Topwater lures are designed to be fished on the surface. These include poppers, which feature a vertical concave surface that makes a popping noise when jerked with the rod tip; wobblers, which feature plates that cause the lure to move from side to side when retrieved; and stick baits, which are thin lures without any special attachments that are given their action solely by the fisherman. Thin minnow lures are shaped and usually colored like minnows. They feature a small lip at the front, differentiating them from stick baits; otherwise, they may be fished on the surface or underwater, usually with a twitching motion. Normark’s Rapala is the best known lure of this type. Swimming crankbaits, or swim baits, are artificial lures designed to move from side to side as they are pulled through the water. One style of this type of lure is curved with a flat or concave surface at the head, which functions similarly to the lip on a thin minnow in causing the lure to swim. The Lazy Ike and Helin Flatfish are 2 examples of this type of lure. Diving lures feature a larger lip than thin minnows, enabling them to dive deeper when retrieved or trolled; the larger the lip, the deeper it dives. These lures may have either long, thin bodies, or short, stocky bodies. The faster the lure is retrieved, the deeper it will dive; if the retrieve is stopped, the lure, being hollow, will usually rise to the surface, although some crankbaits will remain suspended at the depth they reached.
Spinnerbaits come equipped with either propeller- or teardrop-shaped blades. Teardrop-shaped blades are further divided into 3 types: the willow-leaf, which is narrow and pointed on both ends; the Indiana, which is a rounded-end version of the willow-leaf; and the Colorado, which is broad and rounded at 1 end and comes to a rounded point at the other. Related to the spinner bait is the inline, or French, spinner, which features a tubular metal body with a willow-leaf or Indiana blade spinner ahead of it and a treble hook with a feather skirt behind it. French spinners are usually fished around rocky areas or in streams and attract trout, smallmouth bass, and walleye more than largemouth bass
Some jigs are rigged with removable safety-pin spinners, usually with a small grub body. The most familiar jig of this type is the Bass Buster Beetle Spin, a popular lure for a number of fish species. Jigs may be fished in several ways. When fishing for bass, jigs are often flipped or pitched short distances instead of being cast long distances like most lures. They are usually retrieved with a lift-and-drop motion, slowly raising and lowering the rod so that the jig falls on a taut line. They may also be retrieved straight, with the rod kept at a 10 o’clock position to impart a swimming motion to the lure.
Most spoons are designed to fish below the surface; these spoons feature a treble hook attached with a split ring. Two of the best-known spoons of this type are the Eppinger Dardevle, most familiar in its red-and-white striped pattern, and the Hofschneider Red-Eye, noted for 2 plastic eye-beads and hooks at the front and back. Thicker versions of these spoons may be cast or trolled, with the thickest designed to be fished like jigs, while the thinnest versions are designed exclusively for trolling. Another type of spoon features a single wire-weedless hook whose shank is attached to the back of the spoon. This type of spoon is designed to be rapidly retrieved across the surface and is often dressed with a strip of pork rind or other bait attached to the hook.
Dry flies float on the surface and are usually dressed with a waterproofing compound to keep them from waterlogging and sinking. They are attached to a floating line and fished in a way that matches the natural surface motion of the insect they are imitating. Wet flies are designed to sink and to simulate swimming or drowning insects, as well as insects either laying eggs or hatching from them. They can be fished with floating, sinking, or sinking-tip lines, according to how deep you want to fish the fly. In calm water, you cast a wet fly beyond the fish’s position and let it sink to the proper depth before retrieving it in as natural a fashion as you can. In moving water, you cast closer to and upstream from the fish and let the water move the fly to the fish. Nymphs are a form of wet fly that simulates young insects or other small aquatic life. They are generally fished the same way as other wet flies. Streamers may be fished the same way as either a dry or a wet fly. They are intended to simulate minnows or other small fish. Bugs are dry flies designed to suggest large insects, amphibians, mice, or injured minnows. Some are designed with popper heads, like the topwater plug previously mentioned. They can be fished with either a floating or sinking-tip line. Some fly fishermen fish multiple flies to determine which type of fly the fish are biting. It is possible to combine several fly types when doing this; however, you’ll need to consult the fishing regulations for your state to determine how many hooks (lures) you can have attached to your line at once.
A notable exception to this rule is the use of 2-toned plastic worms that feature a darker head color and a fluorescent pink or yellow tail color. Many anglers use plastic worms colored like this when fishing in cloudy water conditions.
Lure size can also be dictated by weather conditions and how fish react to them. In early spring, or when cold front conditions clear the skies and cool the water to make fish lethargic, smaller lures are usually better choices than larger lures. (Lures used for ice fishing are exceptionally tiny, usually grub jigs or small spoons. ) In high-wind conditions, you may need to use a larger lure simply to have enough resistance on the end of the line to keep the wind from bowing it so that you can’t detect if fish are hitting the lure. Also try casting out a spinner and just keep casting and retrieving the lure.
