LURE ‘EM IN!

Lures; Yay or Nay

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Do you need them to catch fish?

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Lure: a decoy for attracting animals to capture: such as
a : artificial bait used for catching fish
b : an often luminous structure on the head of pediculate fishes that is used to attract prey

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Are “lures” (aka; arti-"fish"-ial fish) better than live bait?  Well, that’s actually a personal choice. Let's weigh the pro's and con's.

When comparing the two methods, there are a few schools of thought to consider.  You can use lures many times over, providing of course that your line doesn't break and the lure is still "accessible". Meaning you are still able to retrieve it from the fish's mouth. In comparison to live bait, which is of course a “one time only” situation.

Secondly, you can generally cover more water area using a lure as opposed to using live bait. And isn’t that your overall goal? To allow time for the fish to realize what you're offering, basically luring the fish in?

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So many varieties of Lures, all having the same goal. To attract fish!

Therefore they should:

•   Look like a fish

•   Move like a fish

•   Splash like a fish

•   Look or act like something that fish would eat

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When you walk into your local Bait Shop (or cruise the Internet) you'll see that there are literally thousands and thousands of lures to choose from. They come in every size and shape imaginable. From Big-Jointed Rattlers to Lead-Head Bucktail jigs, the assortment can be overwhelming.

You need not purchase all of them, knowing that 99% of them would never be put to use. It is important however to understand the characteristics that will either entice your intended targets or send them off swimming away.

For example, does your lure do the wobble and shimmy?  Or the burble and pop. How about the chug and sputter? Fish species are different, therefore it only stands to reason that their reactions will vary as well.

And without a doubt, size does matter. Especially when considering the fish you're targeting, as well as the spot you're fishing. Your goal being to use the right size lure to attract the (size) of fish you're after.

Sometimes you can imitate the size of the food your fish typically feeds on or perhaps a larger lure would work better because they may notice and want a mouth-full.

The difficult part is we don’t always know what the fish wants. That's where trial and error comes into play. Experimentation will lead you to in the right direction.

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And for those asking the question "What's the difference between a Lure and a Jig?", a lure is an artificial plastic or rubber bait designed to take the place of live bait on the end of your hook. A jig is a type of lure that contains a lead head with a hook molded into it that is usually covered by a soft body. They're made to add live bait, lures, or can be used alone.

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In conclusion, while live bait might always seem like the best answer to the often asked "How do I catch the most amount of fish in the least amount of time without expending any extra effort?" question, lures have definitely earned their place in that conversation.