We all have that one type of lure that is our go-to when the fish are biting. Yet sometimes the weather and water conditions aren’t favorable for our favorite type of lure, causing us to change what we’re comfortable with.

Fishing lures can be categorized into six different classes: crankbaits, jigs, soft plastic/rubber lures, spinners, spinnerbaits, and spoons. Each category of these fishing lures has its own unique characteristics that make them so successful.

Today, we’re going to focus specifically on the different types of fishing lures, as well as when to use the best fishing lures in distinct weather and water conditions.

 

The Best Fishing Lures

Crankbaits

Crankbait is one of the most versatile and useful fishing lures to have in your tackle box. Crankbait can be used to target just about any species of fish that feeds on smaller fish.

To use a crankbait, you will cast your line into the water and begin reeling. How deep of a diver you use will determine how fast or slow you should reel.

Because crankbait imitates baitfish like minnows and shad, crankbait should be used in fall. This is when baitfish are the most active. White or lightly-colored crankbaits are the best to use in lakes or ponds during this time because they replicate the color of the shad as they swim in the water.

Crankbait is divided into four different types: square bills, shallow divers, medium divers, and deep divers.

Square Bills

Square bill crankbait should be used when fishing through brush, trees, and growth because of its flat, square bill on the front of the bait. The square bill allows the bait to bounce off of surfaces without getting stuck. Square bill crankbait comes in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes, and are used to mimic minnows, shad, bream, and other small baitfish.

Codaicen Square Bill Crankbait

The Codaicen square bill crankbait comes in a pack of 5 with five different color patterns for each crankbait. There are two sets of treble hooks on each crankbait; one in the middle of the bait and one at the tail. Inside the crankbait are steel balls that rattle as the bait is reeled to attract the fish as well.

User rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Shallow Divers

Shallow divers should be used when you want to fish near the surface of the water, preferably 4 feet or less. Square bills are shallow divers because they are meant to navigate through debris without getting hung.

For those times you will be fishing open, shallow water and want to save your square bills for another time, you can use a shallow diver. Like square bills, shallow divers will imitate small baitfish, like shad and bream, making them perfect for luring out a monster bass.

Shallow divers are best used in spring when fish are preparing to spawn. Gamefish will be in shallow water near the surface, making shallow divers perfect for catching their attention.

Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow Shallow Diving Crankbait

The Yo-Zuri 3DS shallow diving crankbait is available in 2 ¾-inch long or 4 inches long and shaped like a minnow. It has two treble hooks; one in the middle of the lure and one at the tail of the lure. There are a variety of colors to choose from if you are looking to add a new color lure to your collection. The maximum dive depth of the shallow diver is 5 feet.

User rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Medium Divers

Medium-diving crankbait is designed for diving into the water between 5 and 10 feet. Medium divers work great when you are trying to lure a pre-spawn bass in water temperatures between 40°F and 50°F. Medium divers will quickly descend around 10 feet, which is just enough to cause bass to pay attention.

The size of the medium diver you choose may be determined by water clarity. When fishing in murky water, you should use a wide crankbait that wobbles side-to-side to bring the most attention.

Catch Co. Googan Squad Recon Bundle

This is a 3-pack of crankbait by Catch Co. There is a shallow diver, a medium diver, and a deep diver. This gives you a crankbait to use for all depths of water. Each crankbait has two treble hooks with one hook in the middle of the lure and one hook at the tail of the lure.

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Deep Divers

The last type of crankbait is the deep diver. Deep divers will dive 12 feet or more, making them perfect for fish that are staying cool in deep water or fish that are on bed. Deep divers should be used in late spring during the spawn and summer when the water is cooler the deeper you go.

When fish are on bed, they create an area on the bottom of the lake to prepare to spawn. While laying on bed, a deep diver will catch their attention and lure them out as they lie.

Codacien Deep Diving Crankbaits

This set of 5 deep-diving crankbaits from Codacien comes in 5 different colors, and each crankbait rattles to bring maximum attention. There are two sets of treble hooks on the lure; one on the bottom-middle of the lure and one at the tail. The eyes are 3D, the skin is lifelike to imitate water displacement and tight vibration, and the tongue sends a ripple through the water when reeled.

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Jigs

Another type of fishing lure is called the jig. A jig is a hook with a lead sinker and a soft shape molded together to imitate an injured baitfish or worm. When jigging, you will cast the line vertically into the water to allow the jig to sink. Then, you will pop the line to make the jig bounce up and down to mimic an injured baitfish in the water trying to swim. This will cause a fish to strike.

Jigs come in a variety of colors, and some colors work best in certain conditions than others. Shades of green and blue will shine through the water and imitate baitfish, while blues and blacks work best in muddy water.

You will want to look for jigs that have lifelike features. This can include 3D eyes, scale patterns, and realistic lengths.

Last Cast Tackle Green & Yellow Fishing Lure Jigs

Three fishing lure jigs come in this pack of jigs by Last Cast Tackle. They are bright green and yellow with red eyes to attract the most attention and replicate an injured baitfish. There is an eyelet on the top of the jig to maximize casting and vertical jigging.

User rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Berkley PowerBait Power Minnow Jig

There are ten 2-inch black shad jigs in this pack of jigs by Berkley. The eyes are 3D, and the inserts are holographic. The tail is also split for a real-life imitation of an injured minnow. The eyelet is at the ball of the hook, where the hook and soft minnow shape come together. This makes it easy to vertical jig.

User rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Soft Plastic/Rubber Lures

Another lure to use when fish are spawning is soft plastic lures. Many soft plastic lures consist of rubber worms because they work best during this time. When fish are spawning, they like to eat bait that they know is real, which is what makes rubber worms so effective. They are lifelike and can cause a fish to strike when used the right way.

If you’ve ever gone down the fishing aisle of an outdoor department store, you’ve likely seen the rows and rows of soft plastic lures. There are worms, frogs, lizards, and grubs that come in all different shapes and sizes. Soft plastic lures make up the majority of lures used in bass fishing because their lifelike design makes them so successful. So many companies have designed their own variations of soft plastic lures, making the options virtually endless.

Soft plastic lures can be fun to fish with because you can control how the lure moves in the water by more than just reeling the line. Raising and lowering your rod will cause the line to tighten and relax, making the worm dance in the water in a lifelike manner. Soft plastic lures are typically sensitive, which makes it easier for you to set the hook when you feel a strike.

Gary Yamamoto Senko Soft Plastic Lure

Senko soft plastic lures are one of the heavier soft plastic lures because of their fatter, shorter design, and Gary Yamamoto makes one of the best. Senko worms will also sink and move in the water differently than other worms, making them a fan favorite among fishermen who prefer soft plastic worms.

User rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Zoom Bait Fat Albert Grub

Grub soft plastic lures are short of replicating a real grub. The Zoom Bait Fat Albert grub has a ribbon tail that will move in the water as it is reeled. This will imitate the movement of a real grub, which will increase the chances that a fish will strike. There are a variety of colors to choose from; 12 to be exact, so you have the option of adding any color grub that you want to try to your tackle.

User rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Zoom Bait 8-inch Magnum Lizard

Soft plastic lizards are a good bait to use because they simulate the movement of a lizard that has entered the water. The Magnum Lizard by zoom is 8 inches long and comes in a pack of 10. There are 19 different colors to choose from, so you can add any color you need to your tackle box. The lizard has four arms and a ribbon tail to attract fish as it imitates a real lizard.

User rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Spinners

Spinner lures are metal fishing lures with a round blade attached to the beginning of a lure with a treble hook at the end of the lure. Oftentimes, the treble hook is hidden by a colorful body to help conceal the hook while attracting a fish.

To fish with a spinner, you will cast the lure into the water and reel it back to you. Some spinners need to be reeled faster than others, but the main goal is to make sure that the round blade on the end of the spinner spins in a circular motion. This is where the spinner lure gets its name.

How fast you reel the spinner will be determined by the water temperature in which you are fishing. Fish swim slower in cold water than they do in warm water. This means if you are fishing in cold water but reel your spinner lure too fast, the fish likely won’t have the energy to chase after it, even though the fish may be interested and would want to strike the lure. Therefore, if you are fishing in cold water, you should reel the spinner lure at a slower rate than you would in warm water.

Spinners can be used year-round in any weather or water conditions; just make sure to reel at a speed that is acceptable for the water temperature.

Wordens Original Rooster Tail

Rooster tails are one of the most tried-and-true spinner lures on the market today. Their design, color, and size make them irresistible to fish. They come in a variety of sizes and virtually all color combinations possible. Rooster tails can be used to lure trout, perch, bass, crappie, and many other gamefish.

User rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Panther Martin Deluxe Trout Spinner Lure

This spinner lure made by Panther Martin is designed specifically for trout fishing. It has a bullet-shaped brass body with an exposed treble hook and a fast-spinning blade attached. It comes in 4 different colors to choose from, all with the same design. The size and design of the spinner lure are perfect for trout fishing.

User rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Spinnerbaits

Spinnerbait should not be confused with spinner lures. They are two completely different fishing lures. Spinner lures are one single body, whereas spinnerbaits have the design of an open safety pin with two mechanisms on each end of the lure.

Spinnerbait will have a blade (or two) on one side of the lure that will spin in a circle to attract a fish. The other side of the lure will have a hook that is concealed by a skirt.

Fishing with spinnerbait is similar to fishing with a spinner lure. You will cast it into the water and allow the lure to sink a few feet before popping the line to cause the lure to move and make vibrations in the water. Then you will begin to reel the lure back to you, going anywhere from ½ mph to about 2.5mph.

Just like spinner lures, the speed at which you reel the spinnerbait will be decided by the water temperature. When fishing in cold water, don’t reel the spinnerbait too fast, or the fish likely won’t chase after the lure. You should reel the lure slowly so that the fish can follow the lure and eventually strike. In warmer water, you will be able to reel the lure faster, as fish will be able to swim faster more easily.

Although you will have to adjust your reel speed when using a spinnerbait, it can be used virtually any time of the year in any water and weather conditions. Spinnerbaits are versatile and irresistible to bass, pike, and other gamefish, and this is what makes spinnerbait so successful.

BOOYAH Pikee Spinnerbait

The BOOYAH Pikee spinnerbait is made from an ultra-tough Vibra FLX wireframe that will withstand the mouths of bass, pike, and other large gamefish. The color of the skirt and the color of the blade of the spinnerbait are coordinated. The BOOYAH Pikee spinnerbait comes in 8 different colors for you to choose from.

User rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Strike King Baby Burner Spinnerbait

This spinnerbait by Strike King has a Raz-R-Blade that produces a high RPM when reeled through the water. This keeps the bait down in the water and keeps the bait level so that it doesn’t blow out as it is reeled. The hook on the spinnerbait is a Gamakatsu hook, which makes it a reliable and durable hook that won’t deteriorate.

User rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Spoons

Spoon lures have been used for decades and will continue to be used for decades because they are so successful. Spoon lures have an oval-shaped spoon connected to a treble hook. Some spoons have a treble hook that is concealed by a skirt, while other spoon lures have an exposed treble hook.

The shape of the spoon causes the lure to wobble back and forth in the water to create vibrations and replicate swimming movements. Smaller spoons will create a different result than larger spoons. Spoons that are long or have a deep concave will create a wide wobble in the water, while spoons that are short or have a shallow concave will create a more subtle wobble.

To fish with a spoon, you will combine the jigging techniques with spinner techniques. Once the spoon hits the water, you will want to pop the line to cause the spoon to create vibrations and movement in the water. Then you will reel the spoon in to create back-and-forth wobbling movements in the water to attract fish.

South Bend Kastaway Trophy Pack Spoons

There are three spoon lures in this pack of spoons by South Bend. At the end of each spoon is an exposed treble hook. They weigh ¼ of an ounce, making them extremely light and easy to move through the water. All 3 of the spoons are the same size, and each color is different. There is a blue/gray, silver, and brass-colored spoon so that you can choose the best color spoon for the weather and water conditions that day.

User rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Dr. Fish Assorted Spoons

There are five different colored spoons in this pack of spoons by Dr. Fish. The body of the spoons are brightly colored and have 3D eyes to replicate a real minnow. The tail of the spoon has a treble hook that is tucked inside a skirt. All of these features combine to create a lifelike minnow that fish will notice in the water through visualizations and vibrations.

User rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars

Conclusion

Fishing lures come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and designs, so it is no surprise that they can be preferred overusing live bait. Knowing how each type of fishing lure works and when to use them will help you have the greatest chance of landing that monster fish.

Keep in mind that using fishing lures is a very much trial-and-error process. All bodies of water are different, especially depending on the climate in which they are located. Fishing the same body of water repeatedly will give you the best understanding of what type and color of the lure will be the most successful.

If you start your day on the water with no luck, try something else. You should have one type of each of these fishing lures in your tackle box for you to access anytime. Remember that water temperature, water clarity, and the time of year can all play a factor in whether or not the fish are biting. You may have to change your technique before changing your lure.

Slow your reel speed down or speed your reel speed up if using a spinner lure or spinnerbait. Try to make the soft plastic lure dance in the water before swapping it out with another type of lure. Make sure your jig is bobbing up and down in the water if using a jig. All of these factors can play a major role in how successful the fishing lure is.