soft plastic lure for stripers

as some of you know, i have been on a pilgrimage to find the last pearl white 9" houdini shad in the country.....i think i got the last ones months ago.....so i have been buying up other colors as well.here is what i found out.

1)they stopped making them because the company is arkansas based...they didnt sell well down here....but they do here!...damn,,,,,pearl is the most sought after color....all gone.....arkansas shiner, blue-white, smoke shad, yellow -white,all take large gamefish in the ocean and in the river....bubblegum and chartreuse work well in the ocean for stripers/blues and very well in the river for pike......black/purple works for night stripers....blane and the guy from fish factory in mtwon swear by them....the action is ridiculous...the tail can be rigged three different ways..slow fall, faster, and fluke style.... bluefish will tear them up, so if you see any...put those lures away!
2)ct outfitters has a couple hundred left...they are 3 paks...with 1 hook.....the hook is 9/0 excaliber and is way better than the slug-go hooks...they sell for 6.50....w/blue-white,yellow white,ark shiner,chart,bubblegum,and at fishing factory middletown they sell for 6.00 all those colors and smoke shad......
3)i found deals on amazon and continue to try to find more.

ok..so they are made by yum, and 5" are still carried in most baitshops...they are probably deadly on freshwater bass and pike....

here are a huge list of links to find large soft plastics....
some are eels, some are shad based...they are all great to check out..some are hand poured....
the closest to the houdini shad is the sad shad...
http://www.cobrabait.com/sad-shad.html
https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/Lures.html
http://www.alderneyangling.com/plugs_lures.htm
http://www.sovereignsuperbaits.co.uk/Accessories/Wrecking_Lures/Gilling_Lures/gilling_lures.html
http://www.mels-place.com/Contents/Fishing_Tackle/Lures/body_lures.htm
http://aaworms.com/about/
http://www.dmoz.org/Shopping/Recreation/Outdoors/Fishing/Lures/Freshwater/

http://www.basstackledepot.com/316missionfishswimbaits.aspx
http://www.fishonlures.com/how_to_order_Spine_Eel.htm
http://www.agmdiscountfishing.co.uk/lures-soft-plastic-slugs-eels-hogys-c-39_98.html?page=2&sort=2a
http://www.basstackledepot.com/316missionfishswimbaits.aspx
http://www.fishonlures.com/how_to_order_Spine_Eel.htm
http://www.codandstriperlures.com/prod.html#lures
http://shankas.com/
http://www.tackledirect.com/reaction-strike-striper-candy-saltwater-lures-10in.html?zmam=73201554&zmas=2&zmac=51&zmap=reaction-strike-striper-candy-saltwater-lures-10in
http://ledgerunner.com/baits.htm
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze2jth2/
http://crazyfishing.com/page2.html

here is a little more info i gathered...

soft plastics have been successful for many years...frank daignult and his disciples have been praising the "red gill" eel looking lure for decades...they are hard to find...most likely you have to get them from the UK....the front looks like an eel...it's long and has a small nubby paddle lit the back..

the slug-go is the most popular locally.....they are readily available and consistently work on all species...same for the fin-s...both are made by lunker city..

the hogy is becoming increasingly popular, their colors are outstanding, and the consistency of the lure is quite nice, you may want to eat yourself.... has a hook slit...and it has raised scale edges..something else for the fish to contemplate as you bury a hook in it's mouth....action is amazing in the water

aaworms make some strange colors on their shad tails...seems like they are partnered with optimum baits...you would say that their hand-pours look much more "gourmet" and elitist than other shad baits...paddle tail...serious color selction

zoom.....ok zoom magnum flukes have only one problem..they are not 9 inches...other than that this 7 in classic fluke lure is freaking awesome...hook slot....supple yet strechy....good colors as well.

I like the soft plastics more and more. I've found 14" Hogy's work as well as eels on 3-way rigs. I believe what you give up in scent is offset by the lack of eel balls and wasted drifts. Hogy also makes fresh flavors, including an eel scent.

i'm totally gonna get that eel scent....i hope they have it at EH cabela's or even better the local shops....there are a couple of those links above that offer lures actually made with bunker oil...i don't know if that makes a difference ...but the idea of it intrigues me....there are two 14" hogy's in the bargain bin @ ct outfitters...one is bubblegum, the other is black back with a little gray shad belly(mostly black).....each pak has 3 baits with no hook for 7 bucks...not a bad deal!


i have just begun to dip myself in the realm of soft plastics for saltwater and big freshwater species....i see how they work, i know if i get out next year enough, they will pay off....i was one of the 1st kids i knew to use mr. twisters for bass on a spinner blade....i caught many bass that way....and as i got older, every kid i knew was switching over to lures cause it was more challenging.......

it is more challenging.....and as you can see from RNA's videos.....lure fishing can really pay off...hugely.....

ok here is the link for the BKD's...they stand for bass kandy delight...they offer a 6" and 10" model...it's an assassin type lure with a long tail(but not too slender).. .it has a slit in the belly for a massive hook or two bait hooks rigged tandem.the 10 inch i tried on my 7 foot surf/pike pole...casted nice on 30 lb braid...and it swims beautifully...the white color is wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too white..like paint....the albino color is like the pearl houdini or the pearl zoom fluke colors...which are apparently the premier color for spring river run.....
http://basskandydelights.hypermart.net/

http://www.alltackle.com/bass_kandy_delights.htm


the chartreuse color bleeds the color onto different colored plastics.....
the black/green fleck should be nice at night....i also got their alwefife glitter...
the colors are subtle..not overpoured/over colored like other baits.....now these baits are freakin' CHEAP.....but they do put some in the bag that are less desirable...like a midesction missing a little meat, or a twisted tail...maybe a small hole in the body...but i got 30..only 2 were less desirable....for just over 1 dollar a piece...i think it's worth it..pics soon to follow.......also this lure can be streched bigtime!

ok here we go...putting the camera to good use.


top to bottom night plastics for stripers
14 in black hogy....great for three way rigs instead of eels(rna is 100000% right)
14 in black/pearl hogy...notice the belly does not have too much pearl...maybe that's why it was in the bargain bin at ct outfitters....still great for at night
9 in black paddletail hogy...clearance section at cabelas....good if you want to make more commotion
10 in black tandem style regular hogy---found in bargain bin at ct outfitters...no tag...got it and 1 more for 2 bucks.....awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! good for short strikes or for schoolies .

10 in double wide black and pearl hogy...it's phat! heavier, meatier , and of course by definition, wider....it's not really double the width...but close...the tail is especially chunky...i imagine it has a way different action than the original.

more.night striper softies....


top to bottom.
10 in BKD in black with green flake.....i can't wait to use this thing....the action on the other bkd i tried was sick...and the color....like used motor oil...real nice
9 in houdini shad...black back, purple belly.....got a good whack on this between the bridges....they dont make them in just black, and they also do not make them anymore....happy hunting...i am stockpiling houdinis like a hoarder.
7.5 in black slug-go....a classic...for use on smaller fish or smaller rods.
9 in black slug-go....classic stand-by lure.....if you got these, a black danny plug, and some tins, well that might be all you would ever need...not me...i guess i have to have all kinds of shiz.

top to bottom....

9 in sad shad in "alewife" color..note the similarity in the tail to the houdini shad....it too, can be modified...but not in the same way...it has marks to make it a fluke style.....no diamond shape to punch out to make it fall slower.....a much wider bait than the houdini as well....these come from cobra tackle...swap out the hooks, they are not large enough....they are perfect for 7 in slug-gos though.not really sure if this looks like an alewife, but screw it...nice color and profile nonetheless.
9 in houdini shad in smoke/pearl...back is nice and dark....you can only find these at fish factory in middletown.
9 in houdini shad in Arkansas shiner...these colors vary....some have more white or are paler....good color again.
10 in BKD in alewife glitter.....nice freakin colors on these! subtle...looks natural...looks like on their website, i gathered,the makers of this lure modeled it after sand eels...but boy it looks like everything!...eel...sand eel.alewife,shad, shiner,bunker, squid...it imitates everything......i think this is an up and comer. and awesome colors as well...

14 in bubblegum hogy...these really need to be tandem rigged-bargain bin steal
14 in yellow chrt hogy....bargain aisle cabelas.
9 in bubblegum houdini shad...good for pike ass well.
9 in yellow/pearl houdini shad...i will throw stuff like that if there are blues...because i could give three shitz about this color...but you never know...could be deadly
9 in chartreuse houdini shad...good for pike as well
10 in chartreuse bkd.....these sell alot in maryland/chesapeake

9 in sad shad in herring color
9 in houdini in blue/pearl...i modified it with a sharpie to make a mackerel
9in sad shad in bunker color...not sure if this color replicates a bunker...but fuk it ...looks good..again wider body than the houdini.
9 in blue/pearl houdini
and lastly....a ugly ass green striper magnet....

...
these are all good lures but work especially well in the ct river.

9 in sad shad in white.
9 in houdini in pearl...the most coveted lure in my eyes...you have better luck winning the lottery than finding these in the u.s.

7 in magnum super fluke in pearl white.the fluke style is copied over and over throughout the world...this is the biggest zoom makes
10 in hogy.in bone color....regular...and totally awesome action...nice lite tail....and texture on all hogys are great.
10 in albino BKD....awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this color..should slam the shiz out of pike as well,no?
10 in white BKD...really white!...like paint...too white for me///i'm gonna toss these if blues are out and about

all these are weighted.

left column top to bottom
bigass storm/tsunami weighted shad-golden bunker color
weighted squid---brown tsunami
vision tackle surf eel....holographic foil...paddle tail.
vision tackle sand eel...the tail is almost completely translucent...should work at the mouth of the housie in the spring
storm/tsunami shad...blueback herring color
storm/tsunami shad -chartreuse back
good sized storm shad...bunker color

right column top to bottom
bunker split-tail storm bait
blueback split-tail storm bait
storm mackerel--little paddletail
berkley powerbait shad
storm natural peanut bunker...looks freakin real to me!

smaller striper/schoolie softies--also great for pike....smaller lures good for albies or freshwater bass...
left column top to bottom
7 in amber hogy
7 in Arkansas shiner fin-s(lunker city)
7 in fin-s...green glitter back
7 in fin-s....glitter shad body, green-blue back
7 in fin-s...pearl white
7 in magnum super fluke....smoke shad
4 in fluke black fleck/clear grey
4 in fluke albino
5 in pearl houdini shad...i really wish they made a 7.5 in version of this...you can still find 5 in models at most tackle shops

right column, top to bottom
5 in houdini shad-smoke shad
5 in camo-pearl....should be good for albies in oct...matches the chovies
5 in shadlyn--Arkansas shiner -lindy lil joe/old bayside
5 in super fluke smoke pepper shad
5 in shadlyn...electric chicken
5 in shadlyn closing night color
5 in shadlyn opening night color
5.5 in yum money minnow...green back, yellow-green body
7.5 bubblegum slug-go
8 in yum dinger in grey fleck

Thanks for listing these and the sites. In the spring we will tank demo these on video. Know anyone w/ a pool?

i do...he's in the club...i will talk to him this week...his pool is closed right now but wont be in spring....and he lives in wethersfield

i got an underwater camera as well...fukkin brilliant!footage above and below water....we can have someone pretend to be a striper....

Picked up some of Al Gags 4" Whip-It Eels today at the fishing show. They look like they could be the best yet for imitating the small sand eels and other baitfish the stripers hit on early spring in the Housy tidal marshes. He's making them from 4" up to 10" and they are designed to fish w/ a jig. When I'm fishing 3-4" soft plastics, I often have to go to a light jig head to get any casting. I like the 4" because the design has a thick upper eel to accomodate the jig . The 3" sluggos often tear off even on small jig heads as the bodies are so thin. The Gag tail is almost ribboned. Al told me if I like them, I can purchase in bulk direct. Some days I may go through a few dozen small plastics like Fin-S. Also like the Sluggo SS for sand eels. Looking forward to seeing some of what alru19 has come up with. Soft plastics are a competitive but ever expanding market, and I've yet to find the perfect model, but I fish all kinds with different models covering a range of conditions and situations. There's lots of room for new lures that meet various needs.

al gag's makes great stuff...i have seen that whip it eel on line...looks like the perfect bait to fish with a jighead...
one of the reasons i have been buying up different soft plastics is to see the differences and to be able to use them in different conditions...also from what you(RNA) have been telling me...that many can get torn up by bluefish and just lost in general from biting gamefish....
which is why i also have been stockpiling hardbaits,,,to have as well...got some good ones to use when the river is hot, and when the plastics are getting shredded by blues....Going to try white darters on somebody's boat when someone else is using softies to compare...

rna is right soft plastics are really blowing up ....i can't wait to see what ALRU has to show us...
Alru, if you read this, rna is the one you want to test your lures, he has waaaaaaaayyyyyy more experience than i do, and he gets out a lot more than i do......you guys should get together this summer,,,he has summers off!
where are we filming the action of the plastics?....if nobody has a pool, we can use west hill lake...it's quite clear...i just have to wait till the water temp is nice so my nutz don't shrink

I know I just joined up here, but thanks for some push on the Sad Shads. Those are some of the first of the second version of that bait. Its definitely not a Houdini imitator, but was designed as a competitor about 7 years back. Being younger then and a small company, there was no way to compete or advertise, but not with the 9" Houdini gone, it has opened up the market and things are really starting to roll for Cobra Bait. The Sad Shads' head design, makes the bait jump and skip out of the water, the head will slap the surface and spit when you work the bait on a semi slack line and snap your rod tip facing the water, such as fishing a spook. The tail can be fished out of the package, or cut to a fork for a bit faster fall, and a smaller profile in length. Also if your fishing surf were there are sand eels, you can slice the tail thin to imitate the eels. This can be done with scissors or a knife. Meatloaf, interesting your take on the hooks. Sad Shads and their hooks were design to work together, as well as I have weighted hooks now. The weight is tear dropped below the hook so on hook set, the weight doesnt interfere with the plastic as it slides into the hook slot cavity.

nice info man!my take on the hooks is totally irrelevant...i am no pro and i am a beginner novice when it comes to this stuff..i just figured that it would have to be a large striper to get hooked onto that hook...it's a large profile bait...wide and tall...
..
in this forum RNA has said he has even used hooks right on top of swimbaits....he uses thinner profile stuff like slug-gos and hogys... he says they just get inhaled.....but that is tough for a BIGASS bait....your lures are beefy for sure, and priced modestly...they also feel like they could take a beating.
it's awesome that you joined our forum...you are the second big sized soft plastic mfgr to join us...very cool.....

i fished a houdini the other day....(i didnt have yours in my surf bag...only brought a couple 9 in softies).....what i notice about the houdini, you describe in your post...it's like a glider...and i can see how your bait would spit more than those houdinis....well done....

houdini shads did not make it because they YUM is based out of ARK....didnt sell well down there, so it got squashed.....
there is a tough but huge market to fill the void....
innovation shall lead the way...so will networking... and so will fostering new ideas for the same product....
any soft plastic that can be used on stripers, will work for pike.
different size options can also pave the way for folks who use lighter tackle.
some day i hope to fish with you.....middletown is close!.....
RNA will be stoked you joined...we love getting people in here who contribute and make all of us smarter.....
if you got fish pics, post away!

I'll have to pick up some Sad Shads at FFIII. Apparently missed some killer action this past weekend on the CTR. This is the longest I've been before getting to fish stripers in forever. This weeks schedule sucks, but maybe Sunday.

Andrew doesnt have any Sad Shads, the old style used to be there, but they were tucked behind the door, which was open most the time. i had the flappin flukes and yankee lobster jig there as well. but all andrew carries now is my weighted hooks. go there and ask for Sad Shads, he can get them from me if he wants, or you can order online: www.cobrabait.com

he should put all those houdinis in the bargain bin and put yours in it's place....have you thought of doing bulk bags or sampler paks?

oh i forgot to add an another reason why i thought the hook was a little too small was because bluefish inhabit the same areas as bucketmouths in the sound, and i figured if a bluefish is going to tear a part a lure , the bluefish would stand a better chance of getting hooked with a little longer hook...and after landing the bluefish can be scolded, laughed at, given a big hug and sent back to the wolf pack.i want to try and figure if i can do two small bait hook tandems on them...i cant wait to try your lures in the river....the one with the brown top is probably a killer in stained water like in the mouth of the ct.wish i had a good boat and more time...after my kid(S) get older i will be out there way more...i feel like i have a lot of catching up to do...i have live baited for years in my adult life....i forgot how fun it was to lure fish when i was a kid...i guess you could say i am going back to my roots.....
rna has a video in here from last year when he caught 2 dozen keepers in haddam in like 2hrs..mostly on softies...that made me really spin around to get back into lures...that and capt blaine, andrew, and a friends of mine from RH slay them on softies year after year...

i make a stinger hook rig, its more for people who fish 'other' plastics, but doesnt really work with the sad shad, i do have an idea though, i will throw one together and post it up. i have kids as well and many a year has had my fishing on the back burner. in all due time. my free time is basicly working on cobra.

http://www.cobrabait.com/saltwater-hooks-rigs.html

i need to update the page, the stinger rig is 150# stainless wire, spro swivel, and a Cobra 3/0 4x treble, they are good for chunking also!

your prices are pretty solid.....very competitive....
took another look at your site, saw the yankee jigs pics up....nice!they look REAL!probably awesome for the bottom of two tree channel.
i always wanted to put a live chicken lobster on a big hook in the race...
cobra-by the way we do a tourney on the sunbeamV every year if you are interested....we charter the boat privately..i should have the date booked soon....previous goers and members of this forum get 1st crack at open spots..