Basic Fishing Lures Guide Cheat Sheet: Essential Types, Uses & Techniques

Cheatsheets

Introduction

Fishing lures are artificial baits designed to attract fish through movement, vibration, flash, and color. This cheat sheet provides essential information on the most common lure types, when and how to use them, and techniques to maximize your success. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to expand your tackle box, this guide will help you choose the right lure for your fishing conditions.

Lure Types & Their Uses

Spinnerbaits

  • Description: Metal blade(s) that spin around a wire shaft with a skirted hook
  • Best for: Bass, pike, muskie, walleye
  • When to use:
    • Cloudy or sunny conditions
    • Spring through fall
    • Shallow to medium depth water
  • Retrieval technique: Steady retrieve with occasional pauses
  • Features to look for:
    • Blade type: Colorado (more thump/vibration), willow (more flash/speed)
    • Weight: 1/4 oz for shallow water, 1/2 oz or more for deeper water
  • Pro tip: For muddy water, use larger Colorado blades for more vibration

Crankbaits

  • Description: Hard-bodied lures with diving bills that create wobbling action
  • Best for: Bass, walleye, trout, pike
  • When to use:
    • Spring through fall
    • Clear to slightly stained water
    • When fish are actively feeding
  • Types:
    • Shallow (1-4 ft): Short, wide bill
    • Medium (5-12 ft): Medium-length bill
    • Deep (12-20+ ft): Long bill
    • Squarebill: Excels around cover
    • Lipless: Sinks fast, high vibration
  • Retrieval technique: Steady retrieve with occasional twitches or pauses
  • Pro tip: Let crankbait hit structure (rocks, wood) for deflection strikes

Soft Plastic Baits

  • Description: Flexible artificial baits in various shapes
  • Best for: All freshwater species, especially bass
  • Types:
    • Worms: Versatile, effective in most conditions
    • Crawfish: Great for bottom fishing
    • Creature baits: Unique appendages for more action
    • Soft jerkbaits/flukes: Mimic wounded baitfish
    • Tubes: Excellent for smallmouth bass
  • Rigging options:
    • Texas rig: Weedless, good in heavy cover
    • Carolina rig: For deeper water
    • Drop shot: For suspended or finicky fish
    • Ned rig: For tough conditions, small profile
    • Wacky rig: For slow, tantalizing action
  • Pro tip: Adjust presentation speed based on water temperature—slower in cold water

Topwater Lures

  • Description: Float on water’s surface creating commotion
  • Best for: Bass, pike, muskie, some trout species
  • When to use:
    • Dawn and dusk (low light conditions)
    • Warm water temperatures
    • Calm water surface
  • Types:
    • Poppers: Create “blooping” sound when popped
    • Walking baits: Side-to-side “walk the dog” action
    • Prop baits: Use propellers to create commotion
    • Frogs: Weedless for fishing heavy cover
  • Retrieval technique: Varied—pop, pause, walk, or steady depending on lure
  • Pro tip: After a missed strike, pause before continuing retrieve

Jigs

  • Description: Lead head with a hook and rubber/silicone skirt
  • Best for: Bass, walleye, panfish (smaller sizes)
  • When to use:
    • Year-round, especially effective in cold water
    • Around structure (rocks, wood, vegetation)
    • When fish are less active
  • Types:
    • Flipping jigs: Heavy cover
    • Football jigs: Rocky bottoms
    • Swim jigs: Open water or sparse cover
    • Finesse jigs: Tough conditions, pressured fish
  • Weights: 1/8 oz to 1 oz, depending on depth and conditions
  • Trailers: Add soft plastic trailers to enhance action and profile
  • Pro tip: Let jig fall on slack line to detect subtle strikes on the drop

Spoons

  • Description: Curved metal lures that wobble like injured baitfish
  • Best for: Trout, pike, salmon, walleye
  • When to use:
    • Open water
    • When fish are chasing baitfish
    • All seasons (even ice fishing)
  • Types:
    • Casting spoons: Heavier, for casting
    • Trolling spoons: Lighter, for boat trolling
    • Jigging spoons: For vertical jigging
    • Weedless spoons: For fishing in vegetation
  • Retrieval technique: Steady retrieve with occasional jerks
  • Pro tip: Add a split ring between spoon and hook for better action

Swimbaits

  • Description: Realistic-looking baitfish imitations
  • Best for: Trophy bass, pike, muskie
  • When to use:
    • Clear water conditions
    • When targeting larger fish
    • When fish are feeding on larger baitfish
  • Types:
    • Soft swimbaits: Flexible plastic with paddletail
    • Hard swimbaits: Jointed or solid body with lifelike swimming action
    • Hybrid swimbaits: Combine hard and soft elements
  • Sizes: 3″ for everyday use to 12″+ for trophy hunting
  • Retrieval technique: Steady retrieve at varying speeds
  • Pro tip: Match local forage fish in size, shape, and color

Spinner & In-Line Spinners

  • Description: Metal blade spins around a straight wire shaft
  • Best for: Trout, bass, pike, panfish
  • When to use:
    • Moving water (streams, rivers)
    • When fish are actively feeding
    • Spring and fall
  • Blade types:
    • French/narrow: Fast spinning, less flash
    • Colorado/rounded: Slower, more vibration
    • Willow leaf: Fast, subtle flash
  • Sizes: #0-#1 for trout/panfish, #3-#5 for bass/pike
  • Retrieval technique: Steady retrieve just fast enough to keep blade spinning
  • Pro tip: In cold water, retrieve slower just above the bottom

Jerkbaits

  • Description: Slender, minnow-shaped lures designed for erratic action
  • Best for: Bass, pike, walleye, trout
  • When to use:
    • Cool water (spring/fall)
    • Clear water conditions
    • When fish are targeting minnows
  • Types:
    • Suspending: Hovers at set depth during pauses
    • Floating: Rises during pauses
    • Sinking: Continues to drop during pauses
  • Retrieval technique: Series of jerks followed by pauses
  • Pro tip: In colder water, extend pause duration to 3-5+ seconds

Buzzbaits

  • Description: Topwater lure with rotating blade that creates surface commotion
  • Best for: Largemouth bass, pike
  • When to use:
    • Warm water conditions
    • Low light periods
    • Around surface vegetation
  • Retrieval technique: Steady retrieve fast enough to keep lure on surface
  • Features to look for:
    • Blade size and shape affects noise and splash
    • Skirt material/color should match conditions
  • Pro tip: Add a trailer hook to catch short-striking fish

Lure Selection by Conditions

Water Clarity

  • Clear water:
    • Natural colors (green pumpkin, watermelon, silver, white)
    • Smaller, more realistic lures
    • Finesse presentations
  • Stained water:
    • Brighter colors (chartreuse, orange, bright green)
    • Lures with more vibration and flash
    • Larger profiles
  • Muddy water:
    • Dark colors (black, blue, red) or very bright (chartreuse)
    • Lures with maximum vibration (Colorado blades, lipless cranks)
    • Slower presentations to help fish locate lure

Weather Conditions

  • Sunny days:
    • More natural colors
    • Fish deeper or in cover
    • Early/late in day for topwater
  • Cloudy days:
    • Brighter colors
    • Topwater lures more effective
    • Cover more water with moving baits
  • Windy conditions:
    • Noisy lures (rattles, blades)
    • Heavier lures for better casting
    • Focus on windblown shorelines

Seasons

  • Spring:
    • Focus on shallow spawning areas
    • Slower presentations
    • Smaller lures as fish emerge from winter
  • Summer:
    • Early/late topwater action
    • Deep structure during mid-day
    • Faster presentations
  • Fall:
    • Match baitfish patterns
    • Aggressive retrieves
    • Focus on areas where baitfish gather
  • Winter:
    • Slowest presentations
    • Smaller lures
    • Focus on deep structure

Water Temperature

  • 40-50°F (Cold):
    • Slow, subtle presentations
    • Jigs, small soft plastics
    • Suspending jerkbaits with long pauses
  • 50-65°F (Cool):
    • Moderate retrieves
    • Crankbaits, spinnerbaits
    • Jerkbaits with shorter pauses
  • 65-75°F (Warm):
    • Faster, more aggressive presentations
    • Topwater in morning/evening
    • Wide variety of lures effective
  • 75°F+ (Hot):
    • Early/late day fishing most productive
    • Deep diving crankbaits
    • Slow bottom presentations during day

Lure Colors & When to Use Them

Natural Colors

  • Green pumpkin/watermelon: Clear/lightly stained water, sunny days
  • Brown/amber: Clear water, matching crawfish
  • Silver/gray: Clear water, matching shad or shiners
  • White/pearl: Clear to stained water, matching baitfish

Bright Colors

  • Chartreuse: Stained/muddy water, cloudy days
  • Orange/red: Triggering reaction strikes, matching wounded prey
  • Hot pink: Stained water, pressured fish
  • Yellow: Slightly stained water, mimicking perch or sunfish

Dark Colors

  • Black/blue: Night fishing, muddy water, cloudy days
  • Purple/junebug: Stained water, lakes with bluegill forage
  • Dark green: Clear water with lots of vegetation

Color Selection Tips

  • Match local forage when fish are feeding actively
  • Use contrast (dark back/light belly) in clear water
  • In muddy water, silhouette (dark colors) or visibility (bright colors) matters more than pattern
  • During tough bites, try unusual colors that fish haven’t seen

Presentation Techniques

Retrieve Speeds & Styles

  • Slow roll: Constant slow retrieve, good for cold water
  • Stop-and-go: Alternating speeds, triggers reaction strikes
  • Burn: Very fast retrieve, creates reaction strikes
  • Dead stick: No movement, letting lure sit motionless
  • Yo-yo: Lifting and dropping the lure vertically

Depth Control

  • Control running depth by:
    • Line thickness (thinner line = deeper)
    • Rod position (rod tip up = shallower)
    • Retrieve speed (faster = shallower for diving lures)
    • Adding weight to line
    • Using countdown method for sinking lures

Working Structure

  • Parallel casting: Cast alongside structure rather than perpendicular
  • Fan casting: Make multiple casts to cover an area thoroughly
  • Contact bumping: Intentionally bounce lures off structure
  • Depth transitions: Focus on where shallow water meets deep
  • Deflection: Cause lure to ricochet off cover to trigger strikes

Tackle Considerations

Line Selection

  • Monofilament: Good for topwater, crankbaits (stretches)
  • Fluorocarbon: Low visibility, sinks (good for deeper presentations)
  • Braided: Strong, sensitive, floats (good for heavy cover)
  • Line weight: Lighter for finesse (4-8 lb), medium for all-purpose (8-12 lb), heavy for cover (15+ lb)

Rod Selection

  • Action: Fast for single-hook lures, moderate for treble-hook lures
  • Power: Light for small lures, medium for all-purpose, heavy for big lures and cover
  • Length: Longer for distance casting, shorter for accuracy

Hook Maintenance

  • Keep hooks razor sharp
  • Replace rusty or bent hooks
  • Consider upgrading stock hooks on lures
  • Use appropriate hook size for target species

Species-Specific Recommendations

Bass

  • Largemouth: Spinnerbaits, soft plastics, jigs, topwater
  • Smallmouth: Tubes, ned rigs, small crankbaits, dropshot rigs
  • Spotted: Small swimbaits, shaky heads, small jerkbaits

Trout

  • Rainbow/Brown: Small spinners, spoons, small jerkbaits
  • Brook: Tiny spinners, micro jigs, small soft plastics
  • Lake Trout: Spoons, swimbaits, jigging spoons

Walleye

  • Jigs with soft plastic trailers
  • Crankbaits (shad patterns)
  • Spinner rigs
  • Jigging spoons (winter)

Pike/Muskie

  • Large spinnerbaits
  • Inline spinners (size 4-6)
  • Large swimbaits
  • Jerkbaits and glide baits

Panfish

  • Micro jigs (1/64 oz – 1/8 oz)
  • Small inline spinners (size 0-1)
  • Tiny soft plastics
  • Small poppers for bluegill

Seasonal Behavior & Lure Selection

Spring

  • Pre-spawn: Jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, jigs
  • Spawn: Soft plastics, topwater in shallows
  • Post-spawn: Spinnerbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits

Summer

  • Early/Late: Topwater, walking baits, poppers
  • Midday: Deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigs, drop shot
  • Night: Black spinnerbaits, large Texas-rigged worms

Fall

  • Focus on baitfish imitations
  • Spinnerbaits around dying vegetation
  • Crankbaits on flats and points
  • Jerkbaits in cooler water

Winter

  • Slow presentations
  • Jigging spoons
  • Small jigs with minimal action
  • Suspending jerkbaits with long pauses

Storage & Maintenance

Lure Care

  • Rinse with fresh water after saltwater use
  • Dry completely before storage
  • Replace rusty hooks
  • Touch up paint chips with nail polish
  • Separate soft plastics from hard baits (plastics can melt)

Organization Tips

  • Sort by lure type or target species
  • Use clear compartmentalized boxes
  • Label boxes by season or fishing scenario
  • Keep frequently used lures accessible
  • Remove treble hooks from storage position

Resources for Further Learning

Apps & Websites

  • Fishbrain
  • Fishing Calendar Pro
  • BassForecast
  • In-Fisherman
  • Wired2Fish

Local Knowledge

  • Bait and tackle shops
  • Fishing forums
  • Local fishing clubs
  • Guide services for new waters
  • State fishing reports

This cheat sheet covers the essentials of fishing lures, but remember that local knowledge and time on the water are your best teachers. Experiment with different lures and techniques to discover what works best in your fishing locations.

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