Walking into a tackle shop and seeing a wall of fishing lures can be exciting, but it can also be a little much. For newcomers, the wild variety of shapes, sizes, and colors looks like an impossible puzzle. For an experienced angler, though, every lure is a tool with a specific job. Picking the right one isn't about luck; it’s about knowing the fish, their habitat, and how to fool them. This guide will break down lure selection, giving you the confidence to pick the best fishing lures for your next trip to the lake.
Your Tackle Box Toolkit
To get started, it helps to know the main families of freshwater fishing lures and what they’re built to do. Each type is made to copy a certain kind of meal or trigger a fish’s instinct to strike. The table below gives a quick rundown of the most common types.
| Lure Type | What It Does & Looks Like | When to Use It |
| Crankbaits | Hard plastic or wood lures with a lip that makes them dive and wiggle when you reel them in. The lip's shape controls how deep it goes. | Great for covering lots of water, targeting fish at set depths, and bumping off rocks or logs to cause a strike. |
| Spinnerbaits | An angled wire frame with one or more spinning blades that flash and vibrate. The design helps it come through weeds easily. | Perfect for murky or stained water where the flash and thump help fish find it. Also good for fishing around grass and wood. |
| Jigs | A simple weighted hook, usually with a skirt made of silicone, hair, or soft plastic. They're incredibly versatile. | Can be bounced on the bottom to look like a crawfish, swam through the middle of the water, or dropped straight down on deep spots. |
| Soft Plastics | A huge group of flexible, realistic plastic baits like worms, craws, lizards, and baitfish. They can be rigged many ways. | Ideal for mimicking all kinds of food, getting into heavy cover without snags, and tricking picky fish with a lifelike feel. |
| Topwater Lures | Any lure that works on the water's surface. Includes poppers that splash, walkers that glide side-to-side, and buzzbaits that churn the water. | Best in calm water during low-light hours like early morning or late evening. The strikes are explosive and unforgettable. |
Reading the Conditions
Picking the best fishing lures goes beyond just grabbing a cool-looking one. You have to read the water, the weather, and the mood of the fish. A few key factors will point you to the right choice.
Water Clarity: How clear the water is makes a huge difference. In crystal-clear water, fish use their eyes a lot. Lures with natural colors and realistic shapes tend to work best. You want your lure to closely match the local baitfish or crawfish. When the water is stained or muddy, fish rely more on vibration and sound. This is where lures that put off a lot of flash and vibration, like spinnerbaits and rattling crankbaits, really shine. Bright, loud colors like chartreuse or hot orange can help fish zero in on your lure in the gloom.
Water Temperature: Fish are cold-blooded, so the water temperature runs their lives. In cold water, their metabolism slows way down, and they won't chase a fast meal. A slow, patient presentation with a jig or a soft plastic worm often gets the bite. On the other hand, in warm water, fish are full of energy and ready to hunt. They're much more likely to smash a fast-moving crankbait or spinnerbait.
Time of Day and Season: Fish change their behavior throughout the day and the year. Early in the morning and late in the evening are prime times for topwater action, as predator fish often push into the shallows to feed. During the bright, sunny middle of the day, fish often pull out to deeper water or tuck into the shade of docks and weeds. That’s when you’ll need a deep-diving crankbait or a jig to reach them. The seasons also change everything. In spring, when fish are focused on spawning, a lure you can fish slowly around their shallow nests works well. In the fall, fish feed heavily for the coming winter, so bigger lures that imitate the larger baitfish of the season can be the ticket.
Matching Lures to Your Target
While the conditions give you a starting point, you also have to know what your target fish loves to eat. The old saying "match the hatch" is the golden rule of fishing. If you see bass chasing schools of shad in open water, a silver or white crankbait or swimbait that matches the size and color of those shad is your best bet. If they're in the rocks likely eating crawfish, a brown or orange jig dragged along the bottom is a smarter choice.
The table below gives some solid starting points for popular freshwater fish.
| Target Fish | What They Eat | Go-To Lure Types |
| Largemouth Bass | Baitfish (shad, shiners), crawfish, frogs, bluegill | Jigs, Soft Plastics (worms, craws), Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits, Topwater Plugs |
| Smallmouth Bass | Crawfish, minnows, insects, gobies | Tube Jigs, Hair Jigs, Ned Rigs, Small Natural-Colored Crankbaits, Jerkbaits |
| Trout | Insects, small fish, worms, crustaceans | In-line Spinners, Small Spoons, Micro Jigs, Tiny Crankbaits, Flies |
| Walleye | Baitfish (perch, minnows), leeches, worms | Jigs (often with a minnow), Deep-Diving Crankbaits, Blade Baits, Crawler Harnesses |
| Panfish (Crappie, Bluegill) | Tiny minnows, insects, plankton | Small Jigs (1/32 to 1/8 oz), Tiny Spinners, Micro Soft Plastics, Beetle Spins |
Putting It All Together
Figuring out which lure to use is a skill you build over time through observation and trial and error. There isn't one "magic" lure that catches fish every single time. The real secret is having a good variety of lure types and knowing when to use them. Pay attention to what's happening around you, watch for clues about what the fish are doing, and never be afraid to try something new. If you combine this knowledge with a little experimentation, you’ll open up your tackle box with confidence and have more fun and success on the water.
