Bass fishing anglers have a wide variety of hooks and lures to choose from. The array of products can be overwhelming. Here is a short guide to the most common types of hooks and lures, and for what kind of conditions they are useful.
Hooks
Hooks come in many sizes and shapes and can be used on all varieties of fish.
1. Worm hooks are average-sized and used with soft plastic worms or other soft plastic baits.
2. Extra wide gap hooks can be used with all types of soft plastic baits. These types of hooks have a great setting ability due to the wide gap, and the larger bulky plastic baits fit well on them.
3. Treble hooks are used with crank baits. They have three barbs on the end of the hook which curve back toward the shank of the hook.
Lures
1. Crank baits (also called diving baits) have bills on lips which allow them to dive to all depths. Small-lipped crank baits dive from 0 to 3 feet. Medium-lipped crank baits dive from 4 to 12 feet, and large-lipped crank baits dive from 12 to 20 feet. Crank baits are rigged with two sizes of treble hooks, small and large, depending on the size of the bait. Crank bait can be fished in any cover such as rocks, wood, or grass.
2. Spinner baits come in many sizes, such as 1/8-, 1/4-, 3/8-, and 1/2-inch, and come in every color of the rainbow. They can be rigged with one blade or as many as five blades. Blade size varies from #00 to #8 and come in many styles. For example, the willow leaf blade produces a lot of flash and can be fished really fast. The Colorado blade produces a lot of vibration and is good for murky and muddy water. The magnum willow leaf blade is a combination of the willow leaf and Colorado blades, so it produces a lot of flash and vibration. The spinner bait is very versatile and can be fished from 1 foot to 50 feet, depending on how fast or slow you want to fish them.
3. Jigs also come in all shapes and sizes. Some have rattles and some do not. They work well in shallow water as well as in deep water. Jigs work better when fished very slowly. They imitate crawfish, which is a favorite food for bass to eat. Rattles produce sound which helps the fish find the bait. Jigs with rattles work best in murky and muddy water. Jigs without rattles work best in clear water because bass fish become skittish to sound because they are more cautious.
4. Soft plastic baits such as worms and tubes are favorites among bass anglers. They come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. They are versatile as well, useful in both shallow and deep water and in all types of cover. They are especially useful in heavy cover because the hook is tucked down inside the body of the bait, rather than exposed as with other baits. In other words, they won't get snagged as much.
5. A Carolina rig bait is just a 17- to 25-lb. fishing line rigged with a one-ounce brass weight with glass beads. The beads make noise. Different lures such as soft plastic baits and small crank baits can be rigged to make the Carolina rig. To make the Carolina rig, thread a 1-oz. brass weight onto the main fishing line. Then put on one or two large red glass beads and tie a barrel swivel to the line. Then tie a leader line (or tag line) of 10- to 12-lb. fishing line to the barrel swivel. The leader line can be anywhere from 10 inches to four feet long. The Carolina rig is another versatile bait which can be fished shallow or deep.
6. Live baits such as nightcrawlers, minnows, and crawfish can also be used for bass fishing; however, they are not commonly used.
