FishPic Guide

Fishing Lure Types: A Beginner's Guide to Picking the Right One

New to fishing or just tired of guessing what to tie on? Here's a quick tour of the lure families every angler should know — what they imitate, when to throw them, and how to make them work.

Crankbaits

Best for: Bass, walleye, pike searching for baitfish

Hard-bodied lures with a plastic lip that dives to a set depth and wobbles on the retrieve, mimicking a fleeing baitfish. Sold as shallow, mid, or deep divers based on lip size.

  • Match the diving depth to the structure you're fishing — ticking the bottom or bouncing off cover triggers strikes.
  • Use a steady retrieve in cold water, and add pauses or jerks in warmer water.
  • Bright colors for murky water, natural shad/perch patterns when it's clear.

Spinnerbaits

Best for: Bass and pike in stained water or around cover

A wire-frame lure with one or two spinning metal blades and a skirted hook. The blades flash and vibrate, calling fish in from a distance.

  • Slow-roll over grass or wood, or burn them just under the surface around schooling fish.
  • Colorado blades push more vibration (good for dirty water); willow blades flash more (clearer water).
  • Add a soft-plastic trailer to bulk up the profile and slow the fall.

Jigs

Best for: Bass, walleye, panfish — almost any species, any depth

A weighted head molded onto a hook, usually dressed with a skirt, hair, or soft plastic. Jigs sink fast and are fished on or near the bottom.

  • Drag and hop slowly along the bottom — most bites happen on the fall.
  • Match jig weight to depth and wind: heavier for deep or windy days, lighter for finesse presentations.
  • Pair with a craw-style trailer when fishing rocks, a swimmer when imitating baitfish.

Soft Plastics

Best for: Bass, walleye, panfish in pressured or finicky conditions

Stick worms, creature baits, swimbaits, and grubs rigged on weighted or weightless hooks. Endless versatility — Texas rig, wacky rig, drop-shot, Ned rig and more.

  • When fish stop chasing fast baits, slow down with a wacky-rigged stick worm.
  • Use a drop-shot in deep, clear water to suspend the bait off the bottom.
  • Natural colors (green pumpkin, watermelon) work in clear water; black/blue for muddy.

Topwater

Best for: Aggressive fish at dawn, dusk, and during low-light feeding windows

Poppers, walking baits, frogs, and buzzbaits that stay on the surface. Strikes are explosive and visible — the most exciting way to catch fish.

  • Best in low light, calm-to-rippled water, and warm temperatures.
  • Don't set the hook when you see the splash — wait until you feel the weight.
  • Frogs are perfect over thick vegetation where nothing else can be fished.

Spoons

Best for: Trout, salmon, pike, and vertical jigging for bass and walleye

Curved metal lures that flutter and flash on the fall or retrieve. Simple, durable, and deadly in the right situation.

  • Cast and retrieve casting spoons for active fish; let jigging spoons fall through schooled fish on sonar.
  • Slow, steady retrieves let the spoon wobble more — speed flattens the action.
  • Silver flashes best in sunlight, gold in stained water or overcast skies.

Not sure which one to tie on?

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