Which bass lure to use

Now having said that, a lure is a tool specificly designed to look like something alive and most effectively cover a certain situation. I might be faced with one condition on this bank and a totally different situation on the next bank.

Obviously inside of each of these categories there are going to be infinite variations, brands, colors, sizes and configurations, but generally speaking, this classifies what you will see by the thousands at any tackle shop across the globe for bass fishing.

This is your classic mid-to-shallow diving crankbait 3 to 6 feet. In bass fishing, little can compare to the enjoyment an angler gets when seeing a bass leap out of the water in an attempt to engulf their bait.

Topwater lures are not only effective but extremely fun to use, which are two reasons they make the top five. The purpose is to create the appearance of prey in distress, a sound that is hard for a bass to resist. The only downside is that they are sometimes missed by bass charging up from below. The wind can be an important factor as well. Take this into consideration when selecting color and size. If you have to choose one topwater it should be a popper, and this model is one of the longest running poppers out there.

You can also cast them a mile because of the way they are shaped. Work this slow in late summer afternoons for some great topwater action. The thoughts and opinions on what bass fishing lures are the best will vary from angler to angler.

Bass fishing is a mental sport and a ton of what makes a lure great for a particular angler is the amount of confidence he or she has in it. Black bass are the most sought-after gamefish in the United States, and are number one in terms of how much money is spent on equipment for them. In fact, more tackle is made for bass fishing than for any other species of fish.

This has led to amazing developments of all sorts of fishing gear, many of which have had a special focus on the advancement of largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing lures. The core list of classic lures have been running the show in the world of bass fishing for decades. Of course a lot of the new lures are designed more to entice bass anglers rather than bass.

Some lures will have a similar appearance and action as others but with significantly different prices. Choose topwaters that produce a lot of noise and splash to get the bass' attention.

Choose the right topwater lure for your water conditions. Each different type of topwater lure is most effective in different conditions. Poppers should be deployed when fishing around stumps, docks, bushes, rocks, and small areas that are covered because these lures will aggravate bass into biting. Wakebaits work best in clear water when fish are attracted to the V shaped wake.

They are great during spawning when bass are guarding their nests. Prop baits should be used in places with a lot of grass, especially during spawning season. Buzzbaits should be used in sparse grass and places where you feel your lure might get snagged but you still want a topwater presentation. These are most effective after spawning during the late summer. Frogs are meant to mimic real frogs so use them effectively around heavy grass. They can also be used around cover as they are one of the toughest lures to snag.

Employ the right technique. Topwater lures are meant to simultaneously activate the feeding and agitation response from bass but require you to mimic fleeing or helpless prey with erratic movements. Snap your wrist and rod tip downward at a sharp angle and then point the rod tip back to the lure quickly so it glides.

Give a series of fast snaps to make the bait move from left to right. Snap your rod tip downward to activate a poppers concave mouth and narrow tail. Steadily retrieve your wakebait to utilize its sharp angled lip to cause it to shimmy back and forth. Use a series of short jerks on your rod to spray water with prop baits. Steadily retrieve your buzzbait to employ its blade to curl the water, spitting and spraying during quick jerks. Twitch frogs along the top of grass and water to get bass to explode onto your lure.

Keep the colors simple. While there are a variety of colours for each of these baits, it's best to go with black, white, green and yellow. Method 5. Employ a short-range flipping and pitching techniques instead of casting out into the distance when using jigs. These lures give you a very accurate feel on the line, and are one of the most effective lures.

The common plastic skirting attracts bass all year round. Employ proper technique. To fish a jig cast out and give the line plenty of time to hit the bottom. Jigs and plastics are fished differently than other types of lures. Instead of reeling in to produce the "action", the bait is retrieved by moving the rod tip.

After the bait has hit the bottom and you have given it a twitch, slowly lift the rod tip until it points straight up in the 12 o'clock position.

Let it sit there for a moment and then drop it down to the 9 - 10 o'clock position and reel in the slack. Repeat these steps until your line is in. You'll have to have a good feel for your line to tell when a fish is biting so most people hold their finger against the line while lifting the rod tip. Look for sudden resistance or bumping on the line, a line that goes slack suddenly or veers sideways.

To set the hook, drop the rod tip very quickly to the 3 o'clock position, and pull back hard to 12 o'clock. Jigs are most effective when employed in cover or closed to cover so be aware of the risk of getting snagged.

Jigs are meant to imitate crawfish so try to make them scoot along the bottom. Use jigs around fallen trees where bass are hiding. Brush piles on a rocky bottom, standing timber, thick grass, and flats are all prime locations to employ a jig. Pitch or flip a jig around the angles where limbs connect to the trunks of fallen trees.

Let the jig fall to the bottom with a semi-tight line. Drag or hop your jig down ledges or drops to mimic the movements of a crawfish. Jigs are also effective when fishing on docks and piers because they provide protection from predators.

Jigs are meant to imitate crawfish so they should be light in clear water and dark in murky water. Method 6. These lures are the most versatile and the most effective because they are so lifelike. They can also be fished weighted or weightless. Floating plastics can be used just like a topwater, and any type of plastic can be fished weedless to allow fishing in extremely heavy vegetation.

Cast out and give the line plenty of time to hit the bottom. Fish based on the patterns of bass during the 4 seasons. These lures can still be effective in warmer weather if you employ slightly more movement but the only time these lures are ineffective are when bass are very active. Other popular baits are frogs and worms. Anglers can also use mice, salamanders, and various bugs or larvae for bait to pull bass, depending on where you are fishing. The best live bait will handle most of the presentation for you by drawing attention without skepticism from your targeted fish.

As a rule of thumb, use whatever is prevalent in your local waters as bait to attract a nonskeptic bass. More times than not, a bass will not eat something they have never seen before.

Another bonus is live bait often attracts the most trophy bass! There are various ways to rig or hook your baitfish, depending on how you want it to look in the water. The most common way to hook a baitfish when presenting it to largemouth bass is to hook the bait through both lips from the bottom up, so it gives the most natural presentation with the slightest chance of damaging the bait while hooking it.

Anglers can also hook the baitfish on its back below the dorsal fin. Shad, minnows, or shiners are some of the best live baits for bass, hands down. Baitfish come in different sizes and can be used in all types of bass waters, but they are incredibly productive in deeper water to target huge bass. They also work to catch more fish in general since they also attract giant catfish and other species.

Most charters using shiners will cast out multiple rods and use bobbers to help keep track of them when they get a bite. Then, when the bobber goes down, the angler needs to set the hook and start reeling in their big catch. The next most popular method when fishing with baitfish is using a split shot in shallow water near dense cover. Another method to use with shiners involves drift fishing with an egg sinker and barrel swivel.

Crawfish, also referred to as crayfish and crawdads, are popular baits for largemouth bass. Many professionals swear by them, saying the presentation is always on point and no bass can resist them. To set up your crawfish bait, you want to penetrate the tail of the crawfish with a hook of proportionate size to the crustacean. Then simply drop them in the water and let them present themselves to the bass.

Rig the worm on the hook through the tip and try to keep as much of the hook covered while ensuring that the barb is still protruding enough to set the hook. You will most likely want to go near the shallow areas and fish with lighter tackle when bass fishing with nightcrawlers. In most cases, using a light or ultralight rod, a six-pound monofilament line, and a split shot with the worm on the hook will work great.

Usually, worm setups can be jigged, and they can be used to catch various types of fish, including sunfish, crappie , other panfish, smallmouth bass, other bigger fish such as walleye, depending on where you are fishing. Frogs work great, especially in dense cover or anywhere with heavy vegetation. Using frogs to catch bass is a little less beginner-friendly than the other forms of live bait bass fishing, but with a bit of experience, you will see that this is one of the best strategies for fishing densely vegetated areas.

Toss your frog near lily pads and other bass covers; the frog will usually swim to the bottom and immediately draw attention. Largemouth bass are predatory animals, so the best artificial lures to use are those that mimic the prey present in the water at the time.

Many artificial lures have a unique feature that helps attract bass despite not looking very similar to a real prey animal. For example, they may flash in the light. Jigs, Crankbaits, Plastic Worms, Spinnerbaits and swimbaits, are all effective bass lures. Most of these are very versatile lures making them practical for largemouth bass fishing in most conditions throughout the year when used effectively. Jigs are weighted bass lures that often have a skirt that pulses in the water to attract bass.

Jigs are probably the most versatile bass lure, making them a great place to start when unsure of which lure to use based on conditions. They can be used throughout the year in almost any temperature, whether 50 degrees or 90 degrees.

Jigs can work in both shallow and deep waters and work in various environments, including shoreline grasses and steep underwater banks. Crankbaits usually look like a crayfish or small fish with a lip on the front, causing them to dive underwater and wobble as retrieved. However, there are also lipless crankbaits that are just as effective. They get their action from a nose-down altitude made by placing the line on the back of the bait and its slender body, which will vibrate rapidly as the water passes over both sides.