With the endless number of lure options, it can be difficult to choose which baits you actually need to have as an angler. In this article, we will break down the ins and outs of fishing lures, giving you the ultimate guide on choosing the best fishing lures.
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Fishing Lures
Fishing has been a staple for mankind since the beginning. As early as 2,000 B.C., ancient Chinese and Egyptians began angling with fishing rods, hooks, and lines. The first fishing lures began circulation around the end of the second century.
In its infant stages, fishing lures were created with feathers, hair, and animal bones. Over time, they become more advanced, and as we fast forward toward, anglers have every shape, size, and color of fishing lure imaginable. To help simplify the guide to choosing the best fishing lures, we are going to break down a few different fishing lure categories.
Types of Fishing Lures
Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits are universal lures designed to fish through cover like lily pads, wood, and weed beds. They are built on a wire harness and have a variety of blade combinations depending on the size of the lure. While they were originally designed for bass, today’s spinnerbaits come in a wide variety of sizes for species as small as bluegills and large predatory fish like northern pike and musky.
Crankbaits
Crankbaits have been designed in several shapes, sizes, and colors to closely resemble baitfish found worldwide. Today’s anglers can find micro-sized crankbaits designed for panfish and monstrous-sized crankbaits designed for musky.
Crankbaits will perform in ultra-slow presentations to super fast without fail. Their baitfish profiles are equally as effective in casting or trolling. Crankbaits typically feature treble hooks and have great hookup percentages, no matter the species you are targeting.
Soft Plastics
Soft plastics have become increasingly popular over the past couple of decades. This lure category is the most diverse, with just about every shape, size, and color imaginable. Many soft plastics manufacturers add salt, scents, and other attractors to enhance their baits. Anglers today can find soft plastics for panfish, bass, walleye, musky, and many saltwater species.
Topwater
Topwater fishing requires specific lures that move along the water’s surface to attract fish. Topwater baits are extremely effective in both saltwater and freshwater situations. While there are a variety of different shapes and styles of topwater baits, they all create action on the surface, which can result in some savage strikes.
Jigs
The jig is the most versatile lure category ever created. In its simplest form, a jig is a plain hook with a weighted head. Today’s jigs come in so many different styles: hair jigs, swim jigs, bladed jigs, floating jigs, the list goes on and on. The jig can be used for just about every fish swimming in fresh and saltwater.
Target Fish Species
Choosing the right lure for a certain species of fish can be a challenge, however here’s a simple guide to follow. The smaller the target fish species, the smaller the lure should be. The bigger the fish species, the bigger the lure. As an angler you should have several different styles of lures ready to go for whatever species of fish you are targeting. Don’t be afraid to change baits often.
Weather Conditions
Weather is a factor that always needs to be consider when choosing the best fishing lure. A change in the weather can cause fish to shift their feeding behavior leading them to become extremely active. In these instances faster moving lures might be preferred.
You also have to consider how weather may affect how you present a lure. As a general rule of thumb, you should use heavy lures in windy conditions. Heavier weighted lures will be easier to cast and control. On calmer days lighter lure options work great. As an angler you need to have several different weights and styles of lures ready to go and adapt to the ever-changing weather conditions.
Time of Year
The time of year will directly influence what size and style of lure you should be using. Different lures will be more effective depending on the season and the location of the fish. In spring most species of fish are going to be in the shallows.
These areas warm up the fastest and will congregate lots of baitfish. Small, lighter lures perform best in the shallow springtime waters. As we progress into summer and fall, a majority of the fish are going to transition from the shallow bays out onto the main lake structure. Most fish can be found on weed lines, rocky reefs, humps, and weed beds. As an angler you’ll want to choose lures that reach the appropriate depth.
Top 10 Best Fishing Lures For Different Scenarios
When it comes to choosing the best fishing lures there are a lot of options that come to mind. The following ten are the most universal baits that can be used all over the world. These baits can be used all season long for a variety of different fish species in both fresh and saltwater.
Gum-Ball Jig
When choosing the best fishing lures, the jig needs to be on the top of the list. The Gum-Ball jig can be fished anytime, anywhere, for every species of fish that swims. You can fish a Gum-Ball jig with soft plastics, livebait, hair, rubber skirts, and more. The jig is truly the most universal bait ever created because it can be fished at any depth.
Curly Tail Grub
The curly-tailed grub was one of the first soft plastic designs to hit the water and has been a staple for multispecies anglers for decades. With its numerous colors and sizes, it is widely effective in clear and dirty water scenarios. Whether it’s on a jig or plain hook, there’s no wrong way to fish it. Cast and wind it in, jig it off the bottom or troll it over a weed line. Undoubtedly, the curly-tailed grub has accounted for more fish catches than any other style of soft plastic.
Inline Spinner: Mepps Aglia Dressed Spinner
The Mepps Aglia Spinner is the original French spinner. This inline spinner has produced fish all over the world and is one of the best lures ever created. It’s available in six different sizes and a variety of color combinations. Sizes #0 and #1 are perfect for smaller trout, perch, and panfish. The #2 Aglia is ideal for large crappies and larger trout. Sizes #3 and #4 are money for both largemouth and smallmouth bass, salmon, and steelhead. Northern pike and musky are the perfect species to target with a #5 Aglia Spinner.
Swimbaits: Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait
There are a bunch of different swimbaits out on the market, but one of the best is the Keitech Swing Impact FAT. The swimbait is an extremely versatile bait that can be utilized with a number of techniques. Alabama rigs, jigs, spinnerbaits, Texas rigs, and Carolina Rigs are just a few of the rigging options. Swimbaits create swinging, tail-kicking action that fish find irresistible. Along with its incredible action, the Keitech Swing Impact FAT swimbait is well-salted and scented as an added attractant. Its minnow profile is a universal shape that can catch fish worldwide.
Original Dardevle Spoon
When choosing the best fishing lures we can’t forget about the classic Eppinger Original Dardevle Spoon. The original Dardevle is one of the most popular and effective all-around fishing lures ever created. The Dardevle Spoon first appeared over a century ago and has continued as a staple for multispeices anglers. Its flashy action remains irresistible to big pike, walleye, bass, lake trout, and all other freshwater game fish species. Cast or trolled, it has unique wobbling action that brings in fish from a distance. The spoon is a lure that you can take anywhere in the world and can fish effectively for a majority of the fish you’d encounter.
Jerk Minnow
The Jerk Minnow is a soft plastic jerkbait that is perfect for twitching around grass, schooling fish, and pretty much anywhere else fish swim. This Minnow-style plastic is one of those baits you just can’t go without and offers a more finesse Minnow profile option. This soft plastic is heavy enough to cast a long distance with or without weight. It also works well on a Texas rig, Carolina rig, jig, or drop shot.
Rapala Rippin’ Rap
You can use the Rapala Rippin’ Rap in so many different ways. Its versatility is why it makes the top ten list. You can cast and retrieve it. It can be trolled. You can pop it off the bottom, and you can even vertically jig it. The Rapala Rippin’ Rap has a hard vibrating action paired with a loud rattle that attracts fish in from a great distance. With it’s variable running depth this bait can be fished in all types of water.
Storm Chug Bug
The storm Chug Bug is one of the most universal topwater baits available. The Chug Bug series feature fresh and saltwater models. This topwater popper spits, darts, chugs and walks-the-dog like fleeing baitfish. It features a weighted tails deliver long casts and also has a loud internal rattle and teaser tail to provide extra attraction.
Northland Reed Runner Spinner Bait
The Northland Fishing Tackle Reed Runner Spinnerbait is one of the best lures for fishing in and around cover. It’s virtually weedless and extremely effective when fishing over, around, and through heavy patches of reeds, weeds, lily pads and wood. This multispeces bait is great for targeting predatory fish like bass, northern pike, and musky. The blades that create flash and vibration, while the action-tail skirt gives a fleeing baitfish look.
Senko
The Yamamoto Fat Senko is one of world’s best soft stick bait. It’s one of the most universal bass baits, but can be used for a number of different species. There are countless different ways to rig this plastic depending on the time of year and cover you are fishing. This bait can also be cut in half and fished on a jig. It’s available in sixteen colors and is a fish catching machine.
How To Use Different Lures Effectively
Certain lures require different retrieves in order to produce the best action. It’s important to understand some lures require might need to be reeled in slow, while others need a much faster retrieve. Anglers can find a ton of great online resources, like Lindner’s Angling Edge, that have detailed articles and videos on how to use different lures effectively.
Maintaining and Storing Your Lures
Fishing lures are an investment and you need to take care of them. Have a proper storage crucial in order to get the most out of your baits. A good tackle box features a hard, waterproof outer shell that protects your lures. It will feature rigid dividers that can secure your lures in place and can accommodate various sized baits. One thing you need to remember is that you should never place wet lures in a your tackle box. Moisture will cause your lures to rust and ruin your baits.
FAQ
1. What is the most versatile fishing lure?
The jig is the most versatile fishing lure of all time. It can be fished at anytime of the year and catches just about every type of fish in both fresh and saltwater.
2. How often should I replace my fishing lures?
You should replace your lures anytime they had become damaged enough that it impedes the action of the bait. Lures can become damaged from fish strikes, rust, and
3. Are expensive lures worth the investment?
Yes. More expensive lures tend to have better quality and produce a better action than cheaper lures.
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