Lures for sea bass

Zoom Fluke: the 4 in soft jerkbait that glides instead of sinking

Zoom's 4 in Fluke, the compact version of the American classic. Weightless and weighted-hook rigs, twitch-and-pause cadence, and use in fresh and salt water.

6th Sense Flush 5.2: the fluke whose split dorsal hides the point

Keeled belly, a ball at the tail base and a split dorsal that hides the hook, the details that make this 13.2 cm American soft jerkbait swim.

Lunker City Slug-Go: the original soft jerkbait, 11.4 to 22.9 cm

Herb Reed's original soft jerkbait: how to work it for that disorderly glide, which size to pick, and what the maker does not publish about it.

Basstrix Flash Trix: the small hollow body that shows up on sonar

Two real lengths of 6.5 and 9 cm, a hand-poured hollow body and broad flanks: what the Flash Trix is actually for, and how to rig it.

Yo-Zuri Hardcore Minnow: one lure for the canal and the harbour

How to use the Hardcore Minnow's double nature, straight-retrieved for bank pike and twitched for harbour bass, and what sets it apart from the Duel.

Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow: the flash that cuts through churned water

Why the Crystal Minnow stays visible when the surface is broken up, how to fish it in the waves for sea bass and on a slow retrieve for pike.

Yo-Zuri 3D Inshore Twitchbait: fishing 80 cm of clear water

How to use Yo-Zuri's 3D Inshore Twitchbait on a very shallow bay flat at high slack water, and what separates it from the 3DB Jerkbait.

Tackle House Tuned K-Ten: the minnow that stays inside the wave

Why the Tuned K-Ten keeps its action in a big sea and a headwind, and how to fish it for bass holding in current lines.

Tackle House Feed Shallow: swimming 30 cm above the rock

How to use the very high running depth of the Feed Shallow over bass slabs and plateaus, set its depth from the rod, and avoid snagging on rock.

Shimano Exsence Strong Assassin: the version that does not fold in heavy weather

What the reinforced build of the Strong Assassin changes next to the Silent Assassin: wind, hard current, big fish and hardware that survives the fight.

Shimano Exsence Silent Assassin: when noise scares fish off instead of pulling them in

Why a rattle-free minnow catches more sea bass at night and on pressured spots, how to work it in calm water, and when a noisy lure is still the better call.

Sebile Koolie Minnow: depth you set with the handle

How Sebile's Koolie Minnow changes water layer according to retrieve speed, and how to use that to sweep a bay from the surface to the bottom.

Sebile Bonga Jerk: the jerkbait that stays upright in rough water

How the Bonga Jerk's deep belly line steadies its swim in chop and current, and how to take it from lake pike to shoreline bass.

SeaSpin Pro-Q: the sinking minnow you fish just under the surface

How to fish a sinking minnow on a slow retrieve over beaches and weed flats, and why the sink count is what decides everything.

SeaSpin Mommotti: the sinking minnow that holds in the swell

How to fish the Mommotti on a rough rocky coast, and why its density lets it cast into the wind and keep swimming in the wash.

Savage Gear Gravity Runner: sawtooth fishing along a breakwater

How to use the Gravity Runner's weighted sink to fish the middle layer in a yo-yo along breakwaters and piers, for sea bass on the ebb tide.

Sakura Bagsy Minnow: holding its action when the sea gets up

How the Bagsy Minnow keeps a stable action in chop and tidal current, and why casting distance is worthless without that stability on sea bass.

Rapala MaxRap Long Cast: winning the ten metres you are missing from the shore

How the MaxRap Long Cast's weight transfer buys you distance on sea bass, and what retrieve to use once the lure lands far out in the chop.

Maria Loaded: the beach minnow that cuts through the breakers

How to fish Maria's Loaded off a surf-swept sand beach, and how to set its running depth with rod angle alone.

Jackson Athlete Plus: the floating minnow that still swims at a crawl

Why the Athlete Plus keeps its action at very slow speed over shallow rocky flats, and how it complements the sinking Athlete SS for sea bass.

Ima Salt Skimmer: fishing where there is thirty centimetres of water

The Salt Skimmer swims just under the surface without ever touching bottom. How to use it on sea bass shallows, with the rod, line and angle settings.

Ima Komomo: the minnow that still swims when you slow right down

Why the Komomo keeps a readable action at almost zero speed over shallow ground, how to retrieve it and on which spots it complements the Sasuke.

Ima Hound Glide: fishing bass on a tight drift instead of retrieving

How to use the Hound Glide's long cast and wide swim in tidal current, which stage of the tide to target and how to set your line tension.

DUO Realis Fangbait 120: the minnow that holds in the waves

How DUO's Fangbait 120 keeps its action in chop and current where a classic minnow blows out, and how to fish it for sea bass and pike.

DUO Press Bait: reaching the bass beyond the sandbar

How a dense saltwater minnow lets you fish sixty metres out in the wind, get through the surf line and set your depth by counting it down.

Duel Hardcore Heavy Minnow: counting the sink over a rock wall

How to use Duel's Hardcore Heavy Minnow to cast into the wind off a breakwater, count its descent and work the layers of water one by one.

Daiwa Current Master: presenting a minnow across a current seam

How to use your casting angle rather than your retrieve to fish bass in a tidal current, and why this minnow refuses to roll over on its side.

Daiwa Shoreline Shiner Z Vertice: casting far into a headwind

How the Shoreline Shiner Z Vertice's weight transfer system gains metres on the cast, and how to fish it for sea bass from the shore.

Daiwa Morethan Switch Hitter: the sinking minnow built for the night swing

How to fish the Switch Hitter in a tidal current without animating it, which size to pick for the flow, and why it casts so far into a headwind.

Cordell Red Fin: the V-wake, at the slowest speed you can manage

How to fish the Cordell Red Fin as a wake bait, back out of the water, to trigger sea bass and pike at night or in current, at minimum speed.

Bomber Suspending Pro Long A: the same minnow, minus the buoyancy

What the suspending version of the Long A really changes on the water, and how to choose between floating and neutral by spot, season and target species.

Bassday Sugar Minnow: the tight action that gets through the chop

How to use the high-frequency action and slim profile of the Bassday Sugar Minnow to decide wary sea bass over rock plateaus and broken water.

Ima Sasuke: the minnow that holds in current without blowing out

Why the Sasuke keeps its action in a strong tidal current, how to fish it on a controlled drift and which model to pick for the spot.

Lunker City Fin-S Shad: a shad body grafted onto a fluke tail

How the split belly and recessed back groove make the Fin-S Shad genuinely weedless, and which of the 4.4, 8.3 and 12.7 cm sizes to pick.

Zoom Winged Fluke: the soft jerkbait that glides down on its wings

Two protruding wings, a forked tail, no stated weight or buoyancy: what the Zoom Winged Fluke actually does underwater and how to rig it properly.

Illex Arnaud 100: the jerkbait built for French rivers

Why the Illex Arnaud 100 swims high and answers short twitches, and how to use it on pike and sea bass in shallow rivers.

Jackson Athlete 14 SS: the Japanese sinking minnow for surfcasting sea bass

How to fish the Jackson Athlete 14 SS, a long-casting sinking minnow built for sea bass from the beach or the rocks — rigging and retrieve.

Sakura Baïner 105S: the lipless minnow that casts a mile for sea bass

Swim action, lift-and-drop retrieve, casting range and colour choice for the Sakura Baïner 105S, a lipless saltwater minnow built for shore sea bass.

DUO Tide Minnow Slim: the floating jerkbait that covers the whole beach

Running depth, twitch retrieves, spots and colours for the DUO Tide Minnow Slim, an essential saltwater minnow for shore sea bass fishing.

Lipless & vibration 3

Lipless & vibration

Sebile Flatt Shad: the lipless that glides, from river to sea

Why the Flatt Shad's flat body glides on the drop, how to yo-yo it for zander and for bass, and what to change for saltwater use.

Lipless & vibration

Bassday Range Vib: covering distance when the wind rules out everything else

How to use the Range Vib to reach a current seam sixty metres out for bass, and why this saltwater lipless is fished without ever pausing.

Lipless & vibration

Z-Man Eye Strike Chatterbait: the bladed head you dress yourself

No skirt, no soft bait included: the Eye Strike Chatterbait is a jighead with a hex blade waiting for the swimbait of your choice. Rigging, retrieve and limits.

Swimbait 3

Swimbait

Savage Gear 4Play Herring Liplure: the jointed swimbait that holds its depth

How the lip on the 4Play Herring Liplure locks a jointed swimbait into its running depth, which sizes to choose and how to work it for pike and sea bass.

Swimbait

Lunkerhunt Gambit Swimbait: a hollow swimbait that goes anywhere

Frog-style hollow body, a 5/0 single hook hidden inside and a segmented swim: why the Gambit reaches cover no swimbait can, and how to work it.

Swimbait

Z-Man Mulletron: the soft mullet that swims at a crawl

Two sizes, a rounded wedge tail and moulded back and belly hook pockets: how to rig and work the Z-Man Mulletron without killing its buoyancy.

Topwater stickbait 34

Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil 100: the stickbait that walks itself

10 cm for 16 g, an internal rattle and a ribbed belly: why this Yo-Zuri pencil makes walking the dog easy to learn, and how to set cadence and leader.

Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil: the pencil that holds in estuary current

Why the Hydro Pencil works just under the surface rather than on it, and how to use that in an estuary current seam.

Tackle House Shores Pencil: fishing the top twenty centimetres on a beach

How to follow the flood tide on a beach with a sinking pencil, set your speed to stay just under the surface, and cast far with very little weight.

Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg: the walking bait that walks fast and tight

How to use the Sexy Dawg's short stride and fast cadence to catch up with feeding fish, and why it tires your wrist less than a spook.

Shimano Ocea Head Dip: keeping contact in the waves

How the diving head of the Ocea Head Dip grips the water in chop and current, and how to work it for sea bass from the shore or from a boat.

Shimano Coltsniper Rock Walk: fishing over rock when nothing else gets through

How to walk a stickbait over fifty centimetres of water on a rocky ledge, keep contact in the chop and pick your tide window.

SeaSpin Janas: the stickbait you let the current work for you

How to fish the Janas on a drift through an estuary or tidal race, and why having no lip makes it a weapon on bass holding in current.

Savage Gear Hop Walker: walking the dog at sixty metres

A dense walking bait that reaches out and cuts a headwind, and the real difficulty that comes with it: keeping control of the walk at long range.

Savage Gear Gravity Stick: twenty extra metres when the wind pins you to the shore

How the Gravity Stick turns casting distance into a sea bass technique, and how to make it walk without losing its action in the wind.

Rapala X-Rap SubWalk: the walk the dog that happens underwater

Why a sinking stickbait that zigzags 30 cm below the film converts better than a topwater, and how to dial in its depth with a precise countdown.

Rapala Skitter Walk: the walking bait that forgives a clumsy hand

How to get a steady walk the dog with the Skitter Walk, which size to choose between sea bass and pike, and why it stays stable when the surface is choppy.

Rapala Skitter V: the walking bait that sprays on every wrist snap

How the Skitter V sits between the Skitter Walk and the Skitter Pop, and how to use its V hull to decide sea bass on a surface that is already rippled.

Rapala MaxRap Walker: the walking bait that reaches out

How the MaxRap Walker turns walking the dog into a searching tool, with long glides, very long casts and a cadence tuned to each species.

Maria Chase SW: the stickbait that holds in a rough sea

How to work Maria's Chase SW off a windy rocky point, why it stays gripped to the water in chop, and when to prefer a light pencil instead.

Lucky Craft Sammy 100: tuning the width of your walk

A walking bait does not always zigzag the same way. How to control stride width with the Sammy 100 so you can fish a narrow lane without walking out of it.

Lucky Craft Gunfish 115: the stickbait that walks and spits

Why the Gunfish combines a walking bait and a popper in one lure, how to alternate the two actions and when it beats a classic stickbait.

Jackson Pin Tail Tune: the sinking pencil that fishes in the wind

Why Jackson's Pin Tail Tune casts so far into a headwind, and how to fish it just under the surface for bass when floating lures stop working.

Illex Bonnie 95: walking the water when it blows and the bass are far out

Why the Bonnie 95 keeps its walking the dog in chop and casts a very long way for its size, and how to work it for sea bass and largemouth.

Illex Bonnie 128: walking the dog is a question of metronome

The Bonnie 128 sweeps the surface in a steady zigzag. Cadence method, slack line setting and the time slots where this stickbait takes sea bass and pike.

Heddon Super Spook Jr: the size that converts when the big one only provokes

Why the Super Spook Jr turns the followers that the 12.7 cm model lets walk away, and how to adapt your cadence to this smaller size.

Daiwa Saltiga Dorado Slider: the sinking stickbait for fishing in the wind

How to cast and work Daiwa's Dorado Slider sinking stickbait from the shore, when wind and chop make floating lures unusable.

Daiwa Morethan Crosswake: the V-wake that gives the lure away on the surface

What separates a wakebait from a stickbait and a popper, and how to retrieve Daiwa's Crosswake just under the film for night sea bass and pike on the flats.

Bomber Badonk-A-Donk: walking a stickbait in chop

How to keep a walking bait zigzagging cleanly when the sea is up, and why the Badonk-A-Donk still works for bass in broken water.

Berkley J-Walker: the walking bait you steer with the reel handle

Why the J-Walker holds a steady zigzag without perfect rod-and-reel coordination, and how to use it to cover water fast on the surface for bass and sea bass.

Ima Little Stik 135: the rear-weighted stickbait that walks effortlessly

14 cm, 28 g, an internal rattle chamber and a rear weight: why the Little Stik 135 starts walking on the first rod twitch and casts a very long way.

Bassday Sugapen: the micro stickbait that saves sea bass sessions

Why the Sugapen zigzags on a plain straight retrieve, how to fish it without knowing how to walk the dog, and when it beats a popper.

Baitsanity Antidote Broom Walker GT: 190 g of stickbait for the biggest fish

35 cm, a knocking internal weight, a hair tail and a bristle patch: how to fish this outsized walking bait without destroying your wrist in an hour.

Berkley Cane Walker: the walking bait that spits and clicks

Cupped mouth, internal rattle and a tail-heavy body: how the Cane Walker walks itself, which size to pick between 110 and 125, and when it is simply too loud.

Heddon Super Spook: the walking bait that casts the furthest

Why the Super Spook is still the benchmark for walk the dog on big water, how to get the steady zigzag and when to switch to the Jr version.

Evergreen Amazon Pencil: a 16 cm walking bait built for big predators

Real specs, walking amplitude, internal knocker, tackle and colours for the Evergreen Amazon Pencil, a 16 cm / 42.5 g topwater walking bait.

Reaction Innovations Vixen: the loud 12 cm walking bait

12.1 cm for 21 g, a hard-plastic topwater stickbait the maker calls extremely loud. Walking the dog, cadence, rigging, limits and colors.

Sebile Stick Shadd: three ways to fish it, from the lake to the coast

Three techniques for the Sebile Stick Shadd sinking/suspending stickbait, from largemouth bass on a lake to sea bass on the coast, plus depth control tips.

Xorus Patchinko 140: the sea stickbait that changed bass fishing

Walking the dog at sea, very long casts and working into a headwind: how to get the most from the Patchinko 140 on rocky points for sea bass.

DUO Realis Pencil 130 SW: the topwater stickbait for sea bass

Walk-the-dog technique, casting distance, stainless rigging and colour choice for the DUO Realis Pencil 130 SW, a saltwater stickbait for sea bass.

Popper 16

Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper: the surf lure built for distance

Three sizes, a tail weight and one very specific retrieve: everything you need to know about the Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper for sea bass from the shore.

Shimano World Pop: the shoreline popper that handles chop

How to cast and work Shimano's World Pop from the rocks, and why a saltwater popper has to be designed first for distance and for holding up in wind.

Savage Gear Prey Popper: the tool for surface feeding frenzies

How to read a shoal of feeding sea bass or mackerel and fish it with the Prey Popper: where to cast, at what cadence, and why you should never aim at the middle.

Rapala X-Rap Pop: the popper that still works when the surface gets up

How to fish the X-Rap Pop when chop erases small poppers, how to set the rhythm to the swell, and how to use it from the shore in the sea and on ponds.

Rapala Skitter Pop: the popper that also knows how to walk

How the Skitter Pop switches from a loud pop to a surface zigzag depending on rod angle, and why that double action changes how you search for bass and sea bass.

Jackson Gyro Pop: turning missed bass strikes into hooked fish

Why sea bass miss a saltwater popper so often, and how Jackson's Gyro Pop lifts the hook-up rate with its short spray and instant restart.

Ima Popkey: the popper that lifts a sea bass that was not feeding

How to use the Ima Popkey as a calling lure on flat water at first light, to commit a sea bass sitting on the bottom instead of waiting for a visible feeding spree.

Heddon Chug'n Spook: a popper that can also walk

Why the Chug'n Spook combines the spray of a popper with the zigzag of a walking bait, and how to switch from one to the other without changing lure.

DUO Realis Fangpop: a popper that can also walk

How to switch between pops and walking the dog with the Fangpop for sea bass and bass, and why that double register converts fish that are still hesitating.

Berkley Bullet Pop: the popper that casts far and still catches

Why the Berkley Bullet Pop is fished as much walking the dog as popping, and how rod angle alone switches it from one action to the other.

Bassday Crystal Popper: the sea bass popper that holds up in chop

How to fish the Crystal Popper off the rocks in a rough sea, why its density buys you distance, and when to prefer a sinking pencil.

Storm Arashi Cover Pop: the popper built to travel as little as possible

Why a popper designed to stay put changes how you fish cluttered banks, and how to get the most out of the 7.9 cm Storm Arashi Cover Pop.

Savage Gear Panic Popper: 3 checks before you cast off a jetty

Three quick checks before casting the Savage Gear Panic Popper off a jetty or breakwater, for a popper built to handle big shore-caught sea bass.

Yo-Zuri 3DB Popper: one popper, sea bass on the coast and bass on the lake

How the Yo-Zuri 3DB Popper crosses over between saltwater sea bass and freshwater largemouth bass, and what actually changes between the two.

Tsunami Talkin' Popper: sound before sight when calling bass from a distance

Why the Tsunami Talkin' Popper's noise carries further than its colour, and how to use it to call sea bass and mackerel in from a rocky point.

Illex SK-Pop Grande 65: the popper for dawn and dusk sea bass

Popping rhythm, time of day and rock marks to fish the Illex SK-Pop Grande 65 popper well — a field guide to topwater sea bass.

Casting spoon 3

Casting spoon

Abu Garcia Toby Veteran: same silhouette, twice the range

What the Veteran version changes against the classic Toby: density, casting distance, sink rate and a tighter wobble in the wind.

Casting spoon

Johnson Silver Minnow: the weedless spoon patented back in 1923

A stated 35-degree wobble, a single wire weedguard and four sizes from 5.1 to 9.5 cm — how to actually fish the Johnson Silver Minnow in heavy weed.

Casting spoon

Abu Garcia Toby: the wobbling spoon that fishes trout, perch and bass

Weight selection and S-shaped action for trout, perch and sea bass with the Abu Garcia Toby, the cult wobbling spoon since 1956.

Paddle tail 12

6th Sense Masterclass Panorama: the flat-sided shad in five sizes

Solid body from 2.3 to 3.5 in, split belly in 4.3 and 6 in: why that distinction changes the rig, and how to pick your Panorama size.

Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ: the soft jerkbait that rises instead of sinking

Why the ElaZtech in the Scented Jerk ShadZ makes it float at rest, and how to use that nose-down posture on bass and sea bass fishing weightless.

Westin Salty the Sandeel: the soft sandeel that sinks fast and stays in the mouth

Why the salt-loaded material of the Salty the Sandeel changes sink rate and how long a bass holds it, and how to fish it in current for sea bass.

Savage Gear 3D Swim Squid: imitating a prey nobody shows the bass

Why squid are a major autumn prey for sea bass, and how to work the 3D Swim Squid on its falling phase, from the shore as well as vertically.

Flashmer Eel Tail: the margin sand eel, where sea bass run the sand

How to fish the Eel Tail in a metre of water off a beach on the flood, how to choose the jig head weight, and how to live with a disposable soft body.

Berkley Gulp! Shrimp: the shrimp a fish keeps in its mouth

How to use a scent-loaded lure on harbour and estuary sea bass, what hookset to adopt, and how to store a product that dries out fast.

Z-Man Minnowz: the small Elaztech paddle tail that survives teeth

Why the 3 in Z-Man Minnowz floats, lasts and swims at crawling speeds, and how to rig it on a jighead, a weedless Texas hook or a drop shot.

Berkley Gulp Paddleshad: the swimbait that still swims at a crawl

Four sizes from 3 to 6 inches, a Gulp material that really disperses scent, a paddle that keeps kicking on a slow retrieve — how and where to fish it.

Fiiish Crazy Sand Eel: how to hit a feeding frenzy while it lasts

How to fish a sea bass or mackerel feeding frenzy with the Fiiish Crazy Sand Eel — fall speed, head weight and reading diving birds.

Savage Gear Sandeel V2: the realistic sandeel for sea bass and mackerel

Realism, head weight and retrieve for the Savage Gear Sandeel V2 targeting sea bass and mackerel from shore, and how it differs from a livelier sandeel lure.

Fiiish Crazy Paddle-Tail: cover a bass beach without overthinking it

Fan-casting technique, head weight and retrieve speed for the Fiiish Crazy Paddle-Tail — how to scan a beach or surf gutter for sea bass fast.

Fiiish Black Minnow N°3: the jighead system that changed sea bass fishing

Shore, Search or Offshore head — how to rig and fish the Fiiish Black Minnow N°3 for sea bass off the rocks and zander in estuaries.

Worm & finesse 1

Worm & finesse

Berkley Gulp! Sandworm: the artificial worm you fish almost motionless

How to fish the Gulp! Sandworm static and on slow draws for sea bass, which rig to pick for the bottom you have, and how to store it between sessions.

Jig & jighead 12

Xesta After Burner: the jig you retrieve fast, and why that works

How to fish a rear-weighted jig on a fast retrieve for sea bass and mackerel, and the decisive role your reel's line pick-up plays.

Tackle House Contact Britt: the falling-leaf descent

How to exploit the gliding fall of the Contact Britt jig in slow jigging, and why it is the drop phase that catches sea bass and mackerel.

Storm Gomoku Jig: vertical fishing is won on the line angle

How to fish the Gomoku Jig vertically from a boat: managing the drift, choosing the weight by line angle, and working the one-pitch retrieve for sea bass.

Savage Gear Seeker ISO: reaching sea bass 70 metres out

How to cast far and count the descent with the Seeker ISO casting jig, and why its off-centre profile changes the swim on the way back for sea bass and mackerel.

Palms Slow Blatt: the jig that works while you do nothing

Why the Palms Slow Blatt gets its bites on the drop rather than on the lift, and how to set the slow jigging rhythm for sea bass sitting on the bottom.

Molix Supernova Jig: the jig that works on the way down

How to use the Supernova Jig's fluttering fall for sea bass, from the shore or the boat, and why most bites come when you are doing nothing.

Maria Blues Code: reaching the frenzy that stays out of range

How to fish Maria's Blues Code jig from a breakwater to reach distant feeding frenzies, and how to match the weight to the strength of the current.

Major Craft Jigpara: the shore jig where the bite comes on the drop

How to fish the Jigpara from the shore: managing the fall phase, picking your weight for the current, and spotting bites on a semi-slack line.

Major Craft Jigpara Micro: drop the weight, raise the bite count

What the micro format of the Jigpara really changes: light tackle, harbour spots, short-stroke retrieves and small fish along the quay walls.

Illex Dexter Jig: the lump of metal that fishes when nothing else gets through

How to use the Dexter Jig's density to cast into the wind, hold in current and trigger sea bass on a fluttering drop.

Hayabusa Jack Eye: the jig you retrieve fast and never let sink

Why retrieve speed beats everything else with the Jack Eye, how to fish a mackerel shoal at the surface and when to slow down for sea bass.