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Bass fishing can be exciting at any time of year but you might find your success will often depend on the type of lure you use.
Different times of year and different water conditions will usually call for different types of lures, and there are plenty of options out there.
Top Choices: Bass Lures
- Smithwick Suspending Rattlin Rogue
- Strike King Square Bill Crankbait
- Strike King Red Eye Shad
- Strike King Rage Tail Craw
- Booyah Boo Jig
- Pradco Booyah Blade Double Willow
- Booyah Bait Company Pad Crasher
- Rapala Skitter Walk Lure
- Strike King KVD Fat Baby Finesse Worm
So how do you know which lures to use? We’ve put together a list of our favorites so that you can choose the best bass lures for your style of fishing.
What Makes A Good Lure For Bass?
Versatility
Probably one of the main things that you want to look for in a bass lure is versatility. A versatile lure means you can rig in different ways or fish it in a range of conditions.
Some lures, such as worms and jigs, can be great for fishing in every season because they can be presented in different ways and at different speeds, which can make them a tackle box staple in many places.
Success Rate
A good lure is undoubtedly one that catches fish. When you’re looking for a bass lure that will work it can often mean looking for lures that can have a more natural appearance, similar to what the bass are eating at that particular time.
This can be frogs or shad or lures that imitate struggling baitfish. However, what will be successful for you may not be successful for your buddy at a different lake, so it can be a good idea to try a few different lures to see what works for that specific spot on that specific day.
Colors
Bass lures usually come in a variety of different colors, which can make choosing the right one pretty difficult.
However, it can be a good idea to stick to more natural looking colors if you plan to fish in clear water and opt for brighter colors for fishing in more murky water.
Best Bass Lures (For More Bites)
1: Jerkbaits
Jerkbaits can be one of the best types of lures to use for bass and can be especially useful during the pre-spawn and the fall, when temperatures are a little lower and bass are actively feeding.
They can be used in various presentations depending on the time of year and conditions, including as topwater walking baits or used as suspending baits in spawning areas.
Whenever the bass are chasing baitfish, a jerkbait can be a good choice of lure to use. But they can be used all year round, as long as you slow down the presentation during the summer.
Smithwick Suspending Rattlin Rogue
- Weight: ⅜ ounce
- Length: 4.5 inches
The Smithwick Suspending Rattlin Rogue is a suspending jerkbait that can be an ideal choice for year round bass fishing. It comes in a range of natural colors and features three treble hooks.
2: Crankbaits
Crankbaits can be used all year round for bass fishing, as they can be fished in shallows and in deeper water, as well as cold and warm water, depending on the movement of the crankbait.
There are both lipped and lipless crankbaits, with the lipped styles being able to dive during the retrieve. The lipless crankbaits will often have internal rattles to help attract attention.
Strike King Square Bill Crankbait
- Weight: 1 ½ ounces
- Length: 2.25 inches
The Strike King Square Bill Crankbait is a diving crankbait, designed to dive to between 3 and 6 feet of water. It features two hooks and comes in natural colors to create a more realistic baitfish appearance.
Strike King Red Eye Shad
- Weight: ½ ounce
- Length: 2.5 inches
For a lipless crankbait option, the Strike King Red Eye Shad features a natural appearance with internal rattles that help to create vibrations and add to the swimming movement.
3: Crawfish
Bass will tend to eat crawfish at all times of the year, which makes a crawfish lure an excellent addition to your tackle box, as you can use it in a variety of conditions and seasons.
Video: The 3 Best Ways To Rig Creature Baits
Crawfish and creature baits can be rigged as a jig trailer or can be fished on their own. Texas rigs can work well for fishing areas with cover and Carolina and Shakey Head rigs can also be useful for fishing on deeper lake beds or rocky bottoms.
Strike King Rage Tail Craw
- Length: 4 inches
The Strike King Rage Tail Craw is a 4 inch crawfish lure that is designed to mimic the action of a crawfish when fished along the bottom or over rocks, with the claws moving to create a natural motion.
This soft plastic lure can be rigged in a variety of ways and it comes in a range of colors for different seasons and water conditions.
4: Jigs
Jigs can be your go-to lure for year round bass fishing and their versatility can make them a great choice for your tackle box. They can be fished in both shallow and deep waters and can be rigged with crawfish trailers to create an even more appealing lure for fishing rocky zones.
Booyah Boo Jig
- Weight: ¼ ounce
- Length: 4 inches
The Booyah Boo Jig can be a great addition to your bass fishing set-up. It features a 50 strand silicone skirt for added movement and a premium black nickel hook. It also benefits from twin rattles for underwater vibrations and a weed guard so you can fish it in a variety of areas, including thick vegetation.
5: Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits can be a great tool to catch bass around cover. They feature spinning blades that help to create vibrations and flash as they move through the water. This means they can attract fish who may not be as close by and can work well in deeper or murky water.
Because of their less natural looking appearance, these types of lures can work better in windy conditions and when it’s cloudy.
As this can mean the bass may not be able to see the true shape of the lure and may then be more likely to strike than on a clear, calm day when the lure may appear less natural.
Pradco Booyah Blade Double Willow
- Weight: ½ ounce
- Length: 3 inches
The Pradco Booyah Blade Double Willow is a ½ ounce spinnerbait that’s available in a range of colors and also comes in a ⅜ ounce size.
t features two willow blades for increased vibration and flash and a 55 strand Bio-Flex silicone skirt to provide a more natural movement.
Video: Spinnerbait Fishing for Bass- Prime Conditions
6: Frog Lures
Frog lures can be a great choice for spring and summer bass fishing. Whenever you find frogs near the water, this is usually the time when your frog lures can work best.
Frog lures are topwater baits, so they should excel during times when bass are in the shallows and feeding close to the surface, particularly in areas where there is vegetation, such as lily pads or overhanging trees.
Booyah Bait Company Pad Crasher
- Weight: ½ ounce
- Length: 6 inches
The Booyah Bait Company Pad Crasher can be a great choice of frog to use for fishing in weeds and algae mats, as it’s engineered to be weedless.
It is a floating hollow body frog that has spinnerbait style legs, designed to give a more natural movement when on the water.
7: Topwater Walking Lures
Topwater walking lures are designed to be walked over the water and are ideal for walk-the-dog techniques.
These types of lures can result in lots of bass strikes because of their ability to imitate dying or injured baitfish and can be used from the pre-spawn right through to the end of fall.
Rapala Skitter Walk Lure
- Weight: 7/16 ounce
- Length: 3.5 inches
This Rapala Skitter Walk Lure is designed for the walk-the-dog technique and features a weighted tail and realistic eyes to give a more natural appearance in the water.
It’s 3.5 inches long, comes in a variety of colors and benefits from having sharp black nickel hooks.
8: Finesse Worms
Finesse worms can be a go-to lure when other types of lure don’t seem to be working.
The finesse presentation is what can make finicky bass bite and it can be a good choice for catching bass all year round, with a range of different rigging methods that can be used depending on the conditions, including a drop shot rig for deeper water.
Strike King KVD Fat Baby Finesse Worm
- Length: 5 inches
The Strike King KVD Fat Baby Finesse Worm is a soft plastic worm lure that can be a versatile option for catching year round bass. It can be rigged in various ways to target bass in different conditions and seasons and features a coffee scented body to help attract bass.
Another feature on this worm is the salt mixture coating that is designed to help bass hold on to the bait longer for easier hook setting.
Conclusion
There are lots of choices available when it comes to bass fishing lures, but hopefully now you’ll have a better idea of what lures to pack into your tackle box.
Remember, the conditions and the seasons can often dictate what lures will be best and it can be a good idea to always have a variety of different ones on hand, as you sometimes never know what the bass will take on that particular day.
Hopefully, you found this guide helpful and if you did, share it with your buddies. And leave us a comment to let us know what your go-to bass lure is.
