The Center Console Captain Gift Guide

An inshore day on the center console starts at the ramp before light, and the plan changes twice. May and June I'm trolling a deep diver over herring and pogies, then swinging poppers on the Vineyard Sound squid rips. July and August go dawn-only: bass slide deep, sand eels light up the screen, sea bass and fluke on the slack. September brings wind and albies, and the fall run carries the boat into cold November mornings.

The Center Console Captain fishes all of it off one deck with no room for junk. So this lineup is my mesh crate: one tool for each job the boat does. It's the crate I'd load for one.

1  Deep Diver Swim Plug “The Search Tool”

WHEN  May and June: herring and pogies spread over the contours, bass scattered under them, nothing on top.

FISH IT  Rod in the holder, 3 to 5 knots to search, 2 to 4 on a contour. Mark every hit, come back and cast. No hits? Slow to 2 knots first.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Too much water, nowhere to start: this through-wired, set-and-forget plug searches to 25 feet so they stop casting blind.

“Used this plug when the fish are scattered in small schools. Set and forget trolling.” Ernest W.

2  FRANKEN Macro Chug Popper “The Long-Range Caller”

WHEN  Late May into June, bass crashing squid on the Vineyard Sound rips at first light. Fall bunker with bass underneath.

FISH IT  Hold in the smooth water, cast up-tide, pop it as the current swings it into the rip. Followers won't eat? Two twitches, then let it hang.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Bass spread under bait have to find it first. The deep cup carries a hundred feet, and translucent white is a proven squid color. It's the first crowd-sourced saltwater lure, shaped by 757 anglers.

“Love the dual action of popping and walking the dog.” Michael P.

3  Protail Paddle “The 7-Iron”

WHEN  Mid-May to mid-June on the deep end of Middle Ground: herring on the boulders, bigger bass under them in 35 to 55 feet.

FISH IT  Jig it through the bait: lift, then let it fall on a semi-slack line. Most eats come on the drop. Can't reach them? Add weight, not speed.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  The big ones sit deeper than a plug reaches. The 3 oz head gets there in current, the paddle still swims, and it's the toughest softbait on the market.

“We caught over 300 fish this fall, and these lures caught 80% of them.” David F.

4  Sand Eel Jig “The Workhorse”

WHEN  July and August: dawn-only bites, bass slid deep off the rips, sand eels pinned to bottom on the screen.

FISH IT  Straight down to the marks, lift sharp, let it fall on a tight line. Most eats come on the fall. Drift beating it to bottom? Go heavier.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  When sand eels are on the screen, it has to be slim. The fast taper drops it quick and flutters it on the fall, and it carries the teaser rig down on the groundfish day.

“...in combination with Jig Biki, I caught Haddock, Acadian Red Fish, Cod and Pollock.” Thomas E.

5  Jig-Biki Crystal Teaser “The Curtain”

WHEN  Late May through September on the slack: sea bass and scup on hard bottom, fluke drifting over sand, Buzzards Bay and the Sounds.

FISH IT  Tie it above the Sand Eel Jig, keep the jig near bottom and let the boat's roll work the teasers. Tog in the rocks? Take it off.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Groundfish eat small crabs and bait. Two micro-teasers give them that smaller target and convert the fish that rise to look but won't commit. One a drop becomes doubles.

“Many fish and doubles and triples on the sea bass on the jig and the teasers.” Eric C.

6  Epoxy Jig “The First Jig Out”

WHEN  September and October: albies and bonito blitzing small bait in the Sounds, up for seconds and gone.

FISH IT  Cast past the school and burn it back; don't let them study it. Stopped chasing? Count it down. Slick calm, slow down and let it flutter.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Albies on tiny bait ignore anything big or slow. This is the original EPO, still my gold standard for albies and bonito: it matches the bait, reaches fish past range, and the in-line single unhooks fast.

“Caught many bonito and false albacore trolling, casting and even jigging it” James P.

7  Mesh Crate Storage System “The Go Bag”

WHEN  The night before: every lure above, leader spools, pliers and sunscreen in one crate, garage to truck to deck.

FISH IT  Slide it over a milk crate, boxes and roll-ups inside, leader spools in the vinyl pockets. Hose it off at the dock.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  A cluttered deck means digging for a box while the blitz goes down. A loaded crate holds a season of gear; I've filmed three seasons of Salty Cape out of one, and most trips never touched half of it.

“...I downshifted to a 17 CC and this is right on the money” Tom D.

Four 7-foot spinning rods, two Medium and two Medium-Heavy, rigged before the boat leaves the dock. Bass and groundfish: 30 lb braid, 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon. Albies: 15 to 20 lb braid, 12 lb fluorocarbon, tied direct.

A 5-foot-6 conventional lives in the console for the swim plug and the deep jigs: 60 lb braid and a long 60 lb fluorocarbon topshot.

Big fish in fast water: take it out of gear, drift with it, and unhook it in the water. A quicker release is a healthier release.

More from me on Hogy: my inshore tackle crate and load out and Vineyard Sound stripers on the drop, the Protail day on the Elizabeths.