7 Must-Have Saltwater Lures for New England Fishing This May

The May bite in New England is electric—schoolie stripers in the back bays, keeper fish off the rocks, and bottom fishing heating up. To help you make the most of the action, we handpicked 7 top-performing saltwater lures that are in stock and proven effective for this point in the season.

1. Cotton Cordell Red Fin Swimmer 

An absolute classic. Fish it slow across the surface or just subsurface to mimic wounded baitfish. The black color makes it ideal for night or low-light fishing, especially in estuaries and along the surf. If you see anything cruising the surface you know its time to throw one of these.

2. Albie Snax

Deadly on spring stripers cruising shallow flats, or picky fish breaking all around you. Rig it weightless on a twistlock hook and twitch it slow near the surface—this soft plastic draws strikes even in pressured conditions. The big brother of the Albie Snax, the XL Snax, is having a lot of success this spring as well.

3. Tsunami Hi-Lo Rig with Glass Minnow

Fluke are here, and it looks like it could be a great season. When you want to double your chances, this hi-lo rig shines. Fish vertically from piers or boats, or cast and retrieve near structure. We like to fish ours rigged with a bucktail on the bottom, but if you are in a snaggy area, try fishing just the teaser with a bank sinker underneath. This rig is also great for black sea bass and big scup.

4. SPOONS!

These lures are about as much of a lock for catching a big bass as I can give you. Find the big bait, drop a spoon, and you are almost guaranteed a ride. These spoons excel at fishing the lower part of the water column, but experiment with them and try some different jigging and retrieving techniques. We've seen it work well with dragging bottom, speed jigging back to the surface, and slow twitching around six feet from the bottom. There are a lot of options with them!

5. SWE Plug Sticker

No, it doesn’t catch fish—but it tells everyone on the beach or dock that you know where to get your gear dialed in. Stick it on your plug bag, cooler, or console. Represent Saltwater Edge.

6. Big Snakes

The last couple of seasons have proven that you don't need to carry around a bucket of eels to catch big bass. The latest soft plastic eel imitations perform amazingly and they won't twist themselves up on your line into a ball of slime. Check out the latest offerings like the Block Island Eel and the Slappy Swim Eel

7. Worms

There's a worm hatching coming soon to a bay or estuary near you, time to get ready. Whether you are a fly or light tackle angler we have what you need to dial in the hatch. Some person favorites are the Wonder Worm, 4" Pink Ronz, 4 1/2in Pink Sluggo, and the Hogy Epoxy Jig in Worm Hatch

Load Up and Get Out There

These lures are dialed in for the conditions we’re seeing right now—cooler mornings, warming water, and increasingly aggressive fish. They're all available now at Saltwater Edge, and they’ll help you stay ready for whatever May throws your way.

As always if you have any questions let us know!