How Effective are Surf Fishing Lures
Surf fishing lures are the product of man’s ingenuity as replacements for live baits. But are fish actually more attracted to lures than baits? And how do lures and baits differ and why do anglers prefer the one over the other?
Lures are artificial fishing baits that were designed to look like realistic baits. They can also be used over and over and you can choose your lure based on the type of fish you want to catch. They are also made not only to be colorful but some types can also produce vibration, move like live baits, and can produce flashes with their brightly colored paint.
Baits are fresh lures such as shrimps, octopus tentacles, minnows, pieces of boiled chicken meat and even small fish caught while fishing. Why most anglers prefer the baits is because they know that the fish can smell real food from artificial food. And with their appearance, they will always look succulent to eat. Some surf anglers also say that if you want to leave your rod standing by the beach and supported by a rod holder, you better use live bait because any fish that would come near it will take a bite even though the bait is only being moved by the waves.
On the other hand, there are also lures that are made to smell like live baits and these also taste like real live baits as they were submerged to natural food attractants such as salt and garlic. So with the availability of lures looking and smelling like live lures, this should make surf fishing with lures more exciting.
Best Beach Fishing Lures
Saltwater fishing lures come in different types. There are the topwater lures that are best as surf fishing lures and ideally designed for fish that feed near the shore. There are also the deep saltwater lures for deep-sea fish and there are the trolling saltwater lures that are towed behind boats and specifically made for more aggressive fish. These lures differ in their sizes, design, weight, color and the way they move when you move your line and some of the top-rated lures today can be used both for freshwater and saltwater fishing.
Here we will review some of the best beach fishing lures that many anglers recommend and based on their experience, these are the best and can catch more fish that live behind the sandbars.
Spro Bucktail Jig-Pack of 1, White, 3-Ounce
Any fish would surely love to go after a small wiggly fish that seemed to be delicious to munch on. And this Spro Bucktail basically has the qualities of a fish that’s good to eat. Not many surf fishing lures can imitate the appearance and movement of this lure and you can jig it around and make it swim like a real miniature fish. And when you jig it around the sandbar, it has this natural gliding action while staying parallel on the water, unlike other lures that dip down toward the sand. Among the best beach fishing lures, this is one of our favorites because it can easily attract fish. You can clearly see the shape of its head and those round, bright eyelets that make it appear like a real small coral fish.
For a bucktail lure, this lure is very unique and versatile. It can catch different kinds of fish of different sizes like redfish, snook, fluke, trouts and other fish species that feed behind the sandbars. Surf fishing with lures and having this lure with you, you won’t go home empty-handed. And did you know that this lure is also perfect for deep water fishing? Too small you say? Well, this model is a 3-ounce bucktail but it also comes in different sizes and in different attractive colors.
It is available in sizes ranging from 1/4 ounce up to 6-ounce and in 15 different attractive colors so it does not only offer an advantage to catching shore fishes but also bigger fish like salmon and large bass or any big fish that lurk under your boat. This cheap fishing lure does not go beyond $12 at Amazon but if you realize how versatile it is and can bring your surf fishing skills to the next level, you may want to try this lure first before other lures. For the hook, this is equipped with a Gamakatsu hook which is known to be superior in strength and very sharp.
Pros:
Available in a variety of weights: 1/4-Ounce, 1/2-ounce, 3/4-ounce, 3/8-ounce, 1-ounce, 1.5-ounce, 2-ounce, 3-ounce up to the heaviest 6-ounce weight
Also available in 15 different colors to attract more fish attracted to bright colors
Stays parallel even when jigging it
Equipped with a quality Gamakatsu hook
All species of game fish are attracted to it
Offers more jigging action
Measures 3 3/4 inches
Cons:
No negative review. But beware of imitations so stay on Amazon to get the genuine product.
Mirrolure 19MR-CFPR
Mirrominnow Suspend Twitchbait Chat Bk/PRL/Silver 3.25in 3/8oz
We all know that all types of fish medium to large love to feed on minnows. The most common fish that love to grab minnows are crappies, catfish, bass, pikes, walleyes, white bass, trout, rock bass and pickerel. These fishes are a variety of saltwater and freshwater fish and minnows also come in a variety of species so there are also freshwater and saltwater minnows. This means that when you have this Mirrominnow lure, you can catch any fish that live in many bodies of water.
Minnow lures are some of the most favorites when surf fishing with lures and this Mirrolure is one classic-looking minnow that has been popular because of its design and colorful appearance that makes it a perfect alternative for the real colorful saltwater glass minnows. Glass minnows are known for catching many types of saltwater game fish but since these are not readily available for live bait, this artificial lure can be the best option and can easily attract fish because of its reflective, bright and luminescent inserts that could get the attention of any fish even meters away.
Some of us have already tried this lure and we should say this is one of the best fishing lures we have seen. It’s slender body plus its 2 hooks that are tri-pronged, once a fish get a bite on this, there’s no coming back. In some instances, these two hooks can even attach themselves at the same time so once you pull your line up, you will get the fish 90% at a time. Very budget-friendly and easy to carry, you can attach it to your fishing hat. This lure is also Made in the USA so in terms of quality, this should be perfect and could be the ideal surf fishing lure you are looking for.
Pros:
Made in the USA
Real glass minnow look-alike
Two hooks to assure a catch
Bright, reflective, and luminescent slender body to mimic a real live glass minnow
Ideal depth up to 18 inches
For freshwater and saltwater fishing
Size: 3.25-inch, weight: 3/8 ounce
Cons:
Made of hard plastic so it sinks
Heddon Super Spook Topwater Fishing Lure for Saltwater and Freshwater
This is another interesting fishing lure that is also highly-rated at Amazon and has already gathered great reviews. Available in different sizes and colors, its design stayed the same so you can buy it from the cheapest $6 to $23 apiece. So what’s all about this lure that makes anglers love it? Well, this is made of strong and tough plastic materials and painted with very attractive colors for the goal of attracting the most voracious fish species.
Anglers say this lure creates an impression of not only a delicious food to fish but also a fish that’s invasive because of its very flashy color and bright red eye so fish not only wants to eat it but also to attack and bite it. This could be the reason why this lure remained to be one of the favorites among surf fishing lures because accordingly once you throw this in into the water, you would get a bite in a few minutes. Some of its special features also include 2 super-sharp hooks with 3-prongs each thus becoming a significant asset for hard-charging fish. Measuring 3.5 inches and weighing .5 ounces, this should belong among the best beach fishing lures as its design is also for topwater fishing.
The best advice that expert fishers give about this lure is to cast it in the “walk the dog” style which means you have to retrieve and run it along the sandbar with an erratic motion to simulate a wounded baitfish. In this method, the fish that would be attracted to it are the larger fish such as striped bass, large-mouth bass, trouts and redheads.
Pros:
Versatile design with stout hardware system to withstand hard-charging fish species
2 super-sharp hooks for quick and assured catch
Made of strong and durable materials
Effective by applying the “walk the dog” technique to attract bigger fish
Measures 3.5 inch and weighs .5 ounce
With internal rattles to attract fish that hide beneath the rocks
For all freshwater game fish
Available in a variety of colors, sizes and number of hooks (up to 3)
Cons:
Quality of the hooks are accordingly not of the best quality but can be replaced.
Berkley Gulp! Alive Swimming Mullet Soft Fishing Bait
You probably know that mullets are fish with a variety of sizes but also come in very small sizes fit for bait fishing. Also, everybody knows that mullets are also excellent baits for larger fish. But why bother to buy fresh mullet if you can have this Berkley Gulp mullet fishing bait that you can use effectively for surf fishing? This lure type has an attractive apple green color which adds to the curiosity of the fish to strike it but it also has a high swimming action that when you sway it side to side, its tail spins and will look like a small fish swimming.
With a realistic design for its soft body and head, plus it was soaked in a very stimulating attractant so that it can be smelled by any fish meters away, this should therefore belong to your surf fishing lures box especially if you have been casting your lure for half an hour and has not got any bite.
Made of soft plastic, this is the best alternative to real mullet and it also swims upon hitting the water and then releases its fish attractant to be immediately detected by the fish in the area. This lure is the result of the Berkley group reinventing their fishing lures to create a product that would entice many kinds of fish such as bass, large mullet species, trout, flukes, perches and many more. You can also re-soak this lure on any fish attractant juice and it will absorb it.
There are too many swimming styles you can do with the surf fishing lures but this Berkley mullet lure is different. When you sway it side to side it will look like a small fish busy feeding on plankton. And if you jerk it up and down so that it jumps on the seafloor it will appear to be an injured fish trying to swim away from its predator. And for all these movements, the greatest secret for this lure’s successful bite is its highly-movable tail.
Pros:
Real live-looking mullet
High-action swimming tail
With scent dispersion feature to attract fish that hides on rocks and weeds
Best alternative for any live bait
Soft body but made of very durable plastic for long-lasting performance
Highly-appreciated in catching bigger fish
Cons:
The tail can snap if attacked by large aggressive fish which can lose its attractive potentials
What Makes Surf Fishing With Lures More Exciting?
The use of lures has also been a highly-debated topic among anglers be it for deep-sea fishers and the more tamed surf fishing enthusiasts. Some say that it is the color of the lures that make surf fishing with lures more viable and productive. Others say it is how you move your fishing rod to activate the fish to move like a real live bait. But what we can say about lures and how they can be effective are the following:
The best fishing lures should have the movement, vibration, and flashy color of a real live bait and must also be equipped with a single or two hooks to assure a catch once a fish strikes.
Another added feature to attract more fish is the scent of the lures. Most of the best beach fishing lures today are made of plastic but some have the potential to absorb fish attractant liquid which anyone can mate.
You have to know the time when fish are more active and hungry. The best suggestion is to fish during the dawn or dusk. Dawn because fish that are active during the day are naturally hungry during the early morning while nocturnal fish begin to feed once the sun sets in. However, if you want to surf fish during the day you have to look for rising tides and high tides and cast your lure behind the sandbars.
Also, you can choose the best beach fishing lures that will look like a threat to territorial fish species and the natural reaction of these fish is to attack the bait and bite it. The larger baits with brightly colored paints and can swim like invasive fish will enable the larger fish to do reaction strikes for the goal of defending their territories.
Conclusion:
Live fishing baits are the favorites among surf fishers and these are readily available on stores selling marine sports fishing accessories. Live baits have the natural scent in them and when a fish does an initial bite, it knows that it’s real food and would normally won’t let go. Moreover, you cannot go wrong also with surf fishing lures because these are made to be more attractive to different fish species. And because some of them are made to look like threats to territorial fish species, that’s where you get most of the bites.
Surf fishing with lures is also not messy and fit for beginners especially those who cannot handle worms or stinky baits. Aside from that, some of the lures today can both be used for saltwater and freshwater fishing and also for surf and deep-sea fishing.
For our next article, we shall explore what could be the best bait for surf fishing. And this should be good because we have told you enough about fishing lures. Now we go for the live baits.
