Ultimate Lure Collection (Photo Credit:@IFISHTV)
We have spent countless hours bass fishing to bring to you a list of our best bass lures that will catch bass anytime of the year. We have examined the best baits and their presentations. We would not recommend a lure that you would not find in our tacklebox.
For most anglers, presentation is key. How a lure swims and looks in the water is one of the main determinants of catching a fish. We wanted to focus on the lures that catch more fish and yield higher bite and hook up ratios. No matter where you fish, we guarentee use one of our eight recommended lures and you will catch a bass.
1. Jig
One of the most effective jigs for bass fishing is a skirted jig. Largemouth bass tend to destroy these all year round no matter the terrain, water temperature or depth. These skirted jigs come in a variety of jig head shapes, color of skirts, weed guards and hook styles. The best ones to use are casting jigs, finesse jigs, football jigs, grass jigs, swim jigs and flipping jigs. These different jigs are made for different bass environments. Some excel in rocky bottoms. While others are better for open water, bank grass or other heavy debris. These skirted jigs can be fished in a foot of water or on a 40ft rock bank.
The next thing to consider with these jigs are color. Different water conditions and clarity warrent for certail jig colors. In the winter there isnt lush vegitiation in the lake, so resort to darker greens and browns. Also in the winter the fish will be more sluggish. Use a tail trailer that will resemble a crawfish to present the slower presentation. In the summer months brighter colors are better. Try to use more sunfish colors, blues and oranges. The fish will be more active in these months so pair your jig up with a tail trailers that will provide lots of movement. Paddle tails and finesse worm trailers tend to work the best and attract the most fish.
We know these jigs work, we fish them all year round and always have luck no matter what the conditions. The point we are making is no matter what conditions, depths or clarity, these jigs will always yeild fish. Fish these with confidence and ensure you will catch more fish on your next bass fishing trip
2. Crankbait
The next go-to bass fishing lure in my tackle box is a crankbait. A crankbait is a lure that is made from wood or plastic that imitates a fish. Usually a crankbait comes with 2 to 3 treble hooks increasing the hookup ratio when hit. As the name suggests, the crankbait must be cranked through the water by the angler. Because of the movement you get while cranking them makes them one of the most deired bass baits on the market.
A crankbait can be fished almost all year round with much success. At some point in a day, all bass anglers will put on a crankbait to catch fish. Depending on the time of year, water clarity and conditions will ultimately determine what color of crankbait you should use. Crankbaits come in a varity of different shapes and sizes. The baits often come in different thickness which affects its wobble abilities. The lip on the lure affects the depth at which it can be fished. The larger the lip the deeper it dives. The shape of the lip also plays into how the lure moves in the water. A square lip will is good for around trees and debris. A round lip is for diving the deepest because it cuts throught the water the easiest and a coffin lip is a combination of the two.
In the summer months as the water is warm and the fish are more active, it's best to use a crankbait that provides a larger wobble in the water. Since the fish are more aggressive, this movement will get more action. This will require the angler to increase the speed at which the crankbait is retreived. During the winter, when the fish are less active use a skinny crankbait that limits the amount of wobble it does in the water.
3. Jerkbait
A jerkbait can be another useful tool in any bass anglers tacklebox. A jerkbait is a long lure that imitates an injured baitfish. The jerking motion required to fish it gives the lure the necessary movement that acts as if the fish is dying and struggling to swim. With every jerk of the rod, it will send the lure in different directions. Bass are alway looking for an easy meal and this lure mimics the state of an easy meal.
The jerkbait can be effictive all year round if you can master how to fish it. It gives the angler effective contol needed for the action of the lure. It can be retreived fast, slow, shallow or deep or however the bass angler chooses to fish it. These should not be kept for winter months and should be thrown all year, because if you are like us, we love catching bass. The only thing you should keep in the mind is the rate of retrieval in summer months compared to winter. Slow is always better in the summer jerkbait months.
4. Finesse worm
Finesse worms offer something that most bass fishing lures do not. The action of a life like worm in the water. This movement is perfect for attracting bass in any conditions. These worms tend to get bites all day during any time of the year. As a bass fishing angler myself, I use these all year round. Team this plastic up with the right jig head and you have a deadly combo.
In shallow waters around docks, do not be scared to float them along the pylons weightless giving them small twitches to entice the bass. If you chose to fish them in deeper water then use a weight that will ensure you get it to the bottom and give slow twitches as you real it in to give the presentation of a worm floating along the bottom. The bass around will not be able to resist this. If bass search the banks for worms, why not offer a hungry bass exactly what they are looking for.
5. Crawfish and Lizard Plastics
One thing all anglers must consider is the fact that bass feed on a wide range of different prey. This range often consists on salamanders, crawfish, grubs, bugs and anything else it can stir up from the bottom.
One of the most prized meals of any bass is a big, fat, juicy crawfish. This is why a crawfish is one of the best trailers to put on a jig. The slow bumping of the craw trailers provides the life like motion needed to convince the bass to strike. Crawfish are usually found around rocks and shallow weeds. They seek this for shelter. Unfortunately this is always where bass tend to congrigate, making them an easy meal at times.
Another soft plastic lure that I have had much success with is the plastic lizard. These in the color pumpkin seed with a worm weigh and hook are like candy to a bass. The slow retreival of this lure over the bottom, with its flailing appendages make it deadly lure for largemouth bass.
Because these soft plastics resemble the bass's prey it's no wonder why I have had so much success with them. Fish them any time of the year in any water temperature, conditions or terrain. They will time after time yeild hits and increase your hook up rations with larger bass.
6. Swimbait
Swimbaits have taken fire over the last few years. Every company in the industry is coming out with more life like swimbaits. The reason for this is because they work. The more life like you can make a lure, the more a bass thinks it's real. The beauty of this is they work any time; summer, winter, fall or spring. You put a swimbait on and you will get hit after hit after hit.
As lure technology advances, they have effectively copied all of the baitfish a bass will encounter in the wild. If you know what the bass are feeding on then you will guarantee catching them. The newest trend is hard swimbaits that are very large. They say that large baits catch large fish. This has proven true time after time.
Do not be scared to use soft swimbaits with unbrella rigs, spinners or jig heads. These work perfect all year mimicing a dying shad. The more you fish them you will realize how much bass hate them and how many bigger bass you catch.
7. Lipless crankbait
Lipless crankbaits have been slaying the fish for years. Since their development in the early 1940's, these crankbaits are effective in open water casting into a school of fish or fishing a structure. Many anglers chose to fish them around docks, stumps, fallen trees rocks or ledges. The color patterens on them often resemble baitfish. In the mind of the fish, their next meal is a juvinille fish of bait patter on the crankbait. Many of the lipless swimbaits come in different weights to determine the rate at which they sink. A industry change as of recently has been to add a vibrator into the crankbait to provide the necissary vibrations to attract bass. Needless to say these lure are deadly and always catch a lot of fish.
8. Topwater
With recent advancement in topwater lures, they can be fished all year round. Savage lures is a company that comes to mind with their life like top water series that include; frogs, rats, ducks and even bats. Topwater lures are often more effective in the early morning hours or during dusk because this is when the fish feed. During the winter months, the retrieval of topwater will need to be slower than in the summer when the fish are more active.
The sight of a large bass exploding on topwater is something that never gets old. The fish tend to be more agressive on topwater giving much harder hits then some of the other lures mentioned above. Any angler determined to catch fish in the early morning hours must consider using topwater.
At hunting and fishing depot, we hope this guide of our top 8 bass fishing lures that can be fished all year round will help you catch more fish. Do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] with any questions may have. Send us your best bass pictures to be featured on our social media and website. Please leave comments below!
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