There is no best largemouth bass fishing lure just as there is no best musical instrument in an orchestra. Each instrument performs a specific task in a symphony. Fishing lures are like musical instruments. Each one performs a specific task, and each excels in particular weather and water conditions. Don't just pick the best lure. Pick the best lure for the conditions and you'll catch more fish.
Clear Water Tubes
Fish plastic tubes in clear water. Pro fisherman Chad Brauer recommends rigging them on a 3/0 hook with a 1/4-oz. or 5/16-oz. bullet weight and flipping them into heavy cover on 25-lb. test line. Green pumpkin, smoke red and watermelon are his color choices. If fish are deep, try a tube on a Carolina rig. A Texas-rigged tube on a 4/0 or 5/0 hook is a good choice for fishing the lure as a jerkbait. Cast it weightless on 12- or 15-lb. test line, let it sink slightly, then retrieve it by alternating small rod jerks with pauses.
The Classic Jig and Pig
The jig and pig and its many close relatives have been bass fishing staples for decades. The website Gone Bass Fishing calls the jig "one of the most effective artificial baits used." Use it in heavy cover, near vegetation or on rocky banks. It is effective in clear, muddy, warm and cold water. The most common weights are 3/8 oz. to 1/2 oz. Use lighter weights for slower falls through the water column and in shallow water. Use heavier weights for faster falls when fish are active and when you fish in water more than 10 feet deep. Most strikes will come as the lure falls.
Slow in Cold, Quick in Warm
Fish your lures slowly in cold water. Match that approach by selecting lures designed to fish slowly. Texas-rigged worms, jigging spoons and jig-and-pig combinations fit the bill. As bass move to shallow water in spring, pick up the pace with crankbaits and Carolina rigs. When bass are on their nests, jerkbaits, weightless worms, jigs and crankbaits work, although you may need to slow your presentation. Some days you may have to leave your lure to sit on a bed for 30 to 60 minutes before a fish hits. Pull out your topwater lures in summer as bass metabolisms increase. When winter rolls around, return to the slow lures.
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