For the fisherman who has everything, the specialty pieces matter on specific days. A late-May dawn on the Vineyard Sound rips, when the big squid give way to small ones and the bass start short-striking. A calm September morning with albies on bay anchovies an inch long, turning away from the usual colors. A cold November rip where the paddle that worked all fall won't hold bottom.
The Angler Who Has Everything already owns the staples, every one I make. This lineup is the short runs, the Vintage Locker releases and the small upgrades that fix those days. If they open it and say they don't have that one, it worked.
A seasoned angler who fishes the narrow windows on purpose and has opinions about hooks. They own the rods, the reels and the standard lures in three colors each, and they'd rather you didn't guess at another one. Those windows are the June squid run, the albie weeks and the cold late-fall rips.
They notice small things, like a color nobody else is throwing or a treble they'd rather not have near a fish's eye. If they've said 'don't get me anything, I'm all set,' this is them.
The full set is $89.65 MSRP. One of each is a box of things they don't already own, from the June squid run to the fall rips.
Already has everything? Nothing here is a staple. It's short runs and small upgrades, the kind they look at and don't buy for themselves.
Want to keep it small? The Plug Flag and the circle hooks fit a stocking. Add the Pocket Squid and they have a complete rig.
Giving the full set? Print the guide and tuck it in the box.
THE LINEUP
1 Pocket Squid “The Micro-Squid Specialist”
WHEN June on the Vineyard Sound rips, when the big squid give way to the small second wave and the bass start short-striking.
FISH IT Cast up-tide on the circle hook and let the current swing it into the seam. Keep it slow. Weed on the seam? Clean it every cast.
WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT Short strikes on small squid need a smaller bait that still casts: 6.5 inches of soft amber at 7/8 oz. It's a limited run in our Imitator plastic, tough enough for several fish per bait.
“...found the school of Black Sea bass that were very interested in squid imitators” Jean M.
Add to cart | MSRP $12.95See details ›
2 Keeper Soft Circle Hook
WHEN Rigging the Pocket Squid. It ships unrigged and fishes on a soft circle hook.
FISH IT Twist the screw keeper into the bait, point clear. When a fish eats, don't swing. Reel tight and the circle turns into the jaw.
WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT Jaw-hooked fish unhook fast and go back healthy. It's a needle-sharp VMC with our own twist-on keeper, which holds the bait all morning with almost no hardware inside to kill the action.
“Circle hook is in the jaw every time for quick catch and release and less damage to fish.” James A.
Add to cart | MSRP $8.95See details ›
3 Frightened Squid Vintage Epoxy “The Scalpel”
WHEN Late spring, then September and October: small squid around and fish picking in calm, clear water.
FISH IT Cast, let it flutter down, two short twitches, let it fall again. Most eats come on the fall. Follows turning off? Longer pauses. Chasing? Burn it.
WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT For calm-water fish that refuse metal. The 5/8 lands soft and hangs where a heavier jig is already past them. Same keeled EPO they know, in a squid finish that won't be around long.
“Very versatile, can work as a topwater or just twitch and burn it in.” Hunter K.
Add to cart | MSRP $14.95See details ›
4 Shrimp Epoxy Jig “The Finesse End”
WHEN Late August through October: albies and bonito on bay anchovies an inch or two long, up for seconds and gone.
FISH IT Cast past them and burn it so it skips. When they sink out, count it down and swim it back. Followers, no eats? Change speed before color.
WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT When the bait is too small to match and the usual colors stop getting looks, Shrimp is my finesse color, on the workhorse 7/8. The EPO is built to turn follows into eats.
“Perfect color and weight for long casts.” Brian D.
Add to cart | MSRP $14.95See details ›
5 Vintage Locker Protail Paddle “The 7-Iron”
WHEN October and November on the rips and deep edges: peanut bunker and herring flushing out, bass holding low where a 2 oz paddle won't stay down.
FISH IT Cast up-current, count it down until it ticks bottom, swim it back slow. Most eats come on the drop. Hanging bottom? Reel sooner.
WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT The weight is the depth control. One more ounce gets the paddle down in fall current without changing the action. Same tail we obsessed over, in a Vintage Locker size they don't own.
“Use these for stripers and love how life like they are.” Kyle F.
Add to cart | MSRP $12.95See details ›
6 Plug Flag Bucktail Teaser
WHEN Any popper or walker that came back from the bluefish missing its flag. The flag gets eaten more than people expect.
FISH IT Run it on the tail eye in place of a rear treble. If it fouls, trim it. Don't take it off.
WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT Hand-tied natural bucktail on an open eye: it keeps the flash and loses the second set of hooks near the fish's eye and their hand. Stripers hit a popper from the head, so the hookups stay.
“Great to attach the dog walker, XL, and Popper to give it little extra flash.” Andrew R.
Add to cart | MSRP $5.95See details ›
7 Mesh Jig Bag, Medium
WHEN End of the day, when wet jigs would go back into a closed box.
FISH IT Sort the jigs by weight, strap them in, roll it up. Rinse it at the dock and hang it to dry.
WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT A wet jig in a shut box rusts at the rings and hooks. Heavy-duty mesh and vinyl drain, the strap holds them, and every jig is visible without opening anything.
“Great, simple way to organize and carry tackle. Rinse, dry and store right in the mesh bag!” Tim C.
Add to cart | MSRP $18.95See details ›WHICH ONE, WHEN
| WHEN YOU SEE THIS | TIE ON |
|---|---|
| Small squid on the rip, bass short-striking | 1 Pocket Squid |
| Rigging the Pocket Squid | 2 Soft Circle Hook |
| Squid around on a calm, picky day | 3 Frightened Squid Epoxy |
| Albies and bonito on tiny bait | 4 Shrimp Epoxy |
| Current pushing the standard paddle off the bottom | 5 Vintage Protail |
| A plug that lost its flag to a bluefish | 6 Plug Flag |
| Wet jigs at the end of the day | 7 Mesh Jig Bag |
7-foot Medium spinning for the epoxies and the Pocket Squid, 7-foot Medium-Heavy for the 3 oz Protail. Bass: 30 lb braid, 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon. Albies: 15 to 20 lb braid, 12 lb fluorocarbon, tied direct.
In-line singles, circle hooks and a flag in place of a rear treble all buy the same thing: faster unhooking and a fish back in the water sooner.
Out of the water under 10 seconds. Wet hands only.
More from me on Hogy: why we design plugs around one hook and a flag and finicky stripers on micro squid, the day a smaller lure matched the squid.
QUESTIONS ANGLERS ASK
What lures make good gifts for a fisherman who has everything?
The short runs and small upgrades they won't buy for themselves. I'd give the Pocket Squid on a Keeper Soft Circle Hook for small squid in June, the Frightened Squid Vintage Epoxy for calm, picky days, a Shrimp Epoxy Jig for albies on tiny bait, and the 3 oz Vintage Locker Protail Paddle for cold fall rips. Nothing in the box is a staple.
When is the small squid run on the Vineyard Sound rips?
Late May into June. The big squid come first, then a small second wave, and the bass start short-striking. That's the Pocket Squid day: cast up-tide on the circle hook, let the current swing it into the seam and keep it slow. Small squid show again in September and October, when the Frightened Squid Epoxy gets its turn on calm, clear days.
What's a good stocking stuffer for a fisherman who has everything?
The Plug Flag Bucktail Teaser and a 3-pack of Keeper Soft Circle Hooks both fit a stocking. The flag goes on a plug's tail eye in place of the rear treble: it keeps the flash and loses a second set of hooks near the fish's eye. Add the Pocket Squid and the circle hooks become a complete rig.
