Fishing Lures Explained: Types, Uses & How to Choose the Right Lure

Fishing Lures Explained: A Complete Guide to Choosing the Right Lure

Choosing a fishing lure can feel overwhelming when you are standing in front of a tackle box filled with different shapes, sizes, colors, and designs. Some lures are designed to move across the surface, others dive several feet below it, while others imitate baitfish, insects, shrimp, worms, or other natural prey.

The good news is that you don’t need hundreds of lures to become an effective angler. You need to understand what each type of fishing lure is designed to do and when to use it.

At 7Hooks, anglers can explore fishing gear and tackle while learning how different setups can be matched to different fishing situations.

This guide explains the major types of fishing lures, how they work, and how to choose one based on the fish, water, depth, weather, and presentation you want.

What Is a Fishing Lure?

A fishing lure is an artificial fishing bait designed to attract fish and encourage them to strike.

Unlike natural bait, which relies primarily on scent, taste, or natural appearance, artificial lures often trigger fish through a combination of:

• Movement
• Flash
• Vibration
• Color
• Shape
• Sound
• Size
• Presentation

A lure may imitate a fleeing baitfish, a wounded minnow, a crawfish, a worm, or another food source.

The objective isn’t necessarily to make the lure look exactly like real prey. Instead, an effective lure creates a presentation that a predatory fish recognizes as something worth attacking.

The Main Types of Fishing Lures

There are several major categories of artificial fishing lures.

1. Jigs

Jigs are among the most versatile fishing lures available.

A basic jig typically combines a weighted head with a hook and may be paired with a soft plastic trailer, skirt, or other material.

Jigs can be:

• Cast
• Retrieved
• Vertically jigged
• Bottom bounced
• Lifted and dropped
• Fished around structure

Because they can be presented at different depths and speeds, jigs are useful in both freshwater and saltwater fishing.

For anglers learning how to select them, our upcoming How to Choose a Fishing Jig guide will cover jig weight, shape, presentation, and fishing conditions in greater detail.

2. Soft Plastic Lures

Soft plastics are designed to imitate natural prey such as:

• Worms
• Minnows
• Shrimp
• Crawfish
• Eels
• Small baitfish

One of their biggest advantages is versatility.

A soft plastic can often be rigged in multiple ways, allowing the same lure to produce completely different presentations.

Soft plastics can be used with jig heads, hooks, weighted hooks, and specialized rigs.

3. Crankbaits

Crankbaits are hard-bodied lures designed to create a swimming action as they are retrieved.

Many crankbaits include a diving lip that determines how aggressively the lure dives.

Depending on the design, a crankbait may be intended for:

• Shallow water
• Medium depths
• Deep water
• Structure fishing
• Open-water fishing

Crankbaits are particularly useful when an angler wants to cover water rather than slowly work a single area.

4. Topwater Lures

Topwater lures are designed to operate on or near the surface.

Watching a fish attack a topwater lure is one of the most exciting experiences in fishing.

Common topwater designs include:

• Poppers
• Walk-the-dog lures
• Frogs
• Propeller lures

Topwater fishing can be particularly effective when predatory fish are actively feeding near the surface.

5. Spoons

Spoons are metal lures with a curved shape that creates flash and movement during retrieval.

Their simplicity is part of their appeal.

A spoon can often be cast a considerable distance and retrieved at different speeds. Some are also effective when vertically jigged.

6. Spinnerbaits and Bladed Lures

These lures use rotating or vibrating blades to generate flash and vibration.

They can be particularly useful in water where visibility is limited because vibration and flash can help fish detect the lure.

How Do Fishing Lures Attract Fish?

A successful lure presentation usually combines one or more sensory triggers.

Movement

Fish can detect unnatural or unusual movement surprisingly quickly.

A lure that swims, darts, falls, vibrates, or changes direction can imitate prey behavior.

Flash

Metal blades and reflective surfaces can produce flashes that resemble the movement of baitfish.

Vibration

Some lures generate strong vibration through their blades, body shape, or internal components.

Color

Color can influence visibility and contrast, particularly as light and water clarity change.

However, color shouldn’t be considered independently from lure size, depth, action, and presentation.

Sound

Certain hard lures contain rattles or other components that create sound during movement.

How Do You Choose the Right Fishing Lure?

Instead of asking, “What’s the best fishing lure?”, ask:

What am I trying to imitate, where are the fish, and how do I want my lure to behave?

Consider these factors.

Target Species

Different fish feed differently.

A lure intended for bass may not be appropriate for tuna, snapper, trout, pike, or other species.

Water Depth

Choose a lure capable of reaching the depth where fish are feeding.

A surface lure won’t help much if the fish are holding deep unless they move upward to attack it.

Water Clarity

Clear water often allows fish to inspect a lure closely.

In dirty or stained water, vibration, flash, contrast, and stronger movement may become more important.

Fishing Conditions

Wind, cloud cover, sunlight, current, temperature, and water movement can all influence lure selection.

Forage

If you can identify what the fish are eating, selecting a lure that resembles that food source can be a useful starting point.

Artificial Lures vs Natural Bait

Both approaches have advantages.

Artificial lures allow anglers to control:

• Speed
• Depth
• Movement
• Distance
• Presentation

Natural bait can provide scent and taste that artificial lures may not replicate.

The best option depends on the species, location, regulations, and fishing technique.

Final Thoughts

There is no single best fishing lure for every situation.

The most effective anglers learn how different lure designs behave and then match them to the conditions.

Start with a small selection of versatile lures, learn how each behaves in the water, and gradually expand your tackle collection based on the species and techniques you fish most often.

Explore fishing gear and tackle at 7Hooks and continue building your knowledge with our upcoming guides on lure size, lure colors, topwater fishing, soft plastics, and crankbaits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best fishing lure?
The best lure depends on the target species, water depth, clarity, conditions, forage, and fishing technique.

Are artificial lures better than bait?
Neither is universally better. Artificial lures provide precise control over movement and presentation, while natural bait can offer scent and taste.

What fishing lure should beginners use?
Beginners should start with versatile options that are easy to cast and retrieve, such as simple jigs, soft plastics, spoons, or basic crankbaits.

Do lure colors really matter?
They can. Visibility and contrast change with water clarity, depth, and light conditions, but color is only one part of successful lure selection.