Fishing is one of the most relaxing hobbies people practice. Besides relaxation there is also the joy of actually catching the fish and then enjoying a meal prepared with what you provided yourself – the fish, no matter whether it is bass, trout or any other edible species. The fun would not be that obvious in the absence of adequate fishing gear. Lures for instance are something you cannot go without, if you actually want to catch something. Let’s consider bass fishing lures and see what specifics they have that will make better bass fishing.

Bass fishing lures are chosen depending on the season, the location and the kind of fishing you intend to practice, which would explain the variety of models available. The most popular bass fishing lures are vibrating lures, tube baits, crank baits, spinners, rubber worms, poppers and several others.

Rubber worms are a more comfortable alternative to live ones. The added weight in the structure of these lures allows for a slow descent to the deepest part of your fishing place. In case the water is murky or if you go bass fishing at night, you’d better rely on jigs because of their resemblance with real fish.

Other two bass fishing lures to discuss are the crank and spinner baits. Crank lures or baits imitate weak or injured fish which increases their usage range to both deep and surface fishing. These bass fishing lures trick the fish by the noise they make. Spinner baits, on the other hand, are made with a metal attachment that spins. Spinners attract bass through the agitation they cause and they work all year round and especially during the spawning season when feeding is less important to the bass.  

Poppers are similar to crank baits but they are used only as top water lures and are most successful during the summer. Now, if you go fishing for small-mouth bass, some special lures like grubs would be more suitable. Besides small-mouth bass fishing, grubs can also be useful for fishing in clear deep waters.

Recreational fishing relies most on the use of fishing lures. They consist of objects hung at the end of the line and they are designed to look like the prey of the fish that you want to catch. Color, vibration, movement and shape, all influence the capture as such. If there were no lures attached to the lines, the bait could remain invisible for the fish. Bass fishing lures have a hook at the end onto which fishermen attach the bait. Once the fishing lures play their part, the fish gets hooked.

Lures can also help fishermen look for and actually find the places where fish may be hiding. Anglers move the fishing lures with progressive regular hand motions that make the plastic or fiber material look like swimming. The lure often reflects light contributing to attracting the fish even further.

Several categories describe bass fishing lures according to the manufacturing concept and the purpose they serve. The jig as a first mention consists of a lead hook with a sharp tip onto which artificial or natural bait is placed. This is usually shaped like a minnow, worm or crawfish. Then come the surface fishing lures, a bit lighter than the jigs they float on water looking very much like surface prey. Last but not least, the spawn fishing lures have been created for surface fishing; their shiny thin surface attracts the attention of the fish that mistake them for spawn.

Another category is that of plugs or crank-baits; these fishing lures allow rapid back and forth motion like that of small fish prey. In the popular group of artificial baits, bass worms and flies are extensively used.

Fishing lures are not an invention of our times, as they have been part of fishing ever since the appearance of this occupation. What has changed about them is that today they have become artificial; thus the most common materials for fishing lures are rubber, cork, plastic, wood and metal. Somehow, the decreased use of smaller fish species as baits poses no longer a threat for the survival of such small-sized specimens; consequently, the food chain will remain unaltered if regular living baits are not used extensively.

Last but not least, with better bass fishing, caught and released fish have better chances of survival if artificial fishing lures are used. The hooks that today’s fishing lures are provided with are no longer that dangerous for the fish and do not impale the mouth as deep as the old type hooks used to. Therefore, more and more fish live after being released by recreation interested fishermen.