Surf Fishing: Here are the 25 Top Surfer Lures

Less cost, convenience, and accessibility—it’s no wonder that surf fishing is one of the most popular fishing techniques used especially by those just starting their angler journey. It can be quite intimidating and overwhelming at first, but it’s actually much easier than you think. Surf fishing or surfcasting is a fishing technique that involves casting a bait or lure as far as you can out into the water to reach your fishing targets. With that said, the kind of lure you use brings an important factor to the kind of fishing experience you obtain with surfcasting. Any artificial lure can be used with this technique, but there are certainly ones that are best utilized for surf fishing. 

Top 25 Surfer Lures

1. Luhr-Jensen Krocodile Spoon - This spoon lure is essential when you are aiming to get the attention of scattered fish, as it produces a flash and flutter action that is ideal for this type of fishing situation. This type of brass spoon lure prides itself on durability and range. There are also a wide variety of colors you can use to experiment with. 
2. Tsunami Popper - There are a lot of poppers available to use as a surfer lure but the Tsunami Talkin’ Popper is one of the best there is. This is ideal for anglers who want to catch some bluefish species, which are fond of poppers. 
3. Spro bucktail jig  - This one prides itself on versatility and its natural gliding action. They might not be as durable as the other lures, but they are sure to be quick in catching fish, especially pompano species.
4. Jig and grub combo - This combination is one of the best saltwater fishing lures that is sure to take your surf fishing experience to the next level. Its versatility enables you to catch every saltwater game fish species available in the area you are fishing in. 
5. Kastmaster spoon - A lure that ensures the release of your caught fish unharmed. It is a flexibly dense and dynamic bait that works its best in enticing fish species. 
6. Rm Smith Swimmer - One of the prettiest lures in the market, but its extra-wide wobble that attracts a lot of stripers is proof enough that this one is more than just a pretty design.
7. Diamond jig - This lure can be used in both surf and boat fishing. Heavier diamond jigs models can cast a long-range distance, and can withstand stiff winds because of its aerodynamic features. 
8. Reverse Atom - While this may be no longer produced at present time, you may find this type of lure at yard sales and when you do, grab it. It is said to imitate a fleeing squid and attracts a good number of stripers on the surface. 
9. Gotcha lure - Also one of the aerodynamic ones, this lure is heavy and can be cast at a long-range distance. This type of lure can be best used when aiming to catch bluefish and Spanish mackerel, but it can also catch a good number of fish that swim along its way.
10. Gibbs Casting Swimmer - Known as “bottle plugs”, this lure is excellent for fishing turbulent water and casting long-range distances. Using this will make it easy to catch aggressive striped bass species. 
11. Pencil popper - This topwater plug is essential when angling on waters with fish feeding on the surface. While it may not be as versatile as the other types, they still serve as an effective and productive way of attracting game fish species.
12. Rapala X-rap jerk bait - This lure can be effectively used when reeled in quickly several times, giving the rod tip a sharp twitch and pause to imitate a dying fish to attract your targets. It’s one of the most expensive ones and it does not cast as good as the other lures but is great nonetheless.
13. Andrus-Jetty Caster - This is one of the best striper lures in the market, and it can be used to catch any fish that swims past it. 
14. Creek Chub Pikie - Designed in the 1920s, this lure was first produced to catch muskellunge and pike fish species. It was then upgraded to a bigger variation, which was extraordinary in attracting big striped bass species. Although the production for this lure has stopped, there are still a lot of custom builders who replicate and sell this.
15. Boone Needlefish - Originally produced as a lure for sea trout species, this plug only comes straight into the water with less action but is still effective in catching big stripers. It creates little to no water disturbance, imitating those of slender baitfish such as sand eels and silversides.
16. Cotton Cordell Red Fin - Considered as one of the great lures for searching, this lure is capable of swiping stripers around it. It can cover the waters pretty fast and its action parallels that of other minnow-style rules. While it may be small in size, this lure has got some records of bug catches, especially cow stripers. 
17. Lucky Craft Flash Minnow - This lure belongs to the expensive ones, but they are also worth buying especially when you are looking for notable experiences of catching stripers, halibut, and surfperch species. It seizes its way onto the biggest catch, knocking out small fishes along the way.
18. Gulp Alive Sandworms - Aside from being one of the best artificial baits used for angling game fish, these sandworms also work on other surfperch species such as calico, barred, and red tail. Using this when angling in southern California can also help you catch some leopard shark, halibut, croaker, and corbina. 
19. Red Gill Rascal - This lure is one of the best sand eel imitations, which attracts a lot of striped bass species of up to 30 pounds, even under a dark night. This was originally manufactured as a codfish lure in the 1950s. 
20. LiveTarget Shrimp - It’s well known that most saltwater fish eat shrimp, which is why this realistic shrimp lure is one of your best bets when it comes to surf fishing. It’s an essential one to bring especially when angling in bays, in jetties, or inshore. This works best with speckled trout, snook, striped bass, and surfperch. 
21. Northbar Bottle Darter - A hybrid plug that earned its reputation as one of the best lures for giant striped bass in the late 2000s. 
22. Bomber Long A - This was first introduced as a trolling plug for walleye species in the mid-1970s. For a low price, it sure guarantees optimum productivity and offers great chances of catching stripers. 
23. MirrOlure TwitchBait - With its dynamic action and great imitation of minnows, this type of lure makes bluefish and striped bass species go nuts in devouring it. This is also popular with inshore species such as tarpon, snook, and redfish.
24. Yo-Zuri Mag Darter - This lure glides smoothly into the water and easily attracts stripers. It has an internal magnetic weight that helps the angler go straight into the strike zone.
25. Acme Kastmaster - This lure’s dynamic and tail-kicking action, a lot of gamefish species sure fall for this such as striped bass. It is ideal to use when angling in windy conditions.

The Takeaway

When choosing the appropriate lure to use, you must still put in mind the certain factors that you need to consider in doing so. Make sure that it is saltwater rated, and at least provides aggressive action, which is essential when you target predatory fish species. Also, take note of the weather and water conditions of where you are going to fish—use brighter-colored lures during days of overcast, and use muted and neutral tones when you fish on clearer days.