September Lures
It isn’t all that long ago that any serious discussion about which lure is the one most experts would choose if given only a single choice stopped at the bucktail. To be sure, the weighty jig adorned with either deer hair or synthetic fibers still ranks near the top but these days the field of top contenders is considerably more open.
That’s especially the case when you narrow lure use down to a single month or species application. Still, we were quite surprised to find that a quick check with a mix of local fishing experts found such variance in preference. You can bet everyone we queried still carries an assortment of bucktails and puts them to good use. The surprise is that only one out of our six contacts picked them to be their first choice as local species begin to group tighter, feed faster and begin their journey ever southward along the coast.
“One lure for September?” repeated John Mantione at J & J Sports (www.jjsportsfishing.com) in Patchogue. “It’s tough, but I would have to pick a diamond jig. It’s just so versatile that you can use it to catch virtually anything from stripers, blues and false albacore to cod, sea bass and even fluke under the right conditions.”
Mantione favors the Ava style jigs with an Ava 27 receiving the highest praise. As opposed to some heavy hitters, he prefers those with surgical tube tails instead of tubeless versions. Green, red and white, tails, he says, tend to produce the best with bass and blues as summer rolls into fall.
“You can cast a diamond jig further than anything else, even when working against a blustery wind,” noted Mantione, “You can also work them quickly just below the surface, at mid-depths or slowly along the bottom. Most importantly, you can tie a small 12 to 30 inches ahead of a diamond to imitate small baitfish – most predator species simply can’t resist that offer.”
At Whitewater Outfitters (www.whitewateroutfitters.net) in Hampton Bays, Jeff Lomonaco had no hesitation in naming the Hogy SI epoxy jig as his favorite September lure. That, he says, is because it really excites false albacore, his favorite late summer and early fall target.
“I use the 3/8-ounce, 2.5-inch version most often,” he related.
“That size does a great job of imitating small anchovies and white bait. I’ll bump up to the 5/8-ounce, 3-inch version or even a 3-1/2-inch if I need to get a little more distance on my casts or if there is bigger bait in the water.”
In terms of color, olive is Lomoaco’s first choice. He’ll cast to the edge of a blitz if the albies are busting the surface or simply cast blind if he suspects the fish around but simply not showing themselves. Either way, he’ll reel at a steady, moderately fast pace with the lure riding just below the surface and skipping on top every now and then.
“The Hogy works equally well in the surf and from boats, so you can go to it under almost any false albacore scenario. Set the hook the second you feel a smack and just hold on tight as your drag begins to scream.”
Bill Wetzel (www.longislandsurffishing.com) is one of the most highly regarded surf guides on the East Coast so his recommendations always carry a ton of weight in my book. Since he primarily targets stripers, you would expect his logical choice to be a sizable target – and you would be right.
“I like a Super Strike Darter (2-3/5-ounce) this month,” explains Wetzel, who has decked stripers weighing into the upper 40-pound class with this time proven lure. “I’m looking to toss a darter in areas with a little current so it can dig in and signal that it is working right through light taps of the rod tip. The most important thing when fishing this lure is to stay in contact at all times. You really need to be able to feel it pulsing on the retrieve. Yellow, blue and gold are my usual colors.”
As for my own September choice, the simple pencil popper generally wins out. Cotton Cordell makes one that is relatively inexpensive, large enough to entice both slammer blues and cow stripers, and seems to be nearly indestructible. I prefer pearl/red for bluefish in particular but tend to throw pearl/blue if I suspect that stripers are in the area – especially should mullet be sliding though the wash. Pencil poppers take a little while to master as you need to almost shake them in place by strongly vibrating your fishing rod rather than popping them quickly like a traditional surface popper.
The more splash and action you can generate without moving the lure quickly forward, the more likely you are to pull a nice, big striper from amongst the marauding blues.
Of course, there are still those who stick with the tried and true. Among them is Capt. Tony DiLernia of Rocket Charters (www.rocketcharters.com/) in Manhattan. His favorite September lure remains a Smiling Bill style bucktail. “White is still the basic hue with bucktails although chartreuse also works well in discolored water,” says DeLernia, who in addition to being a charter skipper also serves as a representative from New York on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
“The amazing thing about bucktails is that they catch just about any predatory fish and can be used in a wide range of weather and water conditions to work from top to bottom.”
Depending on what you target, you’ll want to tip most bucktails with a strip of pork rind (if you can still find some since Uncle Josh has discontinued making the product) Otter Tail or plastic curly-tailed grub. Work the jig tight to the bottom with plenty of tiny hops and skips for a last shot at big fluke (the season ends September 21,) swing them through rips and across white water for bass and blues, or jig them around o shore structure and floating debris for mahi mahi. In the long run, you’ll be amazed at how many species a bucktail can catch – which is why even if they aren’t always the first choice of experts, they still ride reside in almost every September tackle bag.
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