slow retrieve with very short pauses so you don’t snag.
- Casting in heavy current: Hogy Epoxy Jig®Lures do well in shallow water with heavy current. You can cast the lure up tide and fish the swing. Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lures have a sexy tumble when fished on a dead drift.
- Blind Casting: Rotate through all the retrieves. The varied commotion is very effective in eliciting strikes when fish are in the area but behaving in a finicky manner.
Jigging Retrieve: Do to their light weight, this technique is limited to size 2oz and up.
- Fast, Varied Water Colum: 2oz+
- Slow, Targeted: 2oz+
- Twitchy, Targeted Marks: 2oz+
Colors: Pink, Olive, Silver and Green are great imitators of squid, sand eels, herring and mackerel.
Videos:
2. The Hogy Heavy Minnow “Long Range, Small Profile”
Notes:We created the mold for the heavy minnow based off The Hogy Epoxy Jig lure. While this lure is about the same profile, it is more than twice as heavy which will result in less action but make up for it with an ultra long cast. It’s an unusual combination for size and range making it a go to for hard to get to stripers feeding on small bait in the wind.
Casting Retrieve: This is a medium to fast retrieve lure. It is the perfect shape to mimic small bait fish such as silver sides, juvenile squid and juvenile herring.
Casting Application:
- Striper feeding on teeny baits: The Hogy Heavy Minnow is available sized down all the way to 1/2oz. Since it’s made primarily out of painted lead, it’s a tiny offering, yet castable.
- Long Range, Small Baitfish: The Hogy Heavy minnow is a long caster. Its baitfish profile is ideal when silver sides, squid and bay anchovies are in the area.
- Surf: It’s an albie favorite in the sure
Jigging Retrieve:
- Medium Speed, Varied Water Column: The Hogy Heavy Minnow has caught everything from scup to big eye tuna on a vertical drop. This lure does not need to be fished fast to be effective.
Jigging Application:
- Open water, feeding fish
Colors: Pink, silver side, and shrimp are ideal colors to imitate juvenile squid, silver sides and bay anchovies.
3. Hogy Peanut Jig “Wobble Peanut”
Notes:We brought this small “peanut” into the fold with the large influx of peanut bunker in recent years between Cape Cod and New Jersey. Obviously the “Peanut Bunker” coloration pattern is a true imitation but we have many other colors that imitate other small baits including squid and juvenile herring. This lure has a deadly wobble at a medium retrieve speed.
Casting Retrieve: The tall but thin pectoral to pectoral width of this lure result in a wicked swimming action at a slow to medium retrieve with the rod tip at a 45 degree angle downward angle if fishing on a boat and a horizontal to slightly upward presentation from the beach. These highly finished lures are hand airbrushed to offer a highly imitative appearance at slow speeds. The first in the series was the “peanut bunker” color but we have since offered patterns in all the hot baitfish patterns.
Casting Application:
- Finicky fish: If stripers are being finicky, fish the parameter of the school on a slow to medium retrieve speed. Let the fish get a good look at the lure, especially if they are feeding on peanut bunker.
Jigging Retrieve:
- Slow, Targeted, Twitchy: This lure is relatively light and is best fished in less than 30’ on a slow or twitchy jig retrieve. Find a depth and work it.
Colors: Peanut Bunker, eChix and Blue are excellent imitators of peanut bunker, squid, and juvenile herring.
VERTICAL JIG
1. The Hogy Sand Eel Jig “Sand Eel Deep Sinker – Long Flyer”
Notes: The Hogy Sand Eel Jig is a very literal interpretation of a sand eel, hence the name. The Sand Eel Jigs have a long slender body that cast very well. By far, the top selling color is in the natural olive and silver pattern though these lures are made in pink and green to mimic deeper water juvenile squid and mackerel. They are suitable for casting at up to 3.5oz and we make larger jigging sizes in 6.5oz and 8.5oz for deep-water applications.
Casting Retrieve: On a cast, this lure likes a faster retrieve to get the maximum amount of action from it, particularly Hogy sand eel jigs 2.5oz and above. The smaller, 1.25oz version can be retrieved at a much slower speed.
Casting Application:
- Open water feeding fish: The Hogy Sand Eel is a long casting lure and is a great go to when fish are spooky and feeding on sand eels. The lure is also dynamite in heavy wind situations.
- From The Surf: Many shore anglers prefer the Hogy Sand Eel in situations where sand eels are pushed into the beach.
Jigging Retrieve:
- Fast, Varied Water Column: The Hogy Sand Eel has a medium fast sink rate with periodic flutters. It fishes well at high speed, which makes it a go to in speed jigging.
- Slow, Twitchy retrieve: It’s long slender design lends itself very well to the twitchy jig, a technique where you drop the lure to a specific depth and twitch the rod with sharp, short, rapid snaps.
Colors: Olive is for sand eels!
2. Hogy Diamond Jigs
Notes: Diamond Jigs are a classic striper lure that has been around forever. Their popularity comes and goes. They typically range from 2 to 16 ounces. They are very effective for vertical jigging for striped bass but the lighter versions can be cast from the beach. The most popular teasers for Diamonds are small tubes teasers or soft baits. Diamond jigging can be a deadly technique for stripers that are in large concentrations feeding on baitfish on the bottom. Diamond jigs 3oz and larger are well suited for depths of 20 feet or more. Most anglers will drop the jigs all the way to the bottom and jig with long lifts of the rod, allowing the jig to flutter as it falls, which is often where the strike occurs.
Casting Retrieve: Diamond jigs are mostly associated with vertical jigging in New England but are effective casters, particularly when rigged with a softbait teaser such as the Hogy Dancing Diamond Jig configuration.
Casting Application:
- Surf: You can almost think of the diamond jig as a vehicle to get the softbait out to the desire distance. With the diamond jig wobbling in front of the Hogy Sand Eel, the soft bait will be dancing behind it, hence the name, “The Dancing Diamond Jig.”
Jigging Retrieve:
- Slow, Targeted: With the highly imitative “dancing” Hogy Sand Eel behind the diamond jig, the presentation is unbeatable in terms a imitative presentation.
Colors: Olive and green teasers are the most popular. We offer sand eel and tube teasers in our versions.
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