Walking into a tackle shop and seeing thousands of lures in every color, size, and shape imaginable can be paralyzing. How do you know which ones actually work? The truth is, you don’t need hundreds of lures to be a successful angler. You need the right lures fished at the right time and place. This guide will teach you the principles behind lure selection so you can make smart choices on the water.

Understanding Why Fish Strike Lures

Before choosing lures, it helps to understand why fish bite them in the first place. Fish strike for two primary reasons: feeding and reaction.

Feeding Strikes

Fish eat because they need to survive. Feeding strikes occur when a fish identifies your lure as prey. To trigger feeding strikes, your lure needs to match what fish are naturally eating in size, shape, color, and movement.

Reaction Strikes

Fish also strike out of aggression, territorial behavior, or reflex. Reaction strikes happen when a lure enters a fish’s strike zone and triggers an instinctive response, even if the fish isn’t actively feeding. Fast-moving, erratic lures excel at generating reaction bites.

Understanding these two strike triggers is the key to choosing the right lure at the right time.

The Six Essential Lure Categories

1. Soft Plastic Lures

Soft plastics are the most versatile and affordable lure category. They mimic worms, crawfish, baitfish, and other natural prey with lifelike texture and action.

Types of Soft Plastics:

• Worms: Straight tail, curly tail, ribbon tail
• Creature baits: Crawfish, beaver, lizard imitations
• Swimbaits: Paddle tail, shad profile
• Grubs: Small curly tail baits for jig heads
• Tubes: Hollow body baits for smallmouth bass

When to Use Soft Plastics:

• Fish are in a negative feeding mood
• Clear water conditions
• Fishing around heavy cover
• When you need a subtle, natural presentation

Essential Colors:

• Green pumpkin (the most versatile color)
• Black/blue for stained water
• Watermelon with red flake for clear water
• White/chartreuse for aggressive fish

2. Crankbaits

Crankbaits are hard-bodied lures that dive to specific depths and create vibration and flash. They’re excellent search baits for covering water quickly.

Types of Crankbaits:

• Square bills: Run shallow (0-4 feet), deflect off cover
• Medium divers: Reach 5-10 feet, work flats and points
• Deep divers: Get down to 15+ feet along ledges and humps
• Lipless crankbaits: Sink and can be fished at any depth

When to Use Crankbaits:

• Covering large areas of water
• Fish are actively feeding
• Water temperature is above 50°F
• Fishing around wood or rock structure

Selecting Crankbait Depth: Choose a crankbait that runs slightly deeper than the bottom depth you’re fishing. A medium diver that reaches 8 feet works perfectly on a 6-7 foot flat.

3. Spinnerbaits

Spinnerbaits combine a lead head, wire frame, and spinning blades to create flash and vibration. They come through cover easily and trigger reaction strikes.

Blade Types:

• Willow leaf: Maximum flash, less vibration
• Colorado: Maximum vibration, less flash
• Indiana: Balance of flash and vibration

When to Use Spinnerbaits:

• Fishing murky or stained water
• Covering vegetation and wood
• When fish are aggressive
• Early morning and evening feeding periods

Trailer Selection: Add a soft plastic trailer to your spinnerbait for extra bulk and action. Grubs, paddle tail swimbaits, and crawfish trailers all work well.

4. Topwater Lures

Topwater fishing provides the most exciting strikes in freshwater fishing. Watching a bass explode on a surface lure never gets old.

Types of Topwater Lures:

• Poppers: Cupped mouth creates splash and noise
• Walking baits: Zigzag action (Zara Spook style)
• Buzzbaits: Wire frame with spinning blade
• Frogs: Weedless for fishing over vegetation
• Prop baits: Spinning tail propellers create disturbance

When to Use Topwater Lures:

• Low light conditions (dawn and dusk)
• Water temperature above 55°F
• Fish are active and feeding near the surface
• Calm water conditions

Pro Tip: Don’t set the hook immediately when you see a topwater strike. Wait until you feel the weight of the fish, then sweep the rod firmly to the side.

5. Jigs

Jigs are among the most effective bass lures ever created. A simple lead head with a skirt and trailer, jigs imitate crawfish and baitfish on the bottom.

Jig Types:

• Football jigs: Wide head for rocky bottoms
• Swim jigs: Pointed head for swimming through vegetation
• Flipping jigs: Heavy weight for punching into cover
• Finesse jigs: Smaller profile for pressured fish

When to Use Jigs:

• Cold water conditions (below 60°F)
• Fishing around heavy structure
• When fish want a slow presentation
• Targeting large, mature bass

Jig Trailers: The trailer you add affects your jig’s profile and action:

• Crawfish trailers: Bulk and flapping claws
• Grub trailers: Subtle tail action
• Chunk trailers: Compact profile
• Swimbait trailers: Baitfish imitation

6. Jerkbaits

Jerkbaits are minnow-shaped lures that dive on the retrieve and suspend at a specific depth. Their erratic, darting action triggers aggressive strikes.

Types of Jerkbaits:

• Suspending: Pause and hover at a set depth
• Floating: Rise to the surface on the pause
• Sinking: Get deeper, work faster

When to Use Jerkbaits:

• Water temperatures between 40-60°F
• Clear to slightly stained water
• Fish are suspended or relating to structure
• When fish are following but not committing to other lures

Retrieve Techniques:

• Twitch-twitch-pause: The classic jerkbait cadence
• Rip and pause: Hard snaps followed by long pauses
• Slow roll: Steady retrieve with occasional twitches

Matching Lures to Conditions

Water Clarity

Clear Water (visibility > 3 feet):

• Natural colors (shad, bluegill, crawfish patterns)
• Subtle action lures
• Fluorocarbon line
• Soft plastics and jerkbaits excel

Stained Water (visibility 1-3 feet):

• Brighter colors with chartreuse accents
• Moderate vibration
• Crankbaits and spinnerbaits work well

Muddy Water (visibility < 1 foot):

• Dark colors (black, blue, junebug)
• Maximum vibration and sound
• Spinnerbaits with Colorado blades
• Chatterbaits and rattle traps

Water Temperature

Cold Water (below 50°F):

• Slow presentations
• Jigs, jerkbaits, blade baits
• Small profiles
• Long pauses between movements

Cool Water (50-65°F):

• Moderate presentations
• Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs
• Match the hatch with crawfish patterns
• Focus on transition areas

Warm Water (65-80°F):

• Fast and aggressive presentations
• Topwater, spinnerbaits, swimbaits
• Fish early morning and evening
• Target shaded areas during midday

Hot Water (above 80°F):

• Fish early and late
• Deep structure and shaded cover
• Finesse techniques in clear water
• Slow presentations near oxygen sources

Seasonal Lure Selection

Spring: Fish are moving shallow to spawn. Use:

• Spinnerbaits and crankbaits on secondary points
• Soft plastics on beds
• Jerkbaits in pre-spawn staging areas

Summer: Fish scatter from shallow to deep. Use:

• Topwater early and late
• Deep diving crankbaits during the day
• Jigs and soft plastics on deep structure

Fall: Fish follow baitfish into the shallows. Use:

• Swimbaits and spinnerbaits
• Square bill crankbaits
• Lipless crankbaits over grass

Winter: Fish are lethargic and slow. Use:

• Blade baits and hair jigs
• Small soft plastics on drop shots
• Suspending jerkbaits on warmer days

For a complete seasonal tackle setup, check out our Essential Fishing Tackle Box guide.

Color Theory for Fishing Lures

The 3-Color Rule

Simplify your lure color selection with this system:

1. One natural color for clear water (shad, crawfish, bluegill)
2. One bright color for stained water (chartreuse, firetiger)
3. One dark color for muddy water (black/blue, junebug)

Matching the Hatch

Pay attention to what fish are naturally eating:

• Look at the color of baitfish in the area
• Check the stomach contents of fish you catch
• Observe what’s swimming, crawling, or flying around your fishing spot

Confidence Colors

Every angler has colors they trust. Once you find colors that work on your local waters, stock up on them. Confidence in your lure selection translates to better presentations and more hookups.

Lure Size Selection

Match the Forage

If fish are eating 3-inch shad, don’t throw an 8-inch swimbait. Observe the size of natural prey in your fishing area and match it as closely as possible.

General Size Guidelines

• Small lures (1-3"): Panfish, trout, pressured bass
• Medium lures (3-5"): Most bass applications, walleye, pike
• Large lures (5-8"+): Trophy hunting, big fish, reaction strikes

Upsizing and Downsizing

When fish are aggressive, go bigger for a bigger bite. When fish are finicky, downsize to get more strikes. This simple adjustment can turn a slow day into a productive one.

Lure Modification Tips

Simple Upgrades

1. Replace treble hooks: Factory hooks are often dull and weak
2. Add split rings: Improve hook movement and reduce leverage
3. Upgrade skirts: Fuller skirts create better profiles
4. Modify colors: Use markers to customize lure colors

Trailer Selection

Adding trailers to jigs and spinnerbaits changes their profile and action:

• Bulky trailers: Create larger profiles for big fish
• Subtle trailers: Finesse presentations for pressured fish
• Contrasting colors: Stand out in murky water

Building Your Lure Collection

Start with Versatility

Begin with lures that work in multiple situations:

1. Green pumpkin soft plastic worm
2. Shad-colored square bill crankbait
3. White/chartreuse spinnerbait
4. Black/blue jig
5. Bone-colored topwater walking bait

Add Based on Your Waters

Once you have the basics, expand based on your specific fishing locations:

• Add colors that match local forage
• Include lures for your primary techniques
• Stock backups of your confidence lures

Quality Over Quantity

One quality lure that you fish well beats ten cheap lures fished poorly. Invest in proven lures and learn to use them effectively before expanding your collection.

Lure Storage and Organization

Keep It Simple

Organize lures by type rather than color. Have separate boxes for:

• Soft plastics
• Hard baits (crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater)
• Jigs and spinnerbaits
• Specialty lures

Seasonal Rotation

Rotate your lure selection based on the season. Store off-season lures separately to keep your go-to box streamlined.

Maintenance

Regular lure maintenance extends their life:

• Replace dull hooks
• Clean off dirt and debris
• Check split rings for wear
• Replace damaged skirts and trailers

Conclusion

Choosing the right fishing lures comes down to understanding three things: what fish are eating, how they’re behaving, and what conditions you’re facing. Start with a small selection of versatile lures in proven colors, learn to read the conditions, and adjust your presentation accordingly.

Remember, the best lure in the world doesn’t catch fish if you don’t put it where the fish are. Focus on location first, lure selection second, and you’ll dramatically increase your success on the water.

For more information on organizing your lures, see our Essential Fishing Tackle Box guide. And make sure your fishing line matches your lure selection for optimal performance.