Stripers eat baitfish, and most of the time the right lure is the one that matches what they are eating. This is the short list for surf, inshore and boat fishing, with the sizes and retrieves that produce.
| Lure | Size | When to throw it | Retrieve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topwater popper or spook | 5–7 in | Dawn, dusk, and any blitz | Walk it or pop it with pauses; stripers often miss twice before they eat |
| Bucktail jig | 1/2–3 oz | Deep water, current, all-round boat fishing | Bounce it along the bottom with short hops |
| Soft plastic shad | 5–9 in | Whenever fish are on small bait | Steady swim at the depth the fish are holding |
| Paddle tail swimbaits | 4–8 in | Clear water, schooling fish | Slow and steady with occasional speed changes |
| Metal lip swimmers | 5–8 in | Night and current seams | Slow, letting the lure wobble on its own |
| Casting spoons | 1–3 oz | Blitzes, long casts from shore | Fast retrieve with a flutter on the pause |
| Trolling umbrella rigs | Multiple 4–6 in | Boat trolling for schoolies | Slow troll at the depth the fish are marking |
Stripers are almost always chasing something specific — bunker, herring, sand eels, peanut bunker, mackerel. The rule is to match the size and the profile more than the exact species.
When the bait is tiny, a big lure gets ignored no matter how well you work it. That is why a serious surf angler carries the same lure in three sizes: a small one for sand eels, a medium for herring and a large for bunker.
Structure and current do the finding. Stripers sit on the downstream side of a rock pile, at the edge of a rip, or along a depth change — anywhere the current brings bait to them and lets them sit out of the main flow.
Fish the lure through those seams rather than across open water. The retrieve matters far less than putting the lure where the fish are.
The four that cover the most water, from the surf to the boat, in the sizes that match common baitfish.
The most exciting way to catch a striper and often the most productive at first light and during a blitz.
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Check current price on Amazon →Rigged on a jig head, these match the baitfish stripers feed on and let you fish at exactly the right depth.
Check current price on Amazon →For covering water and reaching fish from shore. A spoon gets you distance and gets down fast when fish are deep.
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Striped bass lures are chosen by how deep they run and how fast they sink. The lure sink rate calculator converts the count-down into feet per second, the trolling depth calculator does the same for a trolled bait, and the species size chart shows typical fish size for the class.
A bucktail jig is the most versatile, and a topwater is the most productive when fish are feeding on the surface. Most anglers carry several sizes of both.
Match the bait. Four to six inches for herring and small bait, seven to nine inches when they are on bunker or mackerel.
On the downstream side of structure, along current seams and at depth changes where bait gets swept past them. Find the current and you find the fish.
Dawn and dusk in warm water, and any time the tide is moving. Moving water concentrates bait, and the bait is what the fish follow.
For bluefish, yes. For stripers, a heavy fluorocarbon leader of 40 to 60 lb is usually enough and is far less visible than wire.
Lure size chart · Lure sink rate calculator · Lure color chart · Water temperature chart · Best line for spinning reels
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Weight, length and running depth come from published manufacturer specifications. Striped bass lures are usually chosen to match the size of the baitfish present, so body length matters as much as weight. Running depth assumes a given retrieve speed and line diameter, and both change on the water.
Accuracy note: results are calculated from general reference values rather than a physical test of your equipment. Follow the guidance that ships with your gear whenever the two disagree. TackleCalc is independent and is not endorsed by any manufacturer.