Authored By:
"The little I know I learned from people who knew more than me"
Marcos A Souza
Tourism Technician and Sport Fishing Consultant

With today's technology it's absolutely incredible to see how life like lures can be as they perfectly imitate a fish. For those of you who intend to try fishing with lures, or are using them, I will give you some important fishing lure tips that will surely make a difference in your future outings.

Identify Your Target

The first step to picking your lure is to define which fish you intend to catch with your lures. It is important not to buy lures just because they are shiny or very colorful, sure, they may work great for some species, but lures are designed to attract the angler almost as much as the fish!

That is why it is important to define the fish you wish to catch, as each species feeds on different prey, and it can change depending on the location, the conditions that day, such as depth, structures, water color, temperature, among others.

Finding the Right Information

Of course, it will sometimes be difficult for you to figure out what the fish you're targeting are eating, and therefore what kind of lure to use. So you will need to inform yourself. Usually a local bait shop will have all the intel, but you can find good information from local forums, captains, and using fishing apps. 

Another great way to find the right information is by using an underwater fishing camera to quickly see what lures are making the fish react and bite. If you can see how they're reacting to the different lures, you can swap your gear faster until you find the right one!

Picking the Right Lure

After you've decided which fish to go after, and selected some lures that you think will mimic what they're eating, try some lures that work well in your type of water. 

Many or most fish use the environment they live in to disguise themselves (mimicry), so it's important to find lures of different colors. For example, look for basic color lures like dark white with shades of black, gray, brown, green and blue. Generally, small fish have dark backs in green, blue and brown, with a white or silver belly. These colors will help you when you find blue (ocean), brown or dark (muddy) or green (most dammed rivers).

Some fish species in the ocean, or that live in both environments (fresh and salt water), will feed on small crustaceans so be aware of this and use this to your advantage when choosing your lure.

The size of the lures is also important to consider, if you are going to fish in rivers and dams do not buy very large lures, the average sizes (between 6 to 9 centimeters) give good results. I can say this from experience because I have many in my fishing box.

Now if you are going to fish in places with larger species, it is good to have lures of all sizes, as you will find fish of all species and sizes as well. 

Types of Lures:

Top Water: These lures when thrown and collected do not sink or dive and return to the surface quickly, and when at rest they remain on the surface. In my opinion they are the most exciting when fishing for fish such as bass. The blowups are incredible to watch.

Lipped Baits: when you're retrieving they dive and swim. Depending on the angle of the lip and the size of the lip, you can find ones that dive deep or ones that dive to a reasonable depth (1M). It is widely used trolling in fast waters and offshore fishing, it is also very useful to cast with a short lipped bait (like a crankbait) when the fish aren't hitting the top water, as they might be feeding in a lower water column. To get a good sense of where they're feeding, try casting your lures or trolling them with an in-line fishing camera so you can quickly review the footage and know what lure types to use or what depth to dive to. 

Lead Baits and Jigs: Lead baits or jigs are usually dropped straight down or dragged. They'll typically lay on or near the bottom and as you lift your rod or retrieve with small pulls, it gives them action to attract fish. These lures are very productive when fishing for predatory species.

Soft baits: These are baits made in silicone and can imitate fish, crustaceans, earthworms and insects, they are very productive in fishing for fish such as bass or trout. Usually you'll find some really great swim baits in this category which are soft lures designed to swim like a smaller fish. 

Buying New Lures

You can definitely find cheap lures, but nowadays they can get pretty pricey! That's why I recommend that you do your research and look for lure by reputable companies who specialize in that type of lure, bait, fish, or water type. I do this and I always receive great tips to make productive purchases.  

Since the number of anglers who are fishing with lures has been growing a lot, the market has also grown. Today it is possible to find thousands of models of lures. Hopefully some of my tips in this blog will help you pick the right ones! 

Stay informed and tuned in to your favorite lure companies. They're always making new products, and they're not just shinier and more colorful... but they're becoming more realistic and more productive. So when in doubt seek information and buy lures that will provide you with great joy and not disappointment you on the water. Be sure to check out our selection of fishing lures online!