These are lures I have successfully caught fish with in NYC
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Bucktail Jig - There are many different styles of Bucktails. Depending on the hair density and head design. For example an arrow style head will sink faster, while a flat nose will sink slower in the current. More hair on the jig, the slower the Bucktail will fall. Less hair, the quicker the Bucktail will fall in the water. Regardless of weight. If you master the bucktail, you will not need to use any other lure in both Saltwater and Freshwater. It covers every part of the water column and matches a variety of hatches better than most. My favorite way to fish the Bucktail is from a vertical angle and slow drifting the bottom. With the right "Swing" in the current and weight, it'll moon walk the bottom and look like a wounded bait fish. Work a few twitches to your retrieve and the Bucktail will entice the lateral line even more on the predator fish to strike. The most popular and useful bucktail color in NYC is white. However in dirty water conditions, Chartreuse can out perform, same with pink. A trailer added to the back of the bucktail jig changes the profile to target different fish. For example a Gulp! Swimming mullet on the back works great for Summer Flounder (Fluke), while a Jig strip might work better as a trailer for Striped Bass in fast current. My favorite bucktail trailer is a Zoom Fluke.
1oz White Bucktail Jig - Link
Berkley Fusion Bucktail Jig 3/4oz Chartreuse & White - Link
Trailers for the Bucktail:
Fat Cow Jig Strip White - Link
Gulp! Swimming Mullet 4" White - Link
Gulp! Jerk Shad 5" White - Link
Zoom Fluke 5" White - Link
Diamond Jig / Kastmaster / Epoxy Jig - These shiny metal lures have proven year after year to catch fish. Some work better than others. The Diamond Jig is an excellent surf and jetty lure because it casts far and sinks quick. An excellent sand eel replicator but mimics a variety of forage. The Diamond jig works best with a green or orange tube trailers. The orange/red tube trailer tends to work better on Spring bluefish and Green trailer works best in the Fall for Striped bass in the surf. The Kastmaster is proven to catch pretty much any species of predator fish. It mimics its surroundings and the mirror finish reflects brighter than others in the sun light. The Epoxy Jig matches small bait and you can successfully fish the entire water column with it. It catches pretty much all species and works excellent for False Albacore in the Fall. I like to use a single hook on the back and sometimes add Gulp! for jigging Fluke, Weakfish and Porgy.
Diamond Jig A17 Green - Link
Diamond Jig A17 Pink - Link
Kastmaster Kit 3/4oz - Link
Hogy Epoxy Jig Silver 7/8oz - Link
Swimbait - Jig head and soft plastic swim baits work excellent in NYC. Snap jigging is a very effective retrieve when the feed is active but they can be fished slowly too. Depending on the water clarity it can be wise to change your color. I would default to White in daylight and Purple/Black at Night. This is for overall contrast but you can use white at night and purple/black in the day too, no rules. For algae green stained water Chartreuse works great, and Pink/Orange when it is stained muddy brown. When your fishing the rivers during a Herring run, try Rose and lighter pink tones in the Bubblegum & Violet color spectrum.
6th Sense Divine Swimbait 3.8" Clearwater Rose - Link
Great for back bay and rivers for striped bass. This color mimics the iridescent scale flash of herring.
Berkley Fusion19 Jig Head 3/8oz 3/0 Shad color - Link
This will pair well with the Divine Swimbait and has a strong hook. 3/8oz is a great middle ground weight for the bays/backwater.
Elias V Extreme Paddle Shad 5.5" White - Link
This is a versatile larger profile swimbait. It has a lot of tail action and works well targeting striped bass feeding on adult menhaden.
Owner Ultrahead 3x Saltwater 3/4oz 5/0 hook - Link
These arrow head design jig heads cut the water really well. They pair and fit well with the extreme shad and are strong hooks.
Fluke & Jerk Shad - These are a great finesse presentation and work best in the spring/summer. You can make them sweep wide with very little rod movement. Just a few twitches on the rod tip as you slowly reel in. Great for bottom bouncing in shallow water and weedless texas rigged for thick summer seaweed. These work great for Fluke (Summer Flounder) and Striped Bass in the Spring. Especially in the shallow flats of the bays.
Zoom Fluke Super Salty 5" White Ice - Link
Lunker City Fin-S Fish 5.75" Ice Shad (White) - Link
Gulp! Jerk Shad 6" Pearl White - Link
Spook - Topwater lure with a "walk the dog" action. The rattle and wide sweeping action of the spook calls in fish from far away. The 5" is a nice versatile size to start with and has a lot of action.
Heddon Super Spook 5" Bone - Link
The Heddon has a nice balance and casts far.
Glidebait - I haven't used these for long but they seem to catch striped bass and bass in general. You don't need to move the rod tip much, more of a quick crank of the reel handle to get the glidebait to dart left and right. Make short pauses between cranks and the glidebait will make a wide left to right walking patterns.
Berkley Chop Block 8" Raw - Link
6th Sense Trace 5.0 Bone Pearl 5" - Link
Minnow Plugs - Sub surface sinking plugs work great at the end of Spring when the bluefish show up. Soft plastics will get chewed up by the blues so these make a great alternative. Long casting distance and great for the surf. Black/Purple SP Minnow works great at night in the Spring for Striped bass.
SP Minnow 6" Black/Purple Sinking - Link
SP Minnow 5 1/8" Chrome Sinking - Link
Gulp! - Biodegradable and scented. It catches a lot of fish and they make many different products. I like the swimming mullet, grub, sandworm, sand eel, jerk shad, minnow and shrimp.
Swimming Mullet 3" Chartreuse - Link
Grub 4" Pearl White - Link
Sandworm 6" Camo - Link
Sand Eel 5" Silver Mud - Link
Jerk Shad 6" Dazzleberry Chrome - Link
Minnow 3" Starry Night - Link
Shrimp 3" New Penny - Link
Senko / Plastic Worm - The senko worm is unique and can be fished in both freshwater and saltwater. It can also be used for jig trailers like bucktails. Tons of ways to rig them like Texas and Wacky. They work great on a slow fall and retrieve during the Winter time.
Gary Yamamoto Senko 5" Green Pumpkin Black Flake - Link
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