Beginners Guide To Lures

[ROBZILLA]

A Beginner's Guide To Bass Lures


If you are just getting started in bass fishing, you are quickly learning that the vast array of tackle available to bass anglers is sometimes overwhelming. You have to wonder, "Wow, do I really have to buy all this stuff to catch bass?"
While most lures do indeed catch fish, they are not all necessary, and many can be added later as your success increases, and your skill levels improve. Right now, it is more important to concentrate on the basics, and make your lures selections as simple as possible.
While narrowing down your selections, might seem to limit your ability to catch fish, it will in fact, actually help you in several ways.
When learning a new technique, you need to use colors and lures that you have confidence in, and that will allow you to concentrate more on your presentations rather than your lure color.
For years, I tried to collect as many different lures as I could, in every color of the rainbow. I had a huge collection of what ended up being mostly junk.
By eliminating the colors and sizes or styles I never used, I was able to purchase duplicates of the ones I had the most confidence in, and started throwing them more, and my success grew. I knew when I chose a lure, that it was going to catch fish. That added confidence helped me more than anything else I could have done.
While I still have quite a few lures that I only occasionally use, I still have confidence in them. Some examples of these might be red crankbaits and traps. I use these almost exclusively from late January through mid March, and then rarely if at all, for the rest of the year.
Here are the basic lures that I have and use, and I think they will help you to start building a good supply of lures to cover just about any situation you might have to face. Once you have a good basic foundation for your lure collection, you can add or subtract from it as you see fit. The basics, are the "Go-To" baits I use on new waters, and when I am searching for fish.
First, let's break the lures down into several categories, and we can choose a few for each one. This will give you a broad spectrum of lures and each will have some colors to handle any situation you face.

CRANKBAITS

These are purely a matter of choice, and your individual preference. Several manufacturers produce quality lures ranging in price from under $4 each, to well over $20 ea. Remember that Price does not always dictate the lure's ability to catch fish. Certainly one would expect the quality to be better on the more expensive lures, but sometimes a very expensive and natural looking lure is less effective than a larger more brightly colored one, such as when fishing stained and muddy conditions.
My selection of crankbaits is pretty vast, I admit, but I have at least 4-6 of each of my basic colors, so that if I loose one, I can just get another that is exactly the same, and continue fishing with the confidence that I had with the other lure.

These are my choices, and you should make your own choices based on the crankbaits that seem to work best in your area for you.
Sometimes in late winter/early spring, the bass here seem to prefer a crankbait that has no rattles, and a more pronounced wobble. That is when I choose a balsa crankbait, in a smaller size. My choices are usually either a Bagley's Deeper Diving Killer B II or a # 5 or # 7 Shad Rap. Both baits produce excellent results, and some days the fish prefer one over the other. I stick with a few basic colors as well.
For the Killer B's, I use a color called "Hot Belly Craw" which has a dark brown back that fades into yellow sides and belly, with a small amount of orange on it. They also have black vertical lines along the sides (almost like the spots found along the sides of a bass near the lateral line).
For the Shad Raps, the Crawfish color works well. It is a brownish-red color, and can draw some strikes from fish as well. Also, if you can find it, try using the original Rapala Perch color. It has yellow and green stripes on the sides. These fish, like crappie, are extremely active in cooler water, and bass will feed on them.
I tend to use these baits in more open water areas early in the year, around the mouths of creeks, and points on the main lake. I often work them more like a jerkbait than a crankbait, and fish will often come up in deeper water to take them.
Other colors I use in these lures are Tennessee Shad and Silver Foil with a black or blue back for the Killer B's, and a Natural Shad Pattern for the Shad Raps.
If I feel I need to switch to a more durable or a rattling crankbait, I go to either a Bill Norman Professional Edge Series Deep Middle N crankbait, or a Bandit Series 300 crankbait.
Both of those lures are small in size, as are the ones mentioned above, and yet can still reach depths of 12-14' easily with 10-12# test.
I like the sunshine gelcoat colors of the Norman's, and usually throw a Lavender Shad color, or Tennessee Shad pattern. If the water is stained or muddy, I will opt for more brightly colored lures such as a Chartreuse/Blue Back or White/Chartreuse Back for the same lures. Another new color I like in muddy water is called Sour Grape, from Norman. It has a Purple back with Chartreuse sides.
For the Bandits, I like the Crawfish patterns they offer, as well as their Pearl White, and the Tennessee Shad.
Some people say why do you have both? Why not just one or the other? Well, the Bandits are much smaller in size than the Norman's, and often that can make a difference, even though both will reach the same depth.
Later in the year, I usually start throwing more baitfish colors, and experiment with sizes. As the summer comes, larger baits seem to work better, and by fall, I will be using Bagley's D B III baits or a Norman DD-22. These baits will reach greater depths, and offer a bigger target to the bass. This time of year, the bass are generally feeding on large sunfish. Like bream, bluegill, etc., and the baitfish are usually as large as they will get at this time. While any baitfish color that has a white bass with a darker colored back will almost always draw strikes, sometimes a small amount of Chartreuse also helps. This is especially true when bass are feeding on bream or bluegill.
TRAPS AND OTHER LIPLESS BAITS
These lures can become some of the best baits you have for quickly covering water and finding aggressive bass. All it takes is a few colors, and you'll quickly build the confidence it takes to use them.
I prefer the ½ oz size, but have found times when the ¼ oz sizes work better, so I keep a few of each handy at all times.
Best all around color is without a doubt, Chrome/Blue Back. Others are Tennessee Shad, and Chartreuse/Blue Back.
The only exception to this is in very early spring. Then I only throw one color. RED!
I have found that a red colored Trap can produce some of the biggest fish I catch each year, and I use that as a confidence builder to throw it.
There are several shades in red and orange and they will all work. Just find a few you like, and after a few fish are caught on them, narrow them down to one or two that seem to outproduce the others.
I use the Excaliber Super Spot, in a color called Texas Red mostly. It is still produced, but the color is not as good as it once was. Originally, it had a gold foil finish with a red back. The colors are still the same, but the finish is no longer as bright (I think the removed the foil).
I make casts up onto shallow flats with these baits, and work them back toward the drop-offs and creek channels. They can be deadly around stumps, and rocks.
SPINNERBAITS
These are some of my favorite lures, and ones that I always throw. It doesn't matter where or when I am fishing, I will have a spinnerbait tied on.
I use a ½ oz size about 75% of the time, and will switch to a 1 oz or larger if needed.
For starters though, the ½ oz size is hard to beat.
I use a white skirt most of the time, and will opt for a chartreuse/white combination if needed because of heavily stained water.
I use a Gold Colorado Blade on front, in a #3-4 size, with a # 4 or 5 Willow Leaf in Nickel or Chrome on back. If I am fishing Chartreuse/White skirts, I will use gold blades.
I use white blades on front and back with white skirt many times as well. Those painted blades will draw strikes from fish in both clear and stained water.
If it is very early spring or at night, I will change to a single Colorado blade, and use the lure around heavy cover or rock ledges. That single blade will really produce some vibration, to draw bass out of heavy cover.
JIGS
These are also excellent choices, and can produce some of the best fish you catch. They can be pitched, flipped, skipped, and of course, cast into areas where you would never dream of throwing other baits.
I use several styles and sizes of jigs for a variety of different applications, but here are the basics.
I use a ½ oz Bass Browser with skirts in black, black/blue, watermelon/red flake, and brown.
For trailers, I rarely use pork anymore, simply because it is such a hassle. With the soft plastic trailers we have today, I see no reason to. The soft plastics are salted, and extremely soft, and fish will hold them about as well as pork. The exception is when water temps are extremely cold (40 or below) and the plastic becomes too stiff. Then Pork definitely has an advantage.
I like to use several different trailers for these lures. I use a Yamamoto 3 series Crawfish, a 16 series Twin Tail Grub, and sometimes a Zoom Pork Chunk (plastic Pork frog imitation).
For colors, I generally use something close to the skirt color; for example, I like to use a black blue claw crawfish with a black/blue skirt. I will also use the Pearl smoke blue color (240) with the black/blue, or a brown skirted jig.
I also use several types of jigheads for working smaller jigs over deeper water areas.

For more information about those types of heads, take a look at the "Fishing Jigs" series written by Russ "Bassdozer" Comeau, at the Inside Line Website (http://www.insideline.net). This article is in four parts, and covers every aspect of jig fishing in great detail. It is excellent reading for any bass angler, no matter what their experience level.

WORMS
This section is going to include not only worms, but also several types of soft plastic baits. The reason for this is that many of these baits can be fished several ways, and can be some of the most versatile tools you can own.
I recommend using several styles and sizes of worms, and learning when to throw each one. I think the action of the bait is often more critical than the exact color you are using.
Basic colors include a few dark colors, neutral or medium colors, and some light colors to represent crawfish as well as baitfish and sunfish.
I use worms that are 4-5" in length with straight bodies and tails for much of my fishing in the clear waters here. These small slender bodies not only represent much of the natural forage of the bass, but also allow you to work thick cover more easily. A large curly tail or ribbon tail worm, will become snagged more easily, and end up causing more frustration to you in the long run.
The 4" Cuttail worms from Yamamoto, as well as the Zoom Finesse worms and Meathead worms work well for fishing deep thick cover such as rocks and brushpiles in clear water.
For colors, I like Sand, Smoke, Gourd Green, Watermelon, Watermelon/Red Flake, June Bug, Pumpkinseed, Green Pumpkin, and Red Shad, as my basics. I use several others as well, but these basic colors will cover about any conditions you are faced with, as good starter colors.
Use a 1/0-2/0 Gamakatsu Hook, and a ¼ oz weight and a 6mm Glass or plastic bead to rig these baits weedless, on light line and spinning equipment. I prefer to use line that is in the 8-10# test range, and the new flourocarbons are excellent for this.
A good 6 ½- 7' Medium action Graphite rod, and a medium sized spinning reel is all you'll need for this type of fishing.
Drop the baits down into the cover, and work them slowly by shaking them or doodling them through the branches of the trees and brush or bouncing them along touching the rocks along a ledge. Often this is an excellent way to catch fish from deep schools.
For fishing in weeds or other vegetation, I prefer to use a worm with a big curly tail or a ribbon tail, such as the Zoom U-Tail, Magnum II, or a Culprit, ranging in sizes from 7 ½" - 10". Best colors seem to be shades of Green around green vegetation, but sometimes a darker color like Junebug and Green Pumpkin or Red Shad works well too. This is especially true during low-light conditions, such as nights, or on overcast and rainy days.
I use a lizard in a 4", 5", and 6" size about 75% of the time when Carolina Rigging. The added bulk of this type of bait allows it to float more freely off the bottom, and the added appendages are excellent for getting the attention of the nearby bass. Good colors are Sand, Watermelon, Pumpkinseed/Chartreuse Tail, Junebug, and Green Pumpkin.
Another good alternative to the lizards for Carolina Rigs, is the Yamamoto Hula Grub, or the Senko in any number of sizes. Somedays, the fish will want a larger bait, and on other days the smaller ones might work better. These should be also the same colors mentioned above.
There are several great soft jerkbaits available now, and each can work effectively at times throughout the year. I have found that these baits will take fish from early pre-spawn all the way through early winter.
My favorites include the Yamamoto Senko in the 9 series (5") size, along with the Zoom Super Fluke, and the Zoom Trick Worms. The best colors for these baits have always been a white or chartreuse color for me, although sometimes a "Shock" color such as a bright yellow, orange, and even pink. Will draw more strikes from wary fish that have seen the other colors.

I almost always use a 3/0-4/0 Extra Wide Gap Gamakatsu hook for this type of fishing, and no weight. I do add a barrel swivel about 8-10" from the hook to help prevent line twist.
The Senkos are extremely heavy due to their higher salt content, and can be cast a mile without any added weight. They also sink much faster, and have a very unique quivering and fluttering action as the fall toward the bottom with a gliding motion.
The Flukes are more like a baitfish in shape, and you can work them more quickly over shallow weeds, and heavy cover to draw fish toward the top to strike them.
The Trickworms are somewhere in between, They are shaped more like a Senko, but are much tougher and lighter, like the Flukes.
Buzzbaits
These baits are useful at times, especially in the spring and fall, and will draw strikes from bass that are roaming and feeding aggressively. They allow you to cover water quickly, and can catch some big bass.
I like to use them in water that is stained and around thick shallow cover.
I think white is the best all around color, and will usually produce well.
TOPWATERS
These are always fun to use, and are often an excellent way to catch the biggest fish of the day. Best used during low-light conditions, these baits can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes.
For starters though, here are the ones you'll need to purchase and then learn to use.
Original size Zara Spooks, in colors like Bass, or Shore Minnow. Also a Clear one works well if the water you fish is extremely clear.
Pop-R's are other baits you must have. Rebel makes these, and there is a larger version with better hooks and finishes made by Excaliber as well.
Chrome, and Bass colors work well.
Prop Baits like the Torpedo, Devil's Horse, and Crippled Killer are also an excellent choice.

Standard baitfish colors work best for topwater baits under most conditions.
Remember that a faster retrieve with lighter colored baits works best in clear open water, and don't be afraid to work them over deep water too.
A slower more deliberate retrieve with darker colors and a bait that makes some noise works best in stained water, and is usually better near some type of shallow cover.
I hope that this guide will give you a better idea of how to select baits, when stocking your tackle box, and also when making selections on the water.
Choosing the right bait, for the right application is important, and will soon help you build confidence in your own abilities to choose areas to fish, knowing that you have the right bait for the conditions.

[WallStreetAmigo]

Absolutely terrific post for newbies!

[lunker-lander]

And you typed all this!?!?!?!

-Lunk-

[WallStreetAmigo]

Originally Posted by lunker-lander

And you typed all this!?!?!?!

-Lunk-

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, anyone?

But a great guideline that covers a lot of ground. Again, kudos to Rob for providing the comprehensive info that newer anglers need.

[ROBZILLA]

No I find useful tips I read on line and bring them back for guys like you to enjoy. Think of me as a retriever of good knowledge! I just wish more would follow suit.

[WallStreetAmigo]

Originally Posted by ROBZILLA

No I find useful tips I read on line and bring them back for guys like you to enjoy. Think of me as a retriever of good knowledge! I just wish more would follow suit.

I'm trying to carry on the Canadian tradition, but have to admit you are THE MAN when it comes to finding good info!

[BigBassin144]

I've got quite a bit of info too. but not much Zilla hasn't shared with us already.

Zilla, is this what you do to keep the cabin fever at bay?


BB

[flfireman]

Zilla, useful article. Man have you got way too much time on your hands.