All the videos I watch have guys fishing the Guppy pencil and they are easy to work. I bought these lures to fish in NJ, NY and the big ditch. This lure drives Stripers crazy when they are on a top water feed! The folks at Tackle Direct have a large selection to choose from and the prices are right! Get yourself some and I'm sure you'll agree....

This plug is a must have.

Great fit and finish.

My to go pencil. Casts extremely well and main importantly catches big fish!

I've enjoyed all my Guppy pencils. They cast well, come with solid hardware, dance easily, and catch fish.
Yellow and white have been standards in my bag for a long time. They are easy to work, and slash back and forth nicely like pencils are supposed to, without specialized rods or extraneous effort.
One of mine has lost an eye and another has accumulated rust underneath the tail hook / thru wire grommet - but both still catch fish, and 5 or 6 seasons in the salt, and having caught a dozen or so good keepers on each plug will do that. Can't really expect much more durability given the amount and duration of use and the amount of fish caught.
The 2oz is my go-to for most applications and matches a good range of bait size - it's the bigger offering when bait is small and schoolies are prevalent and seems to draw the bigger fish. In the fall when bait is bigger, the 2 oz serves as a slightly smaller offering and can entice solid strikes when fish aren't committing to bigger plugs.
When I need long casts, the bait is bigger, or conditions are rougher and "noisier", I prefer the 3oz to make more commotion and draw attention. The flat bottom 3oz is my Canal pencil and handles the currents well, easily maintain its action, and has the construction to land fish well over 20# in the heavy current.
White and yellow back have been the most productive for me but the mackerel patterns have been killers in the Cape Cod Canal for years and elsewhere when mackerel are around.
Not cheap, but money well spent as far as I'm concerned
Just a solid all-around pencil for anyone's bag.

This plug is a great addition to your surf bag. Stripers love them and they cast very well. This is my favorite color.

This is a nice pencil. Casts and has nice side to side action.

It comes stock with what seems to be very nice hardware.

It is a wooden plug, so it will be about as durable as any other wooden plug you have. You can also expect some minor crack etc.

Great plugs. Long casters

This is a very effective surf lure, it casts very far too. If I make the trip to the Cape Cod Canal, I will bring these with me.

Thus pencil popper is my go to canal lure.
2oz allow my avid surf cast long enough. .
and left right action perfect.
finish is the best quality too.