As excitement builds for the 2026 saltwater fishing season in the Northeast, anglers use the winter months to take inventory of lures lost and gained, and the lures they couldn’t do without last year. Although many new baits and styles hit tackle shop shelves in 2025, novelty did not always equate to efficacy on the water. In fact, some of the toughest lures to acquire were historically-productive striper baits, like the rigged 12-inch Slug-go, which saw a resurgence in popularity among surf fishermen, especially. However, there were plenty of new and improved baits, like Yo-Zuri’s 2 5/8-inch Hydro Monster Shot, which quickly became scarce once fishermen caught wind of their success in coaxing picky false albacore and mid-shore mahi to bite.
By revisiting some of the most productive lures from last season, we’ve made it easy to restock your arsenal of soft plastics, swimming plugs, and everything in between. These are just a few of the essential lures and styles you’ll want a surplus of before the stripers start swimming north.
Striped Bass
Soft Stickbaits
The rigged, 12-inch Lunker City Slug-Go reasserted itself as a surfcasting staple again last summer, with many large fish falling to this classic soft plastic. It fools bass from shallow, sandy beaches to current-swept boulder fields.
Boat fishermen also cleaned up with these lures, catching on tried-and-true Gravity Tackle GT Eels and Joe Baggs Tackle Block Island Eels, as well as newcomers like the Big Water Baits Silent Partner, which is made with a stiffer soft plastic that’s a bit more durable, but not as supple as other soft baits.
Saltwater Glidebaits
Custom glidebaits took the striper scene by storm last season when South Jersey Lure Builder Jesse Stanislaw began offering his coveted Stride glidebaits through “drops” on his website. Good luck getting one (they usually sell out in less than a minute), but mass-produced and more readily available glidebaits, like the SPRO KGB Chad Shad 180, the G-Ratt Poppa Pete, and the Strike King Hogfather Junior can get you in the game. Just take note that these baits are designed for fresh water and require some terminal-tackle upgrades to make them striper-tough.
Flutter Spoons
Stripers haunting deep-running schools of bunker and herring had anglers buying flutter spoons throughout the Northeast this spring. The original striper flutter spoon, the Nichols Ben Parker Magnum, continued to catch, but wasn’t as readily available as the Tsunami Pro Flutter Spoon, which accounted for many big stripers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.
If a similar run happens in 2026, you’d be wise to have your flutter spoons on hand rather than risk finding them sold out at your local shop when the bite’s already on.
Bluefin, Yellowfin, and Bigeye Tuna
Slender Metal Jigs
The effectiveness of slender, metal “sand eel” jigs for tuna is showing no signs of slowing down, though a few styles are emerging as favorites among Northeast captains. The realism of the Shimano Shimmerfall sand-eel pattern has made it a staple on the tuna grounds since its release a few years ago. The UVT Tackle Captain Cory’s Tuna Jig was another go-to on seemingly every boat, with at least one rod rigged with either the Shore Catch Pink or Electric Chicken during last year’s midsummer bluefin and yellowfin bites.
Bluewater Hard Baits
Bigeye and yellowfin have been punishing trolling spreads in the canyons the last couple of seasons, and some of the hottest lures have been hard baits that can withstand high trolling speeds without blowing out. One of the newer arrivals is the Rapala Sarda, a lipless bait that can handle trolling speeds to 14 knots, along with a reinforced body that big fish won’t be able to break.
The standard for bigeye trolling the last few years has been the Nomad DTX Minnow, which can hit depths of up to 40 feet and swim true at speeds of up to 12 knots.
Weakfish, Fluke, Albies and More
Small Soft Baits
Back-bay anglers have enjoyed great success with 4- to 5-inch soft plastics in baitfish profiles. Standouts include the Z-Man Big BallerZ thanks to its unique action generated by the ball tail and segmentation, making the bait irresistible to schoolie stripers, weakfish, red drum, and fluke.
Another must-have is the Berkley Gulp Dragon Tail, which crushed shallow-water fluke this summer when presented on a light jighead and tapped along the bottom.
Epoxy Alternatives
False albacore seemed especially picky this season, forcing anglers to dig deeper than the standard epoxy-style jigs to get bites on some days. The Fish Snax Lures Albie Snax, rigged on a 3/0 swimbait hook, got plenty of bites on tough days, even when the bait was considerably smaller than 4 inches.
The new, smaller size of the Yo-Zuri Hydro Monster Shot, at 2 5/8 inches, also helped fishermen fool more albies last season with its versatile action. It was even more effective for fishermen casting to pressured mahi on the midshore lobster pots.
READ MORE
