Buying Guide: What To Look For When Buying Bass Lures
Earlier in this article, we have listed out a wide range of lures that can be used to target Bass. If you are serious about catching big bass then there are some important factors to consider. This goes for fishing in both lakes and rivers and applies to almost all species of Bass.
So with this in mind, we will outline a number of core factors to help you with your next bass fishing adventure. Keep in mind that it’s always helpful to bring a fish finder, you can check out our reviews of the best fish finders to get a few recommendations.
Location
When choosing a bass lure it’s always good to take a close look at your location and the surrounding environment. This will give you a good idea of the potential terrain underwater and also the type of food the fish are feeding on. Steep banks can hide undercuts and great hiding places for bass, lakes can house lots of small baitfish as well as cicadas and other potential baits at different times of the year. These are all important factors when choosing a bass lure. You can also use an underwater fishing camera to help you out here.
Best Lure Color for Bass
Your choice of lure color will play a vital part in your success when fishing for bass. It is best to practise to match the lure color to your fishing conditions, especially the clarity of the water. It is important to understand the vision that Bass have. When the water is clear and the sun is shining, it’s best to use a clear/translucent lure that matches a small bait fish. The idea is to present a natural-looking lure that won’t spook the bass. An unnatural lure for the environment you are fishing will be easily indentified by the bass and will potentially spook them. Use natural colors like grey, green, silver and white.
When fishing murky water, you can experiment with more bright colors such as pink, reds, bright green or orange to attract the bass’ attention. Try using a dark lure that contains some glitter to add additional light signals underwater.
Best time of day to catch Bass
The time of the day can play a big part in your lure selection and the fishing method when chasing bass. Early mornings and late afternoons are a great time to find bass higher up the water column and close to the banks chasing bugs and insects and as the sun comes up they often retreat to deeper water, especially on clear warm sunny days. So when fishing early mornings give topwater lures a go in an around structure and weeds. Use frogs, poppers and other topwater lures for best results.
During the day search for schooled bass and use deep-diving crankbaits or jigs to entice the bass into feeding.
So all up, bass can be caught at all times of the day so just mix up your lure selection depending on the conditions.
Swimming action
A great natural swimming action is ideal to mimic the local food source. There is an amazing range of very natural lures available that swim just like the real thing. Topwater lures such as frogs, lizards and mice have amazing swimming actions that are irresistible to bass. Swimbaits have come along way in recent years and are a quality option also. If using crankbaits make sure the trebles are straight and the bib is not damages as issues with those parts will cause the lure to not swim properly.
Size
Don’t go crazy with your bait size, keep in mind, it’s still got to match the bait within the area you are fishing (speaking of bait, check our comparison of the best baitcasting reels). If you are targetting smallmouth bass try and stick to 3″ plastics or small crankbaits, and use larger swimbaits for largemouth bass.
Natural Food Source
This is a very important factor when fishing any lake, river or ocean. Do some research about what food source is available at the location you are fishing in the season you are there.
Now take a decent fishing kayak and your best fishing sunglasses, and have some fun!