How to Choose the Right Fishing Lure: 8 Expert Tips for Fishing Success

Learn how to match the lure to species, water, depth, and more with this easy-to-follow fishing bait guide.

Struggling to pick the right lure? Learn 8 key factors—from species and water temperature to cover and depth—to boost your catch rate and confidence on the water. | Photo by Joe Shead

Choosing the Best Fishing Lure

My girlfriend -- who hadn't fished seriously until she met me -- recently asked me, "How do you know which lure to choose when you're fishing?"

It was a good question. I've been fishing so long, I guess I take simple questions like that for granted, although I get skunked often enough that maybe I'm not the right person to ask. But I thought about it. And I'm sure a lot of anglers might have the same question. So I tried to come up with some answers.

Lure choice boils down to several considerations, including fish species, fish activity level, lure action, cover type, prey availability, water depth, fishing method, personal preference and probably several others. Here are the Top 8 factors to help you determine the right lure.

1. Pick the Right Lure for Fish Species and Mouth Size

One prime consideration is which species you're targeting, and correspondingly, how big is the fish's mouth? For example, bluegills and perch have pretty small mouths. Crappies, although they are similar in size, actually have pretty decent-sized mouths, so you can get away with using lures that are a bit larger. Obviously, largemouth bass live up to their names and can take down a pretty good-sized lure like a large hollow-bodied frog. Consider fish size within species as well. Northern pike are aggressive by nature, and an average-sized fish could hit a 6-inch bait. But if you upsize your lure, you will tend to catch fewer small hammer-handle pike and high-grade the size of the fish you catch.

Largemouth bass have large mouths and can eat big lures. Here, the author matched the hatch by throwing a weedless frog in the lily pads where frogs were croaking. | Photo by Joe Shead

2. Match Lure to Water Temperature and Seasonal Fish Activity

Fish are cold-blooded, so generally the warmer the water, the more active they are. At least to a point. Fish species like trout and salmon thrive on cooler water than most species. But relatively speaking, fish are more active when it's warmer than during winter or during a cold front. Thus, they are more likely to chase faster-moving or larger baits when it's warm and stable. If the water is frigid or a cold front moves in, slow down your presentation and downsize your lure.

3. Choose Lure Speed and Action Based on Fish Mood

Lure action corresponds to the previous topic. Fast-moving lures with erratic action are suited to active fish. They are good tools for covering water quickly and trying to find fish. If fish are sluggish, they will probably not hit aggressive lures. In that case, a slow presentation may be more palatable. How you fish the lure can even affect catch rate. A small jig and soft plastic pitched to the weeds and retrieved in quick hops may take active crappies. But when those same fish are finicky, they may not chase the quickly sinking bait. However, if you use that same lure under a bobber -- and then fish it slowly, keeping it in the strike zone longer -- it may get bit.

You can't go wrong with live bait when fishing for panfish. Worms and leeches work great for bluegills. Perch and crappies will hit them too, but the latter two species also readily hit minnows. | Joe Shead

4. Select Lures That Run Best In the Cover Type You're Fishing

Cover also helps determine lure choice. Fishing lily pads? Go to a weedless frog and cast right up in there. Fishing weeds? Use a crankbait that rides just above the weed tops. Or alternatively, use a Texas-rigged plastic worm, which sheds most weeds. In the current? Use a heavy jig to reach bottom quickly.

5. Mimic Prey With Lures Based on Natural Food Sources

Often, using a lure that mimics a fish's natural prey is a good idea. Live bait is almost always a solid bet. Fish are accustomed to feeding on minnows and leeches, so they are a natural choice. Smallmouths on rocky bottoms are known for their love of crayfish, so go with crayfish-colored lures. And in some waters, fish may show a clear preference for native shiners over the smaller fatheads many anglers are used to getting at bait shops. Also consider bait size. The rule of thumb is to use smaller minnows in spring and go larger later in the season (as prey species have had time to grow over the summer). That may not be true of minnows, but it is for prey species like small perch and suckers.

6. Lure Choices to Match Water Depth

Water depth greatly dictates lure choice as well. For example, you wouldn't use a topwater lure when the fish are in 20 feet of water. A classic Mepps spinner works well down to about 8 feet, but any deeper and the fish are really going to have to travel up for it. A deep-diving crankbait may be necessary to reach deep fish. Or, if you're fishing with a jig, you will have to upsize the jig the deeper you plan to fish in order to maintain good feel.

Pike will hit a variety of lures. But the spinner shown in the photo runs shallow and works best in less than 8 feet of water. Thus, depth is a consideration for choosing the right fishing lure. | Joe Shead

7. Fishing Method: Casting, Trolling or Vertical Jigging?

The way you fish determines the lure you use as well. Trolling is often done with crankbaits, spoons, or live bait spinner rigs. If you're casting, you could still use crankbaits and spoons, but then you could throw in presentations like jigs, plastic worms, topwaters, live bait under bobbers and other lures. Vertical jigging calls for jigs or heavy spoons to get down and maintain contact.

8. Confidence: Lures You Like and Trust

In some situations, lure choice isn't critical. Pike are aggressive and on any given day you could catch them on spinners, spoons, crankbaits or pretty much any lure, as long as you cast it in their wheelhouse. Personally, I prefer fishing spinners over spoons, just because I like the vibration a spinner gives off. There's no reason a spoon wouldn't work most times, but I just like spinners. Go with lures that you like and feel confident in.

Lure Selection Takes Practice—Keep an Open Mind and Have Fun

There are a lot of considerations when choosing the right lure, and maybe this has muddied the water, more than it has shed light on the situation. Think about which lures are traditionally used for your chosen species. For example, small jigs or live bait on plain hooks are pretty standard fare for panfish. There really aren't many other suitable choices. When you get to something like bass, there's are a lot more lure choices that may work. Pick a lure that checks the boxes listed above. And if that doesn't work, don't be afraid to switch it up. Over time you'll develop a feel of what works under different scenarios.