What fishing lure should I use?

The blade provides motion even with a simple straight retrieve. A spinner is a searching lure: fan casts across open water, then change the countdown to sample another depth. Its straight shaft distinguishes it from a wire-arm spinnerbait. If line twists, check for a fouled lure and consider a small quality swivel on the leader.

How to fish it: Cast across the area, let it sink briefly, then reel just fast enough to keep the blade turning. Check its action beside the bank first.

Weight: Use the built-in lure weight. A small 1/16–1/8 oz spinner is a starting point for trout; larger targets need larger versions.

Avoid: Thick weeds, a blade that will not start, or a retrieve so fast the lure rides out of the strike zone.

A compact spoon can help reach fish beyond a short bank cast. Countdown controls its starting depth, but it does not establish an exact depth in feet. Retrieve speed, current, line and spoon shape change the path. Weedless spoons are a separate option with a guarded single hook; an ordinary treble-hook spoon is not weedless.

How to fish it: Let it sink to the intended depth, then retrieve slowly enough to wobble without rolling continuously. Add an occasional short pause.

Weight: The metal body supplies the casting weight. Start around 1/8–1/4 oz for trout, or 1/2–3/4 oz for pike, within your rod rating.

Avoid: Dragging a treble-hook spoon through vegetation or retrieving so fast it spins and twists the line.

Thread the plastic straight onto the hook so the tail can move freely. A jig is a way to control depth, not a requirement to bounce the bottom on every cast. Around suspended crappie, keep it at or just above the fish. Select a heavier head only when wind, current or depth prevents you from controlling the presentation.

How to fish it: Swim it slowly or lift it a short distance and let it fall on a controlled line. Watch for a sideways twitch or an unexpected stop.

Weight: The jig head supplies weight. Typical starting heads: 1/32–1/16 oz for panfish, 1/16–1/8 oz for trout, 1/8–3/8 oz for bass or walleye.

Avoid: A head so heavy that it plows into the bottom, or a crooked plastic that spins instead of swimming.

For a Texas rig, put the bullet sinker on the line first, tie the offset hook, then rig the worm straight with the point lightly hidden. A wacky rig hooks a stick worm through the middle for an exposed-hook fall in open water. A drop shot separates the weight below the hook to hold a small worm above bottom. They are different presentations, not interchangeable names.

How to fish it: Let a Texas-rigged worm fall beside cover, pause, then move it with short lifts. Reel up slack before setting the hook.

Weight: Fish weightless in shallow pockets or start with a 1/8–1/4 oz bullet sinker. Count the worm, hook and sinker in total casting weight.

Avoid: Burying the hook point too deeply, using a hook with too little gap, or mistaking a heavy sinker for better feel.

Match the body to the fish: a micro version suits panfish, while pike need a larger profile and a bite-resistant leader. A weedless hook helps around stems and branches but does not make a lure snag-proof. In dense mats, fish holes and outside edges rather than trying to force a swimming lure through the canopy.

How to fish it: Thread it straight, then swim it just fast enough for the tail to kick. Pause at an edge and let it fall a little before continuing.

Weight: Use a jig head in open water or a weighted weedless hook by vegetation. Include the soft plastic in total casting weight.

Avoid: An exposed jig hook through thick weeds. A crooked body, oversized hook or buried tail can stop the swimming action.

Square bills are often used around shallow hard cover; longer bills can reach deeper. Casting distance and line diameter influence the actual running depth. Make first casts where a snag is recoverable and learn how the lure feels. A bill may deflect off wood, but exposed treble hooks still catch branches and weeds.

How to fish it: Reel to make it dive, then use a steady retrieve with pauses. Let a floating model rise away from an obstruction.

Weight: Use its own weight. Choose the labeled running-depth model; a heavier lure does not automatically dive deeper.

Avoid: A deep-diving model on a shallow snag-filled bank, or treating a package depth as exact for every cast.

Floating, suspending and sinking minnow baits behave differently when stopped. Check yours beside the bank before fishing it. A pause can be the useful part of the retrieve, especially when fish are slow. Suspended does not mean motionless under every temperature, line or snap combination.

How to fish it: Reel down, give one or two short twitches, then pause. Experiment with longer pauses when fish follow without striking.

Weight: No extra sinker by default. Use the model’s weight and depth rating; leader and hardware changes can alter suspension.

Avoid: Constant hard jerking with no pause, slack so large that a bite cannot be detected, or exposed hooks near dense cover.

The bent wire separates the blades from the hook and helps the bait pass scattered cover. It remains vulnerable to stringy weeds. Tie at the line attachment specified by the maker; an open R-bend is generally tied directly so a loose snap cannot slide along the wire. Use a closed-eye model with suitable leader hardware for pike.

How to fish it: Swim it along the outside of grass or beside wood, keeping the blades turning. Slow down to run deeper without losing blade action.

Weight: Start around 3/8 oz for bass, matched to your rod. Head-weight labels may exclude the blades, wire and skirt.

Avoid: Confusing it with a small trout spinner, or pulling it through a solid mat of floating vegetation.

The blade at the head vibrates differently from the rotating blades of a spinnerbait. A soft plastic trailer changes bulk, lift and action; start with a modest size that leaves the hook gap clear. If the vibration disappears, check for grass before deciding the fish have stopped biting.

How to fish it: Start the blade with a short pull, then swim it so you can feel a regular vibration. Pause briefly beside gaps in grass.

Weight: A 3/8 oz head is a common bass starting example. Add trailer weight when checking the rod’s casting range.

Avoid: Treating it as a bottom jig in tangled wood, or repeatedly forcing a fouled blade through heavy mats.

Unlike a billed crankbait, a lipless model sinks and lets you select a starting depth. That flexibility brings snag risk, particularly when fishing back uphill from shore. Use it where you know the bottom or keep it above cover. A compact profile can cast well but is not automatically appropriate for an ultralight rod.

How to fish it: Count it down over clean bottom, then swim it or lift and let it fall. Keep enough line contact to notice a bite on the drop.

Weight: The bait is already weighted. A 1/4–1/2 oz version is a starting example for bass or walleye, within the rod range.

Avoid: Long uncontrolled drops into rocks, wood or thick vegetation where the treble hooks can snag.

A weed guard reduces some snagging but must flex enough for the hook to engage. Football heads suit many rock presentations; pointed grass heads pass stems more easily; swim jigs are shaped for moving retrieves. Those are jobs within the jig family. Match the head to the job before changing the skirt color.

How to fish it: Pitch close to cover, let it fall, then use small lifts and pauses. Watch the line on the first fall.

Weight: Start around a 1/4–3/8 oz head and add a trailer. Choose a head shape suited to the cover; heavier is not always better.

Avoid: An oversized trailer that blocks the hook, or a football head jammed through dense vegetation.

The hollow body can conceal the jig head and creates a different profile from a worm. A small crappie tube and a bass tube require very different hook sizes. Rig straight, leave the hook gap clear, and reduce the head weight if every hop wedges it between rocks.

How to fish it: Let it settle, then use short hops or a slow swim. Keep the tentacles free and watch for bites as it falls.

Weight: An internal tube jig adds weight. Start with a head that controls the fall, then account for the tube’s weight too.

Avoid: Assuming an internal jig is weedless; an exposed hook still snags. Use a suitable offset-hook rig around cover.

Surface lures are useful when fish are willing to rise, not simply because the water is shallow. Calm pockets make a small pop easier to notice. Walking baits are a related surface family: side-to-side twitches replace the popper’s cupped-face splash. If fish repeatedly miss, try a smaller surface bait or a shallow subsurface lure.

How to fish it: Cast near an open edge, let the rings settle, then pop and pause. Let the fish load the rod before pulling against it.

Weight: Use its built-in weight with no sinker. Small panfish poppers may need fly gear or a casting float rather than a heavy spinning rod.

Avoid: Treble hooks in floating grass, or adding a sinker that pulls a surface lure underwater.

A collapsible body shields upward-facing hooks. It needs more hook-setting power than a tiny open-hook jig, so the same rod and line should not be suggested for both. Squeeze accumulated water out between casts. If fish stay under the mat, a subsurface weedless presentation in an opening may be a better choice.

How to fish it: Work slowly across the canopy and pause at holes. When a fish takes it, reel to feel the fish before a firm hookset.

Weight: No extra sinker. Use a rod rated for the full frog weight and strong line suited to pulling fish from vegetation.

Avoid: Light trout tackle, striking at the splash before feeling the fish, or assuming a frog is the best cold-water bait.

Most buzzbaits sink when stopped. Their role is a continuous moving surface presentation, while a floating popper can sit still. Choose it when bass appear willing to chase. Use a frog for a dense floating mat, or a slower floating lure when a long pause seems to draw more interest.

How to fish it: Begin reeling as it lands and hold a steady pace that keeps the blade on the surface. Trace the edge of cover.

Weight: The head supplies weight. No added sinker; count any trailer in the full casting load.

Avoid: Pausing and expecting it to float like a popper, or pulling it through a solid grass canopy.

Dry flies float, nymphs imitate underwater immature insects, and streamers suggest larger swimming food. The term fly describes construction, not a promise of surface fishing. Match the method before choosing a pattern, and use the hatch calendar for seasonal insect context. The lure finder prioritizes spinning presentations; fly gear is an alternative lesson.

How to fish it: Drift a dry fly or nymph naturally with the current. Fish a streamer with short strips or swings to suggest swimming prey.

Weight: Fly line normally supplies casting weight. A nymph may carry a bead or use permitted split shot; a spinning outfit needs an appropriate casting-float rig.

Avoid: Casting a nearly weightless fly alone on a heavy spinning setup, or dragging a dry fly underwater with a sinker.