The fall run is a chaotic and wonderful time to be a striped bass angler. Even though fishermen throughout most of the Northeast can count on about two solid months of fishing for migrating stripers between Labor Day and New Year’s, there’s a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” feel that causes us to cast with a sense of urgency that wasn’t present back when the bass were migrating north.

To help make the most of this year’s fall striper migration, we’ve compiled this “Survival Guide” by surveying some of the most dedicated surfcasters in the Northeast and sharing some of our favorite tips for the final months of the striper season.

-Jimmy Fee

With changing conditions, a smorgasbord of baitfish, and a full spectrum of striped bass sizes, there’s no one lure that will cover an angler for the entire fall run. There are, however, several lures that you should never be without in the fourth quarter. 

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Darters

The darter has long been a classic fall striper lure, especially on the East End of Long Island. On my early trips to Montauk, fishermen favored yellow darters because they believed it was a good impression of the juvenile, “spike” weakfish that large stripers feasted upon. Truth be told, a meandering darter does a fair imitation of a wide variety of baitfish and is a must have for Montauk and anywhere where else that good current moves over fish-holding structure. 

Learn more: How to Fish a Darter

Bucktails

The versatility of the bucktail jig helps it match countless baitfish, fish effectively in a variety of conditions and environments, and catch striped bass when few other lures can. Keep a range of sizes on hand, from ¾ to 3 ounce; for colors, stick to the basics of white, black, and lime/chartreuse.

“I’ve devoted most of my life to that damn deer-hair-wrapped piece of lead. It’s the ultimate fishfinder, in my opinion. It mimics everything.  You can fish practically the entire column and it doesn’t discriminate on size or species. Plus, it’s a single hook, so it’s easy on the fish and the angler.” – Stephen Lobosco, New York

“Hands down a 1.5ounce Jetty Caster bucktail with a darter being a close second.” – Craig Cantelmo, Van Staal Reels, New York

Learn More: Bucktails in Boulder Fields for Stripers

Sand Eel Imitations

Especially if you fish the sandy, barrier beaches of New York and New Jersey, a good, soft-plastic sand-eel imitation will keep your surf rod bent throughout the fall. The Bill Hurley Sand Eel, Savage Gear Sand Eel, Tsunami Sand Eel, Fish Lab Mad Eel, and JoeBaggs Sandeel all make convincing sand-lance imitations. And, few Long Island surfcasters would be caught without an AVA style tube-tailed diamond jig in the fall—like the ones made by Sportfish Products—as the diamond jig has long been a sand-eel imitation that surfcasters can use to reach fish far off the beach. 

Minnow Plugs

From sandy surf to back bay to boulder field, the minnow plug catches everywhere. Plus, its slender profile matches many of the smaller baitfish swimming through the surf during the fall run. There are plenty to choose from— classics like the Cotton Cordell Redfin and Bomber Long A to more modern baits like the Daiwa Salt Pro Minnow and the Shimano Coltsniper Jerk. 

“Not a sexy answer, but minnow plugs (SP Minnows and Hydro Minnows) are my go to “fish finder” lures in fall. The medium profile can attract attention from any size-class fish and help give me a sense of what class fish is feeding in the area. If good size fish are hitting minnow plugs I will then switch to Darters and Metal Lips to pull the bigger girls out of the pack.” – Ryan Norton, Massachusetts

“Black Bomber. Can’t tell you how many stripers hit that at night.” – Nick Honachefsky, Saltwater Underground, New Jersey

Learn More: Essential Minnow Plugs for Stripers

Soft-Plastic Stickbaits and Paddletails

Up there with bucktails in terms of versatility, 9- to 14-inch soft-plastic stickbaits match a wide variety of baitfish and can fish a range of conditions in just about any habitat where stripers swim. 

“Spring run, summer doldrums, peak-fall insanity: if I can have only 1 lure and I can rig it anyway I want, I’m reaching for a 9-inch Lunker City Slug-Go in Arkansas Shiner color.” – Jerry Audet, Massachusetts

Paddletail baits, both the classic swim-shad variety and longer, more slender versions that come with matching jigheads, are easy-to-use baits that stripers can’t resist during the fall run. These can be fished on a slow, straight retrieve or in an up-and-down jigging motion. 

“A few years ago, I would have said a topwater, probably a pencil popper. The past few seasons, though, I have been catching more quality fish using paddletail soft plastics, usually fished slower and beneath a school or blitz.” – Steve Gallant, Massachusetts

“For me if it had to be one lure it would be the 6-inch Bass Assassin Sea Shad in the albino shad color. It catches me more fish in the fall in so many conditions and spots just by changing the weight of the jig head.” – Mike Gleason, TAK Waterman, New Jersey

Learn More: Sandy Beach Soft Plastics

Needlefish

These slender, seemingly actionless plugs sit atop the pantheon of big bass baits because of their castability, versatility, and lifelike profiles. Legendary fish stories, like the “Snowstorm Blitz” at Block Island in 1987, was centered around the needlefish’s ability to cut through an onshore wind, reach the fish, and then provide a convincing facsimile of an unsuspecting baitfish. When it comes to the number of areas and depths a slow-sinking needlefish can catch, especially during the fall run, its only rival is the bucktail jig. 

“I would choose the needlefish for no other reason than their versatility. A sinking needlefish, for example, can be fished in 3 feet as well as 30 feet and still effectively cover the entire water column. A needlefish can even double as a topwater/pencil/spook in a pinch. The same versatility cannot be said of many other plugs.” – Toby Lapinski, The Fishing Wire, Connecticut

“White Beachmaster Musso style needle crawled slowly. It’s a perfect squid.” – Earl Evans, Van Staal Reels, Rhode Island

Other Lures:

“The fall run is dominated by small bait. An epoxy jig can imitate silversides, peanuts, bay anchovies, squid and much more. An epoxy can be jigged off the bottom and cast well. Oh yeah, albies love them!”  – Will Pinkus, Massachusetts

“Hard for a pug builder to pick just one but on the ocean front, it’s hard to beat a white Atom 40 and a heavy Hopkins for distance coming in as a close second.” – Chris Voorhies, Voorhies Customs, New York

“Whether it be spring, summer, or the fall run, the Yo-Zuri Mag Darter has a permanent slot (or five) in my surf bag.” – Anthony Pizzella, Maine

“Bottle plugs the last few falls.” – Frank Goncalves, Massachusetts

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