Bag It

Surf bags are standard equip-ment in striper country from Maine to Hatteras, as well as on the West Coast. They range from small and simple belt pouches that carry three or four lures, to mammoth, triple-row tackle bags.

Simpler is better. After 40 years of pounding sand along the striper coast, I've settled on a single-row bag that holds a dozen or so lures. Such a bag is light enough to carry all night without fatigue, and can be counted on for grab-and-go success in the surf. The trick, of course, is in stocking a bag with lures that produce.

The contents of my bag may change slightly, as I reload it from stock boxes in my truck depending on location, tide and the rod I'll be casting. But the lures shown here are almost always in my bag in one form or another, as they have produced fish consistently for years.