Lures can come in all shapes, colors, and sizes as they are designed to move differently through water, and attract different species of predator fish. Below will give a general overview of the main types of lures.
Plugs/Crankbait/jerkbaits
Plugs are a colourful hard bodied lure, which is usually shaped short and thick to resemble a deep bodied prey.
A plug consists of hard plastic lure, with bright colours to attract the predators, usually has two or three hooks spaced along its body. Depending on the type of plug it may have a plastic lip which will be used to direct the lure, depending on the shape it can promote side to side movement, make the plug swim deeper, or shallower depending on the target predator.
Plugs are very common and diverse, can be found almost anywhere.
Size range from 5cms to as big as 20cms long.
Action is to retrieve the lure at a reasonable pace, so that the lure swims at a speed that mocks a real prey fish. We note that the retrieval speed will be different depending on the shape of the lure, this is best tested before using a new lure.
We note that Plugs are the same as Crankbait and Jerkbait, with the difference being that plugs are old technology and made from wood and when they started making plugs from plastic, they were called crankbait/jerkbait.
Jigs
A jig consists of a sinker or weight, with a hook attached or moulded to it and hidden inside a plastic, a soft body or even a clump of hair or other material.
When using a jig, you can change its appearance while you are fishing, so as an example you may try a colour soft plastic body, and after an hour change it for a bright reflective soft plastic body depending on the target predator fish.
When retrieving a jig, the rod should be jerked up, towards you, then reel in as you lower the rod, this action is called jigging and is used to create a stop and start motion for the prey, each time the lure stops, it sinks a little in the water, and swims again when jig the rod up again.
Due to the weight of the sinker, Jigs can be used to attract predators who hunt along the bottom, just cast the lure out far, wait for it to hit the bottom, and then retrieve with the lure staying near the bottom. If you are targeting a fish that doesnt swim along the bottom, after you cast start reeling it in before it gets to the bottom. Unlike most lures, jigs work well when used vertically
For best results change the steed and the size of the jigs to find what works best your target fish.
Due to the vertical nature of the technique, jigs are perfect for fishing from a boat or deep water.
Jigs can be used in both salt and fresh water.
Spinnerbait
A spinnerbait is a lure that consists of one or more metal blades that spin, spaced with a piece of wire to hold the different sections apart. Predators are attracted by the vibrations made from the spinning blade, and the light that is reflected.
Spinnerbaits work at a range of speeds, but unlike most lures can work at slow speeds of retrieval, although recommend using a slow to medium pace. You can also give the rod the occasional sharp movement which you are retrieving to change the vibration.
Spoons
Spoons are a lure that consists of a piece of metal, concave in shape which looks like a spoon but with a hook on one end. The lure is designed to move through in the water and give off vibrations. Along with the movement, the lure is metal and reflects light as it moves through the water, attracting predators.
The best technique is to cast past the target area and reel the lure in at a constant speed across the target zone. The speed of retrieval will be different depending on the type of spoon lure that is being used, we suggest testing the speed before you cast by dragging through the water and see when it starts to move as desired.
Lighter spoon lures are also used for trolling behind a boat, just ensure that the speed is correct and the spoon is making the desired movements through the water.
Soft Plastics
Soft plastics are a fishing lure that are made from a soft plastic, rubber or silicone material that will wriggles around and swims like a live fish through the water. Soft plastic lures come in various shapes, sizes and colours depending on target species and application. Due to the lifelike movement of soft plastics, they can be used in more varied circumstances than other hard lures. Soft plastics can be varied in application but generally will come with a jig head sinker and hook, that the soft plastic will wrap around, to hide and disguise the hook. A big benefit to using soft plastics is the ability to change to a different colour or shape depending on changes to the environment or target species.
Note it is best practice to ensure that you fit the right soft plastic body to the right sized jig head – this will ensure that the lure will swim through the water properly. You can check that the lure is swimming properly by pulling through the water.
These lures are cheap, but may not last as long as a lure made from a more substantial material.
Topwater lures
Topwater lures, also called surface lures, are designed to skip across the top of the water to imitate insects, small reptiles or even small mammals for very large fish.
Poppers are designed with a concave or followed out nose, this promotes uneven movement and popping to occur across the tops of the water to imitate distressed prey that is injured or having difficulty. Technique is to cast near weeds or a log, and let lure settle on top of water, and pop the rod back to make a swift movement across the top of the water to imitate a struggling fish.
Stickbait, also called jerkbait are a thin fishing lure, designed to swim across the surface of the water to resemble a fish or reptile swimming. Stickbait lures are a thin piece of plastic or metal but unlike other lures it does not have aids to help it swim or change direction like a skirt, or bib, which means that all of the input comes from the fisherman. If you strait retrieve this lure, it will slide strait through the water, so the trick is to make movements through the retrieving technique.
Frogs, ducks, rats and other larger lures can be used to catch very large fish that are used to feeding on larger prey. When using, best practice is to follow instructions as often can have a specific movement that requires a specific technique to make the lure walk, or swim as designed.
Fly Fishing
Fly fishing is different to the rest of the fishing lures on this site, and requires its own specialist equipment including different rod and fishing line. Fly fishing is different as it attracts fish through how the lure fly lands on the water, imitating an insect, rather than how the lure moves once it is in the water. As the technique for fly fishing is so different we have excluded from this site, however if you are interested, please see links to websites that specialize in the techniques and gear;
