Lures for largemouth bass
Best bass lures: plastic worm, jig, spinnerbait and topwater
Largemouth bass is the most fished species in North America. Four lure groups cover cover, edges and the surface, and water temperature sets the speed.
The lure groups
What for, in which size and colour, and how to work it.
Plastic worm and creature bait (Texas or wacky rig)
Cover: laydowns, lily pads, docks. The standard when nothing else works.
- Size
- Worm 4 to 7 in, creature bait 3 to 5 in, bullet weight 3/16 to 3/8 oz on the Texas rig, weightless on the wacky rig.
- Colour
- Green pumpkin and brown in clear water, black-blue and junebug in stained water.
- Retrieve
- Drag slowly along the bottom, lift, let it fall. Wacky rig: let it sink on slack line and just twitch.
Jig with trailer
Rock edges, docks, deep cover, big bass, cold water.
- Size
- Jig 1/4 to 1/2 oz with a craw trailer, football jig on rock, flipping jig in cover.
- Colour
- Green pumpkin, brown-orange, black-blue.
- Retrieve
- Hop along the bottom with long pauses. Flip into cover and recast after two seconds.
Spinnerbait and bladed jig
Stained water, wind, weed edges, covering water fast.
- Size
- 3/8 to 1/2 oz, double Colorado blades in stained water, willow blades in clear water.
- Colour
- White and chartreuse in stained water, white and silver in sun.
- Retrieve
- Steady just over the weed, kill it at cover. Rip the bladed jig through grass.
Topwater
Early morning and evening, warm water, bass on the surface over grass.
- Size
- Popper and walking bait 3 to 5 in, hollow-body frog over thick mats.
- Colour
- White, bone and black as a silhouette.
- Retrieve
- Popper with pauses, walking bait side to side, frog over the mat and stop at holes. Strike only when you feel the fish.
Through the year
- Spring (prespawn) Bass move shallow, water 50 to 60 F. Jig and spinnerbait on edges leading to spawning bays.
- Early summer (postspawn) Hungry after the spawn, topwater in the morning, plastic worm in cover by day.
- Summer Deep edges and shade, early and late on the surface. Deep crankbaits and Carolina rig by day.
- Fall and winter Bass follow baitfish into the creeks, spinnerbait and lipless crankbait. In winter slow on a jig.
Rules of thumb
Under 50 F slow and deep, 60 to 75 F active and shallow, over 80 F early, late and in shade.
Largemouth hold on structure: wood, grass, docks, rock. Open water is rarely the spot.
Licence, minimum size and bag limit are set by each state. Check the profile and the US licence page.
Quick questions
What is the best lure for largemouth bass?
A Texas-rigged plastic worm catches in any cover, a jig brings big fish on edges, a spinnerbait covers stained water and topwater is the pick in warm water in the morning.
What colour for bass lures?
Green pumpkin and brown in clear water, black-blue and junebug in stained water, white and chartreuse for spinnerbaits.
When do largemouth bite best?
In spring before the spawn at 50 to 60 F water temperature and in fall when they follow baitfish. In summer early morning and evening.
Next
Lures for other species
Everything here is a rule of thumb from practice, not a guarantee. Lures are named as a group, not as a brand. Sizes are guide values.
Licence, minimum sizes and bag limits are set by each state. Fishing licence USA: agency by state
Know more?
Additions, photos of your catches or a mistake in the text: write to us and we will gladly credit you as a helper.
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