Fishing for freshwater bass is always a challenge. Bass are a very smart species as well as very moody and finicky eaters. It may take hours of experimentation to figure out which type of lure is “hitting” during a bass fishing trip. The experienced angler shows up to fish for bass with a tackle box filled with different types of lures, and at least two rod and reel combinations, a bait-casting reel and a spin-casting reel. Anglers can debate endlessly about what constitutes the “best” in terms of bass lures, but here are ten candidates that appear on most lists.
Plastic Worms
Since their inception in the early 1960s, soft plastic worms have been “king” in terms of catching bass. When all else fails, it seems lunker bass hit on a plastic worm that is properly presented. Plastic worms come in hundreds of different size and colors. Some are even impregnated with flavoring and scent that attract bass.
Spinner Baits
Spinner baits look nothing like a bait fish, really. But they are engineered to behave like a small bait fish, such as shad, and that is what counts. Spinner baits have a small spoon at the "head" and a skirt of colored plastic at the end of a partial L-shaped wire. The skirting conceals a large hook and when pulled through the water, its action is irresistible for many bass. Large bass, in particular, seem to like spinner baits. Spoon and skirting colors come in many varieties.
Poppers
This bait look more like bait fish but their front ends, or heads, are scooped out. The front concave surface helps to create a popping or jerking motion when the lure is drug through the water that attracts the attention of bass.
Lipped Crankbaits
Crankbaits look somewhat like real shad, minnows, frogs, insects or crayfish. They may have articulated bodies to help “sell” the idea of live motion as they are pulled through the water. Most lipped crankbaits feature an elongated lip near the head and several treble hooks along the body. The key to using a crankbait successfully is learning to operate the lure in a life-like manner. A crankbait that looks like a shad, for example, should be cranked back quickly with a jerking side-to-side motion to mimic flashing schools of shad.
Lipless Crankbaits
Lipless crankbaits look most like a real bait fish as they don’t have any elongated “lip” near the head. If bass in the area are chasing shad like mad, a lipless crankbait that looks like a shad, drug across a point, may be a winner.
Rattling or Buzz Crankbaits
A sub-set of crankbaits, these lures are engineered to produce a rattling or buzzing sound that is known to attract even the moodiest, bored bass. Rattlers and buzz baits may or may not look like real fish. It doesn’t matter—bass love them.
Pork Rind
Whether on its own or when paired with a spinner bait, a pork rind bait can be effective. Pork rind comes in many colors and flavors and is usually packaged in small jars to keep the rinds moist.
Other Soft Plastic Lures
Like their cousins, the plastic worms, hundreds of different soft plastic baits are now available on the market. These plastic baits mimic the appearance and motion of grubs, lizards, frogs, crayfish, minnows, mice and insects in the water. All can be effective, depending on fishing locations and conditions.
Jigs
Jig lures resemble spinner baits, but their skirting is much denser and is directly connected to the head of the lure, without the smaller spinner spoon found on a spinner bait. As with a spinner bait, the colorful skirting masks a deadly hook. Color combinations in skirting abound among bass jigs.
Spoons
Spoons are shaped like an elongated spoon with a hook trailing off the back edge. Spoons come in metallic and other hot neon colors, and in different sizes. The allure of the spoon is the action the lure creates in the water and a “flash” that mimics the movement of shimmering shad.
References
- "The Bass Angler's Alamanac"; John Weiss; 2002
- "101 Bass Catching Secrets"; Roland Martin; 2008
- "Screts of a Champion"; Kevin VanDam; 2002
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