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Choosing the right fishing lure

lure.jpgHow do you catch a fish? If only it was that simple. There’s a reason it’s called fishing and not catching, right? Read up on the lures on this page, make your choice, then go out and give it a shot.

And never be afraid to switch it up. Even the pros will try a variety of lures to figure out what the fish are biting on that particular day.

plastic-worms.jpgPlastic Worms

Plastic worms can be attached to hooks in a variety of ways, such as using them with jigs or hooks with a sinker or even a weedless hook. They should be fished slowly, on or near the bottom, and can be made to swim or wiggle.

jigs.jpgJigs

Jigs are basically hooks with weights molded into the head. They can be found with a large variety of bodies and are meant to be fished slowly, especially in cold weather. Use the lightest jig you can as long as you can still feel when it hits the bottom.

crank-baits.jpgCrankbaits and Plugs

Designed to dive below the surface and wiggle like a fish as they are reeled in, crankbaits can be difficult to handle out of the water because of the multiple hooks. But in the water, they’re a breeze. Vary the speed with which you retrieve the bait — maybe even pause every once in a while — until you get a strike. Plugs fished across the surface of the water are made to imitate bait such as a frog hopping along the surface or an injured minnow.

spoons.jpgSpoons

Made out of shiny metal to imitate the glisten of minnows and other bait fish, many spoons are shaped like the lower part of a teaspoon. Weights are used to achieve different depths, and different colors might attract different fish.

spinners.jpgSpinners

Like spoons, spinners are designed to flicker like a small baitfish swimming in the sunlight. A spinning blade makes up the front of the lure, which should be pulled through the water just slowly enough that the spin can be detected without a blur.

live-bait.jpgHooking Live Bait

Some anglers choose to fish with live bait like minnows. Key word: Live. Don’t kill the bait when hooking it. Here are two ways to do it right:

A) Hook the minnow through both lips, starting from the bottom and going through the top, or

B) Place the hook through the minnow’s body near the tail.

Hooking methods for other types of live bait vary. It’s best to hook a crawfish through it’s tail, but you’ll get better movement from a worm by embedding the hood in its head.

Catch and Release

Releasing your fish after the catch is the right idea, but if you don’t do it the right way, you could harm the fish and defeat the whole purpose.

  • Use artificial lures with barbless single hooks. They ‘re easy to remove and do less damage.
  • Don’t play your catch to exhaustion: it might never recover. Release it as gently and quickly as possible.
  • Don’t try to remove a deeply embedded hook; it can do more harm than good. Instead, cut off the line as close to the hood as possible.
  • Don’t use stainless steel hooks. If swallowed, they will not dissolve over time.
  • When possible, avoid removing the fish from the water.
  • If you must use a net, use on that’s made of soft nylon, not hard mesh.
  • Wet your hands before handling your catch. Support the fish horizontally in the water, avoiding the eyes and gills. Revive it by gently moving it back and forth in the water until it swims away on its own.

38 Comments on Choosing the right fishing lure

  1. you should try small frogs around the pond or lake.

  2. jocky 6448 // August 5, 2013 at 1:50 am // Reply

    those r some cool tips i live in Alaska and i love to fish.i really like to fish for rainbow trout and gralling and they love these whit jigs that i make called mister twisters they ushly bite around 8 in morning or 5&6 evening

  3. CORRECTION: berkley has huge hooks in its swimming shad. use a brand with smaller hooks

  4. use a berkley swimming shad with a worm on the hook.

  5. I use gulp minnows

  6. Try “Gorp” silver shinner {fake minnow} on a #4 hook with sinker. Easy, cheap and works great. As effective as live bate but lasts longer, is cheaper and won’t die on you.

  7. pikecatcher // August 21, 2011 at 8:51 pm // Reply

    try a rainbow trout spiner. I caught a two foot pike one and a lot of other fish. also try a gray and blak rapela lure in the early moning. I caught two fish that really fought and two jumped straight into the air!!!!:)

  8. there r 4 foot catfish in the lake where i live and i use smaller sunnys as bait

  9. the smartie of the century // July 12, 2011 at 8:31 am // Reply

    dont use spoons in fresh water. use strike king spinnerbaits, plastic worms, and wordens original roostertails for big bass

  10. The Lure Master // September 14, 2010 at 6:49 pm // Reply

    p.s. i was using cut up mackeral

  11. The Lure Master // September 14, 2010 at 6:48 pm // Reply

    I went fishing and a HUGE catfish got away:(

  12. i like fishing

  13. large crafish who have been dead for awile and are hooked in the tail are great for all catfish just throw them out as far as you can from shore and just let it sit best times are before dawn and just before dusk

  14. Storm makes the best lures

  15. use rapala rattle traps

  16. i love fishing

  17. I already know this stuff

  18. when i fish (and I do a lot) spoon work best in salt water

  19. Why are the minnows smiling?

  20. FISHING MOM // June 7, 2008 at 6:15 am // Reply

    HEY, IN ONE OF YOU BOYS LIFE MAGAZINE’S THERE WAS A PATCH YOU CAN EARN FOR FISHING, IT WAS ON THE BACK COVER OF ONE OF THEM. DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THAT FORM THAT I CAN PRINT OUT SO MY KIDS CAN EARN THAT PATCH?

    THANKS

  21. BOYSCOUT45 // May 29, 2008 at 4:05 pm // Reply

    USE GULP FOR SALT WATER

    BASS ASSINAN FOR FRESH

  22. wolf 2 eagle // May 27, 2008 at 6:44 pm // Reply

    the catch n release part should be in the ” catch and release tips” =)

  23. OMG that is soo not helpful i need to know what a JIG is

  24. BEST FISHERMEN13 // March 25, 2008 at 4:01 pm // Reply

    THANKS I WILL tell every body about this info.

  25. so cool

  26. Thats pretty cool I’ll try that

  27. Thank you. I will use that at my friends cabin tommorow.

  28. I will try thattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

  29. thanks i learned a lot

  30. cool

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