Artificials, HELP???????

[Big T]

This may sound crazy, but I have live in VA and fished salt water for some, let say a lot of years 25+.( can't let you guys know how young I am. LOL). The thing is I have never fished with artificials. Are there any artificials that every good fisherman should have in the arsonal??????

Thanks in Advance :confused: :cool:

[seafisher]

If your going to fish from piers, have a variety of colors with a gotcha plug for bluefish or spanish mack. If you are going to fish from the surf, have some topwater plugs, maybe some swimbaits, and swimming plugs.

P.S.----The gotcha plugs work great!

[Sandcrab]

This time of year when the blues are thick I would make sure to have:

Stingsilvers w/teasers
Mirrolure Top Pups
YoZuri Topwater plugs (they all work)
Floating Rapalas
GotCha's (2 oz with single hook bucktail)

Having the single hook when fishing for blues will be a lifesaver. You only have to remove one hook instead of two trebles. :)

[chest2head&glassy]

I primarily fish artificials (since the wife boycotted leftover bloodworms, squid, etc in the fridge) and here's a shopping list:
(I typically fish Chix, Lynnhaven, Sandbridge so your list may vary depending on locale and this focuses on blues, stripers, spanish, puppy drum and trout)

Gotcha Plugs (7/8 oz to 1 /14 oz) in a variety of colors.
Tandem Bucktails (1 - 1 1/2 total oz) in chartruese and white.
Rat-L-Traps - 3/4oz silver with blue top
Mag-Traps - 1oz silver with blue top, white with red nose
Mirro-Lures - both sinking and floating, variety of weight and colors. I like black/blue for fall stripers.
Yo-Zuri Bananna Boat - To walk the dog when the stripers are hitting on top.
Spoons - 3/4oz to 3oz; Hopkins, Stingsilvers, Gators. Stingsilvers in a variety of colors. Spanish get picky over color sometimes.
Lead head jig heads in a variety of shapes and weight. I prefer the triangle shaped head in 1/4 - 1oz in chartreuse, red, and unpainted.
Plastics - 3-5" Fin-S, Shad Assasins, split-tails and shad bodies (variety of colors but white, chartruese and silver/mullet are good standards). The puppies loved the 3" shad body 3/8 jig last summer.
Storm Lures - 3"-5" bodies in a variety of colors.

And don't be afraid to use anything that says ELECTRIC CHICKEN.
:D

[poleant]

Can you say I heard that! Sounds like my arsenal. :D

[jay b]

C2H&G nailed it, I usually fish from shore with waders and a vest filled with about 10-15 lbs. of everything he listed. It never hurts to have too much and just like a box of Crayolas, you'll want to cover the color spectrum, because if green is catching and all you got is pink, you're screwed!! Good advice on the single hooks for Blues as well, I like to keep a bucktail on mine, the original Oceans East (Aragona) has a box full in every color. Also this time of year it doesn't hurt to have a small box of bait rigs, just in case that's all that's catching. The only other piece of advice I can give you is the Flyfishing standard of "match the hatch";look at the bait in the water and try something that looks like them. Oh yeah, for some reason the darker colors do better at night.You'll need to invest in a smaller casting rod & reel unless you've already got one, throwing lures will wear you out quick with a bigger outfit.

[cocoflea]

you can't go wrong using creek chub or rapala lures, but I think most people will tell you to have a variety of choice and try as many as possible.

[ShoreBird]

I like long-a Bombers and gibbs for Stripers
Fin-es for weakies

[Andre]

The all might got-chas will catch them all
blues,rocks,spanish,trout and flounders. All in the same day from day tru night different colors of course.

[Joey]

Although you'll probably catch less fish, I'd definitely have a few topwater plugs on hand.

Sandcrab,
I have a Yo-Zero topwater that for some reason doesn't produce at all. Wanna trade? :D

[Digger]

Add Bucktails!!!!!!!!