Fishing Lures & Baits: How to Choose and Fish Them

Bladed jig and spinnerbait placed on a wet rock beside stained freshwater with bass cover in the background
Bladed Jig vs. Spinnerbait: When Each Bass Lure Makes More Sense
Compare a bladed jig and spinnerbait by vibration, flash, profile, cover, water clarity, wind, trailer choice, retrieve, and hook exposure instead of choosing one universal winner. Read more...
Silver and copper spoon lures resting beside a light spinning rod at a clear freshwater shoreline
How to Fish a Spoon Lure: Depth, Retrieve, and Snags
Fish a spoon lure by controlling cast, fall, depth, retrieve speed, line twist, and snag risk. Compare straight, lift-and-fall, and pause-and-restart retrieves. Read more...
Three round jig heads with barbed hooks shown in different weights for rigging soft plastics
Jig Head Weight: How to Choose for Soft Plastics
Choose jig head weight for soft plastics by depth, current, fall rate, lure size, line angle, and cover. Start light, then add weight only when control requires it. Read more...
Silver minnow-style jerkbait with a diving bill and treble hooks reflected on a dark surface
How to Fish a Jerkbait: Cadence, Pause, and Depth
Fish a jerkbait by matching lure depth, cadence, pause length, line, and color to water clarity, temperature, cover, and baitfish activity on the day. Read more...
Small ice fishing jigs and soft baits beside an ice fishing rod
Ice Fishing Jigs: Size, Color, Depth, and Action
Choose ice fishing jigs by species, depth, water clarity, bait rules, profile, color, and cadence. Start with a controlled presentation and change one variable. Read more...
Kayak fishing lures including a swimbait, weedless jig, popper, spinnerbait, and minnow lure
Best Kayak Fishing Lures for Shallow Water and Tight Casting
Choose kayak fishing lures for shallow water, seated casting, limited rod space, and cover. Compare swimbaits, weedless jigs, poppers, spinnerbaits, and minnows by job. Read more...
Spinnerbait with Colorado and willow blades, skirt, hook, and lure package
Spinnerbait Buying Guide: How to Choose Blades, Weight, and Color
Choose a spinnerbait by blade signal, weight, skirt contrast, wire, hook clearance, and retrieve. Match the lure to water clarity, light, depth, and cover. Read more...
Spinnerbait with metal blades and skirt beside bass fishing tackle
When to Use a Spinnerbait: Conditions and Retrieve
Learn when a spinnerbait fits bass fishing by checking clarity, light, wind, cover, depth, baitfish, and fish activity. Adjust blade signal, speed, and angle before changing lures. Read more...
Black buzzbait, dark popper, jig, swimbait, and spinnerbait arranged for night bass fishing
Night Fishing Lures: What to Throw After Dark
Choose night fishing lures by vibration, silhouette, depth, cover, and retrieve speed. Compare topwater, spinnerbait, jig, and soft-plastic roles after dark. Read more...
Soft plastic paddle tail swimbait and hard fishing lures arranged on a tackle box
Soft Baits vs Hard Lures: Which Should You Use?
Choose soft baits for subtle action, slow retrieves, and weedless cover; choose hard lures for flash, vibration, and water coverage. Match the lure to depth and fish activity. Read more...
Bass topwater popper, walking bait, buzzbait, and frog lure
Best Topwater Lures for Bass: Popper, Frog, or Buzzbait?
Choose a bass topwater lure by cover, wind, light, forage, and fish activity. Compare poppers, walking baits, buzzbaits, and frogs with a practical starting rule. Read more...
White and chartreuse spinnerbaits with metal blades on a fishing tackle box
Spinnerbait Colors: Clear vs Stained vs Muddy Water
Choose spinnerbait colors by water clarity first: natural white and shad in clear water, chartreuse in stain, and dark silhouettes in muddy water, with blade and retrieve adjustments. Read more...
Soft paddle-tail swimbait and hard fishing lures arranged for bass fishing
Soft Swimbaits vs Hard Lures for Bass: Which Should You Use?
Compare soft swimbaits and hard lures for bass by depth, cover, action, water clarity, and fish activity. Use a simple decision process before changing colors. Read more...
Floating, suspending, and sinking minnow lures beside a long-casting fishing rod
Artificial Minnow Lures: Floating, Suspending, or Sinking?
Choose artificial minnow lures by depth, water type, baitfish activity, retrieve control, casting range, and hook care; this guide separates hard lures from live-minnow bait. Read more...
Topwater popper fishing lures with treble hooks on a bass fishing surface
How to Fish a Topwater Popper: Pause, Cadence, and Hookset
Learn how to fish a topwater popper by matching pause length, cadence, casting angle, surface conditions, and hookset timing to bass behavior and cover. Read more...
Spinnerbait with metal blades, silicone skirt, and weed-resistant hook beside a bass lure box
Best Spinnerbait Lures: Blades, Color, and Retrieve
Compare spinnerbait lure choices by blade signal, water clarity, depth, cover, hook clearance, and retrieve. Choose a useful starting configuration instead of a universal winner. Read more...