7 Best Fishing Lures

Fishing lures are eye-catching, flashy, and fun to shop for. However, it is important to remember that their functionality is the main reason you need them, so you don’t get lured by your own fishing bait. They can also be expensive beyond their value, so you need to research what is needed.

Read on and discover some of the best fishing lures currently available on the market today. We have highlighted their most outstanding features and how they are applicable while fishing different species of fish in your unique body of water. We will also describe different types of fishing lures to make them easier to pick from our compilation.


Best Fishing Lures – Winners

Check out our quick recommendations here, or keep scrolling for detailed reviews:


Best Overall Fishing Lures

1. Jaw Lures Tuna and Mahi Feathers Rigged Trolling Lure

Features

  • Length:  4 ½ “
  • Weight: 35 oz.
  • Hook size: 7/0

Pros

  • Can hook two fish simultaneously
  • Made in the USA
  • No rigging required

Cons

  • Less customized rigging for specific fishing techniques

These mahi-mahi and tuna slaying baits will trigger a pillaging instinct in the smartest fish with the dazzling colors and realistic features associated with the bioluminescent squids. They feature a 4.5 inch skirted feather bait on the heels of a similar one in case someone was sleeping on the job and missed the first one.

They are pre-tuned and pre-rigged, so you can use them straight out of the bag. Whether you are running late, you don’t want to deal with the process right away, you don’t have time, or you found yourself fishing on a whim, having these in your tackle box is a major step closer to your dream catch, whether they are shad, bass, Texas bluegill or walleye.

The lure construction is tournament grade; it is held together by a 100lb test mono line dragging 2 size 7/0 Mustad 3407 SS-DT O’Shaughnessy forged hooks with each feather bait. A combination of Mustad’s wire technology and Nor-Tempering production process ensures these hooks are light yet stronger than your average hooks, ensuring it is a powerbait.

View on Bass Pro Shops >>


Best Saltwater Lures

2. Yo-Zuri 3D Inshore TopKnock Pencil

Features

  • Length: 4”
  • Weight: 5/8 oz.
  • Hook Size: 4
  • Buoyancy: Floating

Pros

  • Ability to achieve a longer casting distance
  • Loud tail cadence rattle for extra visibility
  • Sits level on the water surface
  • Variety of colors to choose from

Cons

  • Slightly pricey in comparison to other topwater lures

This topwater crankbait can float on water horizontally without the tail unnaturally sinking, making it more realistic for the keen observers underneath the surface. Because it doesn’t dive into the water, you can easily ‘walk the dog’ on the water, allowing you to vary your retrieval techniques as much as you need. It provides some great action that will excite any angler.

The popper is also a steady natural noisemaker that is irresistible to fish thanks to a single one-knock cadence rattle in the tail, which rattles with every change in direction. This extra tail weight provides momentum that enables the 5/8 oz. TopKnock to cut through wind tail first for longer and smoother casting when required.

The lure’s attraction is heightened by its internal 3D prism finish that flashes realistically with each movement, whether in freshwater or saltwater.

Because the fish will devour this seemingly harmless treat, it is made to weather the abuse with stainless steel split rings and saltwater grade treble hooks.

View on Bass Pro Shops >>

Also Available on Amazon


Best Walleye Lures

3. Bandit B-Rotan Multi-Species Minnow Jerkbait Fishing Lure

Features

  • Length: 63”
  • Weight: 5/8 oz.
  • Hook size: 4
  • Buoyancy: Floating

Pros

  • Extra loud; dual sound chambers, four nickel steel rattles
  • Outstanding wide wobble on retrieve
  • Multi-species lure for bass or walleyes
  • Can be cast or trolled

Cons

  • There have been reports of rings splitting with large walleye

These are some of the best minnow baits for dark or dingy water as they go out of their way to grab attention regardless of prevailing conditions. The B-Rotan minnow jerkbaits’ superpower is an unparalleled sound attraction courtesy of 4 hard nickel steel rattles housed in two separate rattle chambers. The rattlers have to be noticed by walleye and other gamefish.

The disruption is topped by an exceptionally wide wobble and exaggerated wacky swimming motions whose vibrations create waves that fish can hardly ignore. Their flashy colors make them easy to spot once they draw their ‘predators’ attention, making your work easy. Their three sharp treble hooks ensure the first bite is successful.

They can be used for both casting and trolling, which enables you to cover larger water volumes, finesse when needed, and offers mixed and multiple presentations to those marble-eyed swimmers. You have better depth control as they allow you 6 to 8 feet of depth when retrieving and up to 16 feet when trolling.

View on Amazon >>


Best Trout Lures

4. Panther Martin DualFlash Spinner

Features

  • Length: 2”
  • Weight: 1/4 oz.
  • Hook Size: 10

Pros

  • Doubled flashing spinning and vibration due to 2 spinning blades
  • Expanded bite window
  • Dramatic Panther Martin colors and patterns for maximum visibility
  • Supports both high and low retrieval speeds

Cons

  • Potential for line twists and tangles as the spinning blades rotate the entire lure
  • Limited by heavy weed conditions where slow and/ vertical presentations are required

The DualFlash Spinner has two spinning blades which double the sonic vibration, eye-catching flashes, and sound production when the lure is in motion. This appeals to all senses of the fish, from sight and hearing to general hydrodynamic stimulation. It also increases the bite window. They create a very realistic impression of small fish or other prey that predatory fish like trout, pike, bass, and salmon cannot resist prowling.

The two blades and the weight rigged behind them in this inline spinner are separated by a stainless steel sleeve and beads to facilitate smooth, frictionless spinning. In addition, a combination of Panther Martin’s shaft through the blade design without a clevis and two of their broad convex/concave shape spinning blades enhance the spinning speed, which is guaranteed to stimulate the fishes’ nerves.

You don’t require high speeds to maintain the spin, allowing slower retrieval, broadening your angling technique options. The combination of gold or silver finishing and painted spinning blades that have been hammered to create a dimpling effect ensures the lure flashing is visible on a bright sunny day and in low light.

View on Bass Pro Shops >>

Also Available on Amazon


Best Surface Lures

5. Megabass Dog-X Diamante Rattling Surface Lure

Features

  • Length: 4-3/4”
  • Weight: ¾ oz.
  • Hook Size: 5
  • Buoyancy: Floating

Pros

  • Extra responsiveness for a hard-edged walking action
  • Enhanced drawing power via a loud rattle
  • Aerodynamic tuning for longer casts
  • Designed to cover wide areas fast

Cons

  • Like all walking top waters, the front hook may get caught in the braid while turning the bait, wasting the cast.

This pencil topwater lure is designed to cover wide areas of open water quickly and effectively as you walk it. You can skim the surface from left to right with hard edges as it easily cuts through the water thanks to its aerodynamic tuning. This feature also facilitates longer casts.

In addition, its sculpted gill plate adds dimension to each turn. This creates sufficient commotion in rough and calm waters to trigger an aggressive response even when bass fishing at high speeds.

It has a large profile, which makes it buoyant to work in both calm and rough waters. It sits with a third of its body prominently out of the water when you pause retrieval so you can easily locate it thanks to an integrated balancer.

In this position, the hooks in the belly and tail are enticingly presented to the predators beneath the surface, who will pounce as soon as it pauses. It has three strategically positioned Gamakatsu SP-MH #5 treble hooks whose strike conversion rates are above average.

It has a loud rattle that extends its drawing power even in cloudy, muddy, or off-colored water. Each one comes with a full-width round chamber that houses five rattlers.

It is important to mention that the Dog-X Diamante surface lure also has a silent version for use when your angling requires muted movement, which can be included in your tackle box for diversity to adapt to changing conditions.

View on Bass Pro Shops >>


Best Bucktail Jigs

6. Offshore Angler Bullet Head Bucktail Jigs

Features

  • Weight: 3 oz.
  • Hook size: 8/0

Pros

  • Can be used for casting, trolling, or jigging
  • Reasonably priced for their multiple functionalities
  • Streamlined and balanced for minimal resistance
  • Reliable Bucktail action

Cons

  • The rod has to be sensitive enough to feel the strike so you can jerk the fish out of water.

The lipless bullet head sinkers with their eye impressions make these Bucktail jigs come to life. They also provide enough weight for smooth casting and trolling. In addition, their streamlined shape makes for smooth, resistance-free cruising through the water.

The Bucktail hair on the outside of the jigs’ bodies is irresistible to hungry bass. They create sufficient movement for the stripers’ sensory system to log on to. They hold fast and don’t shred, allowing you to reuse the lure comfortably.

Their top-mounted eyelets are great for casting and vertical jigging as they allow the body to stay realistically parallel. They come equipped with striper strong, durable hooks that are well concealed in the Bucktail.

View on Bass Pro Shops >>


Best Pan Fish Lures

7. Stanley Jigs Ribbit Runt

Features

  • Length: 3”
  • Weight: 1/8 oz.
  • Hook Size: Unrigged

Pros

  • Can be buzzed or slowly worked above cover
  • Realistic leg and foot designs from Stanley Jigs
  • Unrigged, which allows customization

Cons

  • Leaves a smaller footprint on the water than the original Ribbit Frog

This miniature version of the popular Ribbit Frog, Stanley Jigs’ established topwater toad for bass fishing. It creates the same excellent kicking action as the larger frog, making it ideal for luring panfish. It can be fished with Stanley’s ‘Ribbit Runt Runner’ a 1/8 oz. mini spinnerbait or slowly trolled over brush tops with a 1/32 oz. jig head with a split shot above it.

Stanley Jigs’ patented leg and foot designs are so realistic, and the soft plastic lures come in distinct colors that, with the right motion, are lethal bite magnets. You can choose from up to 8 different colors to suit your fishing environment.

View on Bass Pro Shops >>

Also Available on Amazon


Types of Lures

Lures are classified according to how they are used. These classifications often overlap and being in one category doesn’t disqualify one from belonging to another. They mimic different prey ranging from plastic worms, crawfish to other fish normally feasted on by largemouth bass, replacing live bait.  Below are some general fishing lure categories.

Source: Pixabay

Spinners

The term refers to fishing lures that feature metal-shaped blades attached to the wire of the lure. These blades are rigged to spin when the lure is in motion, creating flashes and vibrations in the water, similar to those created by small fish and other prey. This will tempt the target fish to strike and get hooked.

Surface Fishing Lures

They are also called topwater lures and are designed to float across the water’s surface as they are reeled. They mimic water surface prey in which larger fish are interested, such as injured fish, insects, mice, lizards, etc.

Fishing Jigs

Jigging is a fishing technique where you snap or pop the rod tip suddenly to move the lure vertically in the water. The aim is to create the impression of an injured baitfish that the predator fish will take advantage of. Common jigs have a captivating head and a tail in which a hook is hidden to snag the fish.

Crank Lures

This generally refers to lures with plastic lips that enable the bait to dive underwater. Their depth ratings range from just below the surface to more than 20 feet deep. It takes longer for the deep divers to get to their vantage point than the shallow divers.

Snag Hooks

These are weighted hooks used mostly to catch bait. During snagging, you cast the hook and wait for a bump; then, you instantly set the hook and reel in your catch. It is illegal in some states to catch fish like this as the method impales the fish even when you don’t bag them. It is also dangerous for the angler as the hook and weight often end up hurtling out of the water towards them and any bystanders with a lot of force.


The Bottom Line

Whether you are catching bass, crappie, or muskies in the most treacherous water column or it’s a weedless clear water section, the best bass fishing lures are those that mimic their prey the closest. Durability is also important as a true strike king is ferocious and will kink even hard bait. You want the appropriate gear for saltwater fish as it is harsh on the hooks and lines.

Riley Draper

Riley Draper is a writer and entrepreneur from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a world traveler, he has been to more than fifty countries and hiked some of the most elusive trails in the world. He is the co-founder of WeCounsel Solutions and has published work in both national and global outlets, including the Times Free Press, Patch, and Healthcare Global. When he's not writing, he's probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains.

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