Crankbaits and plugs
Diving hard baits that run at a set depth by lip design. Fast to fish, excellent for searching water, and their wobble carries in coloured water. Deflecting off cover triggers strikes.
Gear guide
Lures
Six families, and the conditions each one is actually built for.
Last reviewed 26 September 2026 · Editorial policy
Lures are easier to choose by what they do in the water than by looks. Decide the depth you need to fish and the speed you want to fish it, and the lure family follows from those two answers.
Detail
What each part does
Spinners and spinnerbaits
A rotating blade creating flash and vibration. Inline spinners are among the simplest lures to fish well; spinnerbaits use a safety-pin arm that makes them surprisingly weedless for their size.
Soft plastics
Worms, creatures, shads and grubs on jig heads or weedless hooks. The most versatile and the cheapest per fish. They can be fished at any depth and any speed, which is why tournament anglers lean on them.
Jigs
Weighted head plus skirt or trailer. Best bottom-contact lure and the strongest big-fish bait in most freshwater fisheries.
Topwater
Poppers, walkers, prop baits and frogs. Limited windows — low light, warm water, calm surface — but the most exciting strikes in fishing.
Spoons and jerkbaits
Spoons wobble and flutter on the drop, excellent for vertical fishing and for pike. Jerkbaits suspend at a set depth for cold-water fish that will not chase.
Comparison table
Side by side
| Lure family | Depth | Retrieve speed | Water clarity | Snag resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topwater | Surface | Slow–medium | Any | High (frogs) to low (trebles) |
| Spinnerbait | 0–8 ft | Medium–fast | Coloured to clear | High |
| Crankbait | 2–20 ft | Medium–fast | Clear to coloured | Low |
| Jerkbait | 2–8 ft | Slow with pauses | Clear | Low |
| Soft plastic | Any | Very slow–medium | Any | High if weedless |
| Jig | Bottom, any depth | Very slow | Any | High |
| Spoon | Any, incl. vertical | Slow–fast | Clear to coloured | Moderate |
Decisions
Choose this if
Pick by situation
- You do not know where the fish are: search with a crankbait or spinnerbait.
- You know where they are but they will not commit: slow down with a soft plastic or jig.
- Water under about 50°F (10°C): jerkbait with long pauses, or a slow jig.
Common mistakes
- Changing colour when the real problem is depth or speed.
- Fishing trebles in heavy weed instead of a weedless rig.
- Carrying fifty lures and only fishing three of them.
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