Striped bass hooked in the New Jersey surf on a T-Hex metal—a variation of the classic diamond jig. Photo Courtesy of Matt Farrell. Metal lures are boring. Scan the pegboard at any saltwater tackle ...

As a multi-species angler who has both caught and been skunked by every fish that swims New England’s fresh and salt waters, I’ve accumulated a large collection of lures to tempt each of those fish.

MIAMI -- They go by various names and brands: Deep jigs, vertical jigs, butterfly jigs, diamond jigs, knife jigs. Some look like trumpetfish. Others resemble squid or octopus. They are basically ...