Top 5 lures everyone needs in their tackle box

A Sea of Lures

Walking into a large fishing box store will immediately demonstrate the sheer vastness that is the fishing lure market. Fishing lures exist in every color, every size, and are individually tailored to match any and all possible conditions on the water. I own enough lures and tackle to fish a different one every day for years and never repeat. I’ll be the first to admit I get caught up in the addiction of new tackle purchases, online monthly lure boxes, and building a deep tackle box like a mechanic would build a toolbox. If I were forced to consolidate into a five lure freshwater tackle box for one year, these would be my personal choices. Let the heated debate begin now….

1.The In-Line Spinner

Tried, true, and timeless, the inline spinner is what most of us learned to fish lures on. Its versatility is only matched by its fish catchability. You can fish these things in small creeks, rivers, fast water, slow water, ponds, lakes, and catch everything from a Crappie or a Bluegill, all the way through the Bass family up to Pikes, Pickerel, and Musky. In faster moving rapids in search of Smallies or Trout they can be fished downcurrent and held in place, allowing the water to produce the required action, or you can cast upstream and rip them through the rapids back to you. Fish them deep, shallow, fast, slow, these things will produce. Choose between silver and gold spoons, coupled with every color body imaginable. 

2. The Senko

As a bass fisherman, Texas rigged soft plastics have become my go to’s. From Flukes, swimbaits and trick worms, to brush hogs, lizards or craws, soft plastics can go almost anywhere and fit any scenario. In choosing one however it would have to be the Senko. It beats out the others based purely on year-round production. It can be used in the coldest winters, and the hottest summers and still produce. It can be fished open water, or dropped into the thickest trees and weeds. Rig it Texas-style, wacky, or hook it up as a neg rig to change up presentation. While it’s predominantly going to catch bass, it still remains on my freshwater list solely for its killer ability to do so. 

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3. Paddle Tail Swim Bait

This was a tough choice. A good paddle tail competes with a good crankbait in my mind, but the paddle tail is going to win out for me based on versatility. Time after time I’ve gotten onto the lake to find it is polluted with grass weeds or algae. The paddle tail runs weedless, and that go-anywhere ability gives it a win for me. I couple it with a weighted swimbait hook that typically has a spoon attached to it for a little more flash. It lacks the rattle that most crankbaits bring, but the flash of the spoon helps to compensate in murky waters. A good paddle tail represents a swimming baitfish which most species of predators will hunt down. Depth and speed are dictated by you the user. 

4.Top Water Popper

This list NEEDS to have a topwater bait in it. Topwater fishing, when the bite is on, is by far the most thrilling and rewarding style of fishing out there. Some prefer the jitterbug, maybe a plug, or the king of topwater the frog. My choice is the popper again based on its ability to catch more fish in more waters. I can take my popper to the lake, or to the creek, fish it around cover or in open water. It lacks the ability to be fished in weeds or pads, which is where the frog shines, but despite that its versatility is why it stays in my box. Small poppers can bring in trout, and smallies, while upgrading size can bring in largemouth or even pickerel, pike, and musky. The action of the lure is again highly dependent on how you want to fish it. 

5. Suspending JerkBait

My final lure choice for my tackle box is going to be the suspending jerkbait. I’ll take this one over the crankbait, which is similar, based on its ability to suspend and hold its position in the middle of the water column if needed. It can be fished like a crank with a straight retrieve, may contain rattles to elicit noise in murky water, but can also be erratically jerked and once you stop reeling it will hold its position as if it were a submarine. That pause, with no rise or fall, on tough days or winter days, may be the exact recipe for success in hesitant fish. Available in almost any length, they again can go from catching small stream or river trout and smallies, all the way up the fish chain to massive largemouths and the other apex predators. The suspending action will be vital on hot summer days if you can get them deep, as well as those cold winter months when the fish just don’t feel like moving.

  I’m sure this list will rile some people up and spring debates as to why a different lure NEEDS to be included. Be sure to check out the local favorites in your area by utilizing the FishBrain App.

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