This selection of artificial lures will take most of the fish that can be found among the soundside waters of the Outer Banks. Photo by Joe Malat

The Outer Banks is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and a series of inter-connected bodies of water, called sounds, which offer a number of fishy habitats. These relatively shallow estuarine waters are nursery areas for most of the juvenile finfish and shellfish that inhabit North Carolina's salt and brackish waters and the fishing possibilities are virtually limitless.

But it's not necessary to have a tackle shop of gear to catch most of these fish. I like to fish with artificial lures whenever possible, and I also prefer to travel light. With that in mind, I would like to offer some lure and accessory suggestions that will enable you to catch most of these soundside fish.

My first choice is a lead head jig and to borrow a phrase from the marketing folks of a well-known charge card, "I would never leave home without it." I would never go fishing anywhere in the salt or brackish waters of coastal North Carolina without a few lead head jigs in my tackle bag.

Lead heads are a top favorite for speckled trout, but any fish that swims in the sounds will eat one. The amount of lead in the head will allow the bait to be fished in a variety of water depths and tidal flow conditions. Use whatever weight is necessary to take the lure to the bottom, and depending on the location, that might be from 1/8 ounce to 1 1/2ounces.

The real beauty of these lures is that an angler can change the lure color, shape and action in a few seconds and that is an advantage when trying to outsmart a wily speckled trout. Soft plastic tails are available in every color of the rainbow.

Ray Davis caught this striper in Pamlico Sound on a lead head jig and soft plastic tail combination. Photo by Joe Malat

The soft plastics have both a positive and a negative side. They catch fish, but any fish with teeth, such as bluefish, will destroy a tail in a heartbeat. Be sure to take plenty of spare tails, especially in the popular colors. Change the tail if it has been chomped enough to change the action of the tail in the water. A variety of brand names are available and popular on the Outer Banks.

These jigs can be rigged single, or in tandem. B oth methods will catch fish. When using a single lead head, to prevent line twist, I will rig it up with a short piece of 20 pound test monofilament leader, joined to my line with a miniature # 10 black swivel. However, on some days, the fish will have no part of any extra hardware in front of my lure, so I'll tie the lure directly to my line. A bluefish may sever the line on the first bite, but several trout may fall for the offering before it's time to trim the frayed line, and retie the jig.

A handy partner to a leadhead jig when fishing in shallow water over grass beds, is a small float or popping cork. When the grass is thick and the fish are holding near the bottom, a lure that's retrieved directly on the bottom will often foul with grass at the beginning of the retrieve.

Instead of being frustrated, catch some fish by suspending a small lead head jig below the cork, so the jig rides just above the grass, near the bottom, but the line of sight for any marauding speckled trout.

A strong choice of lures for soundside fishing is a bucktail. This tried and true lure is not much more than a lead head lure, but the "fishy" action of the lure doesn't come from a soft rubber tail, rather from deer hair or nylon, tied over the hook. The color of the jigs and hair can be varied with dye and paint.

Any fish that swims will eat a bucktail, and they are especially popular for striped bass and flounders. Usually, a steady retrieve peppered with short jerks or a slow steady retrieve across the bottom will prove irresistible to fish.

When drift fishing with flounder as my target, I like a small 1/4 or 1/8 ounce bucktail rigged up to trail behind a larger butter bean shaped bucktail jig. To sweeten the presentation, I'll tip the artificials with a strip of squid, mullet, or maybe a bit of fresh shrimp.

A lure that's deadly for soundside stripers is called a Hyper Striper and it is a combination of lead head, bucktail, and soft plastic tail and spinner blade. One-ounce, chartreuse Hyper Stripers are deadly when bounced off the pilings of the Manns Harbor Bridge in the Croatan Sound.

Bucktails and lead heads are my hands-down favorite lures for fishing in the sounds, but I always have a few flashy, metal spoons in my tackle bag. Hopkins, Stingsilver, or Kastmaster lures are my "go to" metal lures.

These metal lures can be cast and retrieved, or bounced on the bottom. They are great for bluefish and Spanish mackerel, but grey trout, speckled trout, puppy drum, and flounder will eat one. A silver or gold finish is the most consistent producer, but some are available with a strip of color such as red or green, or pink. These metal lures are often hot when fishing around the mouths of or inside one of the many Outer Banks Inlet. But I don't only use metal in the deep water. When fishing in the shallow water that surrounds the marsh islands, I've had some great days on puppy drum with Johnson weedless gold spoons.

These few pieces of tackle may not seem like much, but if you like to fish with artificial lures and want to travel light, this selection of lures will handle just about every Outer Banks soundside angling opportunity that comes your way.