The Lure of Lures

If all you want to do is catch lots of fish, it’s tough to beat a live worm. Thread one of these slimy wigglers on a No. 6 hook, and you’ll catch nearly anything with fins, from button-lipped bluegill to bucket-mouthed bass. In fact, hungry fish are more likely to snarf down a worm, minnow, or other live bait than nearly any lure made of plastic, metal, or feathers. So what’s the lure of using artificial lures?

• Using lures is easier. You don’t have to stop at the bait shop or dig up a bunch of worms. Just open your tackle box, pick a lure, and tie it on.
• Lures aren’t messy. If hooking a smelly minnow, twitchy grasshopper, or slimy worm grosses you out, give lures a try.
• Fish are less likely to swallow the hook when using artificial lures. This makes a lure easier to unhook and increases the fish’s survival odds when you release it.
• Lures offer more action. You cast out a lure and reel it in over and over again. This gives you more to do than simply watching a bobber.
• Some lures dive deep. Others splash across the surface. Some are even made to slip through vegetation without getting snagged. In other words, lures can cover more water — and find more fish — than bait.
• Lures come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can tailor which one you use to the kind of fish you hope to catch.

Variety is a Vice of Life

As you can see, there’s lots to love about lures. Unfortunately, there are also lots of lures to love. Walk into any tackle shop and you’ll find hundreds of fish-catching contraptions in nearly every shape, color, and size. If you’re new to fishing, it can feel overwhelming trying to choose the right one. Fear not! We’ve picked five sure-fire lures, and we’ll give you the rundown on how to use each one.

Jigs

Jigs have a metal head on one end and a sharp hook on the other. Some jigs, like marabou jigs, wear a skirt of feathers around the hook. Other jigs hide the hook inside a rubbery tube that makes the lure look like an insect grub or a mini octopus with tiny tentacles.

Which Fish?

Jigs are often used to catch panfish like bluegill and crappie, but bass, trout, and walleye will also gobble them up. Use small jigs for fish with small mouths (like bluegill) and larger jigs for fish with bigger mouths (like bass).

Try This

Despite their funny name, crappie (crop-ee) taste yummy. From late March to early May, crappie hang out in shallow water along the edges of lakes. Tie a 1/16-ounce marabou jig to the end of your line. If the water is murky, use a brightly colored jig. If the water is clear, use one that isn’t so bright. Cast the jig out from shore, let it sink for a bit, then reel it in slowly, letting it bounce over rocks and logs. When you feel a nibble, don’t set the hook too hard. Crappie are nicknamed “paper mouths” for a reason. Just lift the tip of the rod slightly and get ready for a splashy fight.

Soft Plastic Lures

These rubbery lures can look like nearly any aquatic critter, from lizards to minnows to worms. When reeled through the water, they shimmy and shake like they’re alive, which drives fish wild.

Which Fish?

Soft plastic lures are usually used to catch largemouth and smallmouth bass, but other fish will take them, too.

Try This

Largemouth bass often lurk under shady lily pads and other vegetation. Pulling a lure through thick cover is sure to get you snagged, unless you try this trick. Push the point of an offset hook into the nose of a plastic worm. Let the point come out about 1/4 of an inch from where you pushed it in. Pull the hook, except for the eye, out of the exit hole. Twist the hook around, then bury the point in the body of the worm. The worm should be straight, not bent into a hump. Slip a bullet sinker onto your line, and tie the line to the eye of the hook. Since the hook is stuck in the worm, it’s less likely to snag on stems and rocks — although it can still happen!

Spinners

Spinners — also called roostertails — have a treble hook on one end and a shiny metal spoon on the other. When pulled through the water, the spoon spins like a boat propeller. This causes it to sparkle as it catches the sun, which makes it look like the shimmering scales on a tasty minnow. The propeller also churns up the water, causing hungry fish to mistake the vibrations for wounded prey.

Which Fish?

Small spinners will catch bluegill, crappie, and other panfish. Larger spinners will catch trout, bass, and other predatory fish.

Try This

Trout typically face upstream, resting in eddies behind rocks or logs, waiting for food to pass by their pie-holes. Tie on a 1/8-ounce spinner and cast it diagonally, upstream and across the river. As the lure gets swept downstream, reel it in just fast enough that the propeller spins. (You may need to practice with short casts where you can watch the lure to learn how fast you need to reel.) When the lure crosses through quieter water behind a rock or log, get ready!

Crankbaits

Crankbaits are made of hard plastic formed into the shape of a minnow, frog, or crayfish. Some crankbaits have a lip on their front end that makes them wobble like a swimming fish.

Which Fish?

Nearly any fish will gulp down a crankbait, but they’re often used for largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Try This

If you’re floating an Ozark stream, tie on a crankbait shaped like a crayfish. Cast the crawdad near cover — like boulders and fallen trees — where a hungry smallmouth might be hiding. Mix things up when you reel in the lure. Reel slowly for one cast, and then let it rip on the next. Jerk the tip of your rod up and down or from side to side as you crank. This will imitate the darting motion of a swimming crayfish.

Topwater Lures

Topwater (aka surface) lures, like their name implies, float on the surface of the water. They’re often torpedo-shaped and look like a minnow or frog. Some are filled with pellets so they make a lot of noise when they’re reeled in.

Which Fish?

Largemouth bass find it hard to resist topwater lures. Small popping plugs work well for bluegill and other panfish.

Try This

In the summer, largemouth bass rest during the heat of the day and feed more actively after sunset. On a bright, moonlit night, tie on a large topwater lure and cast it way out into the center of a lake or pond. As you reel it in, jerk your rod tip to twitch the lure across the water’s surface. Make it make as much noise as possible. In no time, the water will erupt in a frenzy of shark-like splashing as a hungry largemouth lunges up to engulf your lure. After all that excitement, don’t forget to set the hook!