Lures by Type
Choose the right fishing lures to catch nearly every kind of freshwater
and saltwater fish. Whether you're a skilled angler or a beginner,
finding the best fishing lure to use depends on many different
situations - the time of year, weather, water, and the type of fish you
want to attract. No matter what your situation is, these topwater lures,
crankbaits and saltwater lures help you explore every possible hiding
place with productive results. Our fishing lures are made using the
latest technology to give you the ultimate fishing experience and the
best chance of reeling in a fish. From topwater lures and surface plugs
to crankbaits and saltwater lures, get the right bait for the job from
the most popular and historically recognized brands in the industry.
Whatever your game, we'll hook you up with the right equipment to help
you catch the big one!
Jerkbait Fishing Lures
They’re long and slender and just don’t look like much when simply reeled through the water. But to anglers who know how to work them, jerkbaits evoke tremendous excitement and are one of the few lure types to create an entire niche within fishing lures. In early spring when the water’s still cold, anglers may throw a jerkbait all day long. But spring’s not the only time jerkbaits are your best choice. Anytime you’re fishing clear water or for bass (smallmouth and largemouth) or when they’re holding in water less than 10 or so feet deep, a jerkbait should be your weapon of choice. Bass aren’t the only species that readily eat a jerkbait. Walleyes and all species of trout also are suckers for the lure, as well as just about any other fish that eats other fish. Scientific research shows that gamefish prefer a lure that is long and slender, and the action of a jerkbait only adds to its effectiveness. And speaking of action! When retrieved correctly, the lure darts side-to-side, pauses, then takes off again to provoke reaction strikes. To achieve the correct retrieve, cast the lure, crank the reel handle a few times to get the lure down to its optimum depth, then pause. The action is imparted by jerking the rod tip -- jerk-jerk-jerk-pause, and repeat, varying the number of jerks or “twitches” and the duration of the pauses. Whether you’re using the classic Smithwick Rogue or new high-tech XCalibur Jerk Bait, the strike will make you a jerkbait believer.
Soft Plastics
Soft plastic fishing lures is one of the largest segments of the lure
industry, and for good reason. No other type of lure presents a more
realistic looking – and feeling – than soft plastics. When a bass,
panfish or walleye grabs a soft plastic worm or grub, it just feels
right, and when imbedded with scent, tastes good, too. Early soft
plastics resembled big earthworms, and the category has now expanded to
all types of critters – worms, grubs, crawfish, lizards, frogs, minnows
and a catch-all category of “creature baits,” those soft plastics
featuring multiple wiggly appendages and don’t really look like anything
a fish would eat in nature, but catch them anyway. Soft plastics are
available in all of the colors of the rainbow and many are imbedded with
glitter or “flake” that provide even more appeal. Equal to the number
of colors are the ways to rig them. In addition, certain styles of soft
plastics require different rigging to perform correctly, and there is
any number of variations to the normal riggings. More than with any
other lure category, soft plastics allows for more variation and angler
alterations. Soft plastic lures may account for more bass, walleyes
and panfish than any other lure type. Soft plastic lures can be used
from the top to the bottom of the water column. Whether it’s a Texas
rigged worm for largemouth bass or a small grub on a jighead for crappie
or walleye, soft plastic lures are integral to angler success.
Jigs
The jig and trailer is a classic lure for big largemouth and smallmouth
bass. From big Southern flippin’ jigs to finesse Northern heads, the jig
is a mainstay in fishing. The jig’s head, skirt and hook is beautiful
in its simplicity, and it’s up to the angler to impart the action
through rod manipulation. Jigs can feature a rubberized/silicone-type
material or hair skirt, often with a soft plastic craw or other type of
trailer for added color, action and sink rate. Larger jigs are used for
big largemouth flipped to shallow cover, punched through vegetation
mats or dredged across a 15-foot ledge. Different situations may call
for a super-slow motion retrieve or a frantic scramble that bulges the
surface. A soft plastic craw or twin tail trailer creates more vibration
and water displacement as well as size and color. One thing’s for sure,
big jigs catch big bass. On the other end of the jig spectrum are
small heads with a 4 or 6 inch worm rigged weedless. Cast and allowed to
come to rest on the bottom, the angler quivers the rod to impart a
shaking action to the worm, which rides upward in the water column. The
head and other types of smaller jigheads are used for many types of curl
tail, creature, worm and craw combinations – dragging, lift-and-drop,
wacky and more. While the head often is associated with smallmouth bass,
it’s also a fantastic largemouth bait .
Wirebaits
“Wirebait” is a relatively new term that refers to spinnerbaits and
buzzbaits – lures consisting of a hook, weighted head of lead or similar
material and a wire that extends into an R bend or circle bend back
toward the hook with a spinning metal blade attached. The head is
dressed in a skirt of multiple strands in various rubber or silicone
type materials. Spinnerbaits are subsurface baits with twirling blades
and buzzbaits ride on top with a burbling commotion, the head, hook and
skirt riding just below the surface. Definitions aside, spinnerbaits
and buzzbaits are a class of lures that are mostly reeled at a constant
speed on top of (buzzbaits) or at any depth (spinnerbaits). Success with
spinnerbaits depends on putting them in front of bass and allowing the
spinning blades to produce the flash and water displacement of fleeing
baitfish. The skirt provides a realistic undulating baitfish profile.
Blades can be round (Colorado), which produce more vibration and water
displacement along with flash, and Willow, which are more narrow and
pointed on both ends, like the leaf of the willow tree. It’s accepted
that it’s the flash more than vibration that attracts bass with Willow
blades.
Topwater Fishing Lures.
Topwater lures should come with a warning: This product is known to
cause increased heart rate, sweaty palms, trembling limbs and in some
cases, heart attack. Thus is the excitement of topwater fishing. One
minute your lure is plop-plopping back toward the boat and the next
moment it explodes like a charge of dynamite. Then, the fight is on.
Topwater lures – poppers, chuggers, buzzbaits, propbaits, cigar-shaped
dog-walkers – are the most exciting lures for bass anglers because you
see the strike. One moment you’re working your lure across the top and
the next a bass violently smashes. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass
often stun their prey before swallowing it, and one topwater strike will
make you a believer in that. Poppers and chuggers – those with some
type of concave face that catches water – are retrieved with quick
twitches of the rod tip to make the lure “blurp!” Twitches can be rapid
or painfully slow. Propbaits feature metal propellers at the front and
often the back of the lure. These propellers spin on the retrieve and
really spit water when twitched with some force. Retrieve can be a
constant slow motion or twitches. Buzzbaits are wirebaits featuring a
metal blade on a wire that bends and connects to a weighted head, hook
and skirt. To properly work a buzzbait, cast and immediately begin your
retrieve with constant cranking. Get the bait to the top as soon as
possible and let it do the rest. A cigar-shaped, walk-the-dog topwater
takes just a little practice to master. Cast, then begin a
twitch-twitch-twitch retrieve while slowly taking in line. The bait will
sashay side-to-side when correctly retrieved. For best results, leave
just a little slack in the line while twitching the rod tip. And for
your safety and for those in the boat with you, always wait until you
feel the fish before setting the hook.
Crankbaits.
One feature almost all crankbaits share is a “lip” at the front of the
bait that cause the bait to dive and wobble when retrieved. There are
crankbaits that run from just under the surface (called “wakebaits”)
down to almost 20 feet. They fish fast, meaning that an angler can cover
vast areas quickly to locate hotspots and active fish. The crankbait is
one of the most popular and effective lures in the world for largemouth
and smallmouth bass, walleyes, panfish, pike and just about any other
species of gamefish. The lip, or paddle, is a major determinant of
diving depth. In general, the larger the lip, the deeper a crankbait
will dive. A crankbait should track straight on the retrieve, not laying
over on its side or trimming left or right. A crankbait that is “out of
tune” normally can be corrected by using needle nose pliers to bend the
line tie in the direction the bait is tracking. In the past crankbaits
were termed “idiot baits” because the perception was that all an angler
needed to do to catch fish was cast and reel, and they do catch fish
with a steady retrieve, but retrieve variations (in speed, stops and
starts, etc.) and location are important to maximizing your efforts.
In general, crankbaits are at their best ricocheting off cover such as
brushpiles or dock ladders or structure like rockpiles and humps rising
out of deep water. Most anglers suggest pausing the retrieve when a
crankbait connects with an obstruction, mimicking a stunned baitfish or
crawfish. Baitfish and crawfish color patterns are the most popular, and
darker colors product in low-light situations and at night
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