Fishing is a fun hobby to get into, and given the current state of the world, with everyone seeking socially distant ways to unwind, it will only become more popular. If you’re new to the sport and just starting out, it can be overwhelming to try and weed your way through all the tackle out there to find the best fishing lures for beginners. Whether you’re looking for good fishing lures for bass, pike, or panfish, this article will help you cut through it in no time.
Note that while I have written an article about what the best fishing lures are for children, this article assumes that the beginner is an adult, so there will be some slight variations. Ready? Then read on for my take for the best fishing lures money can buy.
What Makes a Fishing Lure Good for Beginners?
In my mind, a good fishing lure for beginners should have three traits:
- A bite should easily be detectable;
- The lure should catch a variety of species;
- The lure must be fishable with a basic, beginners fishing rod.
Easy Strike Detection
One of the toughest parts about learning how to catch fish is learning when they’ve bit. Certain lures, like jigs, are much more difficult to detect some bites with. This is why bass jigs, though immensely popular and a great lure for largemouth bass fishing in general, won’t be found in my list below. Instead, it will be extremely obvious when a fish bites any of the lures I list below. This will allow a beginner to gain some confidence before moving up to some fishing lures that are hard to use, and take a bit more skill to realize a fish is biting.
A Good Fishing Lure Will Catch Many Species
I have absolutely no idea where you’re reading this from, as FishingFather has readers all across the planet (and thank you for that!). What I do know is that regardless of where you’re fishing, the lures on this page will catch the species in your neighborhood. All of these recommendations are great lures for largemouth bass or crappie large enough to hit them. This makes them some of the best fishing lures to use, because you have a good chance of catching anything in the lake. About the only caveat to that is that some of these lures aren’t particularly “tooth-proof” so if you’re fishing for northern pike or other fierce critters, you may want to look at the lure and ask yourself, “Is there any chance a pike is biting this without cutting my line?”
Good Beginner Fishing Lures Must Work With Good Beginner Fishing Rods
There are certain lures (like plastic frogs) that are notorious for needing very specialized equipment to throw. “Very specialized equipment” does not belong in the same article as “good fishing lures for beginners.” Accordingly, you won’t find me raving about some of the better largemouth bass fishing lures like plastic frogs here. These lures require very stout rods and heavy fishing line that you probably don’t have sitting in your garage. Everything fishing lure and bait that I recommend could be thrown with a standard, medium power Ugly Stik.
And the Winners Are?
Now that we’ve talked about what makes a great fishing lure for a beginner, let’s get into what I feel are the best lures you should buy. I thought we’d have a little fun by having a countdown of sorts with this post, so here they are, the best fishing lures for beginners, with #1 being the best overall (and all on one page without annoying click bait)!
10. Devil’s Horse
Number 10 on my list might surprise a few people. It is a topwater lure and not one that gets a lot of press, either. Some people think that topwater lures are challenging for beginners, but if you can get over the extreme urge to yank your lure away the instant a fish strikes, you can catch a lot of bass, pickerel, pike, crappie and bowfin with a Devil’s Horse fishing lure.
A Devil’s Horse is one of the easier topwater lures to use because all you need to do is cast it out to a likely hiding spot and wait. You see all those circles that are moving away from it in the water after it touched down? Keep pausing until they are gone. Then, give it just the slightest little “twitch” and hang on. Fish cannot resist this. I think they look at these things and wonder what they are and where they came from when they first touch down. Then, the little twitch drives them crazy and makes them think it’s something barely alive and struggling.
There is absolutely no mistaking when a topwater lure has drawn a strike – you’ll see and hear a giant splash that will leave no doubt. The only trick is making sure the fish actually has the lure in its mouth before you pull back – this is one of the few times in sports where slower reflexes pay off! As stated, the lure catches a wide variety of fish and is easily used on standard gear. All of this makes it a great first topwater fishing lure for beginners.
If you follow this link it’ll take you to Amazon where you can buy the Devil’s Horse. Make sure that you change the little tab over on the right to get the color you want. Personally, I prefer yellow/black striper as I’ve had the best luck with it over the years, but bullfrog works pretty well too.
9. Grub or Marabou Jig
I mentioned that this article would not discuss “bass jigs.” These are not the same thing. A bass jig is typically large and heavy with a bulky rubber skirt designed for catching large fish. They are meant to be crawled or hopped along the bottom of the lake, and every little rock or twig you encounter will feel like a fish until you get the hang of things. There’s so much “false noise” that they aren’t the best fishing lures for beginners.
Grubs or marabou jigs, on the other hand, are excellent fishing lures for novices. They are usually much smaller than bass jigs, and aren’t usually worked along the bottom. Instead, you work them back to you by swimming them slowly through the water, “hopping” them every now and then to make them dart and flutter.
They are small enough that you can catch darn near anything on them (they are a great fishing lure for trout) and their thin wire hook makes it likely that a fish will be hooked. It’s also quite obvious when a fish bites, because any lure you’re moving will suddenly and deliberately STOP when a fish comes and nails it. Finally, this is a lure that works well with any beginning fishing rod. Simply put, it checks all the boxes.
Marabou jigs come in a few different styles, but I always had the best luck with red and white models like the ones you can purchase here.
8. Buzzbaits
Buzzbaits are another lure that might surprise people simply because they’re a topwater choice, but they’re one of the best and easiest topwater fishing lures to use. All you need to do is cast them out and then reel them in. Their buzzer does a fair job of keeping the lure up above the water where it needs to be. Fish will come in and annihilate these lures early in the day and late in the evening making them fun to throw. Since they are top water lures, there is no mistaking the strike.
The ease with which they’re utilized as well as how obvious strikes are makes them a good fishing lure for beginners. The only issue is that (as with other top water lures) one must take care not to pull them back from the fish when they jump to hit it but before they have a chance to grab them.
There are plenty of different manufacturers who sell buzz baits in various different styles. While I have caught some big fish on some of the more flamboyant, double-bladed offerings, I’d recommend that you stick to something simple like this War Eagle buzzbait from Amazon.
7. Jerkbaits
I would only put a treble-hooked lure like a jerkbait on a list of best fishing lures for beginners who are adults. If you’re reading this for your kids, skip this section (and the next 2) as these lures can be dangerous.
While jerkbaits aren’t on most lists of good fishing lures for beginners, that’s a bit of a shame as they’re easy enough to use. Models like the x-rap (my personal favorite) are easy to cast and retrieve, and fish love them. Jerkbaits are also a better choice during times of year like early spring when lures lower down this list won’t perform quite as well. This makes them a good fishing lure for new anglers starting the hobby in the beginning of the spring.
Jerkbaits are a great fishing lure for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. A size 10 x-rap has been responsible for more than a few 100 fish days for me on Lake Champlain. Smallmouth bass especially love these lures. Bronzebacks tend to favor long and thin lures instead of the bulkier crankbaits, I find.
Jerkbaits are all about cadence. You cast them out and then work them back in a series of, well, “jerks” interspersed with pauses of different lengths. The trick to catching fish is to figure out what cadence they want on any given day. Once you do, you can light them up.
6. Lipless Crankbaits
Again, I would only put a treble-hooked lure like a lipless on a list of best fishing lures for beginners who are adults. If you’re reading this for your kids, skip this section (and the next one) as these lures can be dangerous.
Lipless crankbaits make a good fishing lure for beginners because they’re easy to use — all you need to do is cast them out and retrieve. Sure, you can vary this up now and then and give little “pops” with your rod, but a straight old cast and retrieve will catch fish.
If you’re new to fishing, using a technique that involves a lot of casting and retrieving is important. This is called “power fishing” and it is significantly more enjoyable than watching a bobber twitch. Any lure that gets you moving and casting is a good thing because it makes the sport more enjoyable. As to which one to buy, you can’t go wrong with the original.
Lipless crankbaits are one of the first lures I tie on each year because they work well even when the water is cooler. My first big largemouth bass of 2021 came a few days ago on one of these.
One downside of lipless crankbaits is that their treble hooks will snag literally every obstacle they can. If you’re fishing in heavy cover you might consider the squarebill crankbaits discussed below.
5. Squarebill Crankbaits
Squarebill crankbaits offer most of the benefits of lipless ones with a few key differences. The bill on the front regulates how deep the lure will dive, and helps it deflect off cover that would snag a lipless crank.
These lures make great choices for beginning anglers because they catch fish when simply cast and retrieved. They’ll also catch pretty much any species large enough to hit it (and sometimes just sunfish who are large at heart). Finally, they work well during all times of the year. The only thing that makes them a bit “iffy” for beginners are the treble hooks, which can make any errant cast a trip to the emergency room.
I’m a bit of a broken record at this point, but to remind you once more, I would only put a treble-hooked lure like a lipless on a list of best fishing lures for beginners who are adults. If you’re reading this for your kids, don’t tie on a crankbait, as these lures can be dangerous.
4. Swim Jigs
As with many of the lures on this list, swim jigs are good for beginners because they’re simple to use. Again, you can cast them out, and reel them back in. While variations of this retrieve can be productive, the tantalizing nature of their rubber skirts flowing on retrieve is usually enough to do the trick.
While swim jigs look like traditional “bass jigs,” they are far easier to detect bites with. It is obvious when a fish hits a moving lure, so you won’t mistake a fish for leaves. Use swim jigs in the same areas you’d fish a spinnerbait. Indeed, you can toss them into slightly denser weedgrowth because their lack of blades means they’ll come through vegetation cleaner.
Just remember that the lack of blades also means they’re less protected from teeth. I find I lose many swim jigs to pickerel that a spinnerbait would have survived.
3. Spinnerbaits
A spinnerbait makes a great fishing lure for any beginner who is learning to cast. As with many lures on this list, they work with a cast and retrieve. There’s no rocket science to them!
Spinnerbaits are great search lures because they’ll call up all the active fish. Largemouth bass, chain pickerel, northern pike, and bowfin all have a hard time resisting spinnerbaits.
These lures are best worked over large weed flats that have several pockets or channels to run your lure through. Cast spinnerbaits parallel to a weedline, or in a pocket, and work it back to you. This gives any fish hunting along that weedline a chance to size it up and strike.
While note quite as weedless as the swim jig above, a spinnerbait stands a decent chance of making it out of cover without getting stuck. This, coupled with the way it catches large fish and is easy to cast and use makes the spinnerbait a top three fishing lure for beginners.
There are many spinnerbaits to choose from. In the past, I’ve recommended Terminator spinnerbaits, and I still use them frequently. However, as of late I’ve added War Eagle spinnerbaits to my arsenal and really appreciate how true they run. You can buy them here.
2. Drop Shot Minnows
A drop shot is one of my favorite fishing techniques when I bring kids along. Indeed it is “the” technique I preach as the only one a parent really needs to know. The reason it is not #1 on this list is because you have to weed through a number of small bites to get to a big one, and I’m willing to bet that most adults aren’t going to be as satisfied by a bunch of sunfish as kids.
Drop shots work so well that I often use them as a “search bait” when I come into a new area with cover I want to work over. While they aren’t as effective for searching out a large flat, if you’re trying to find out if there are aggressive fish in precise locations, a drop shot will tell you nearly instantly. Indeed, if I don’t feel at least little fish pecking at it, I know they (and bigger fish) likely aren’t around. I have that much confidence in this lure.
Drop shots are so simple to tie and use that they’re featured in my article about the few skills you need to start fishing. If you need help learning to tie one, check out that article. For now, know that you’ll need a sinker of some sort, a hook small enough for a fish to bite, and a lure of some sort.
Drop shots are another one of those lures that will catch every fish in the lake. They are a great fishing lure for every species in that you can use artificial lures, or the best bait you have for trout, largemouth bass, catfish – whatever you want! Because you can use these with live bait or artificial minnows, a drop shot rig is one of the best choices out there.
My Favorite Drop Shot Lure
My favorite lure to use on drop shot setups are Berkley Gulp minnows. I swear their marketing team was on to something when they say they outfish live bait. There have been plenty of days where I can attest this was true! While they come in less expensive plastic bag packs, I recommend picking up one of their larger offerings that comes in a dish filled with scent. These work much better. You can buy them at Amazon.
1. The Best Fishing Lure for Beginners: The Plastic Worm
At long last, we’ve reached #1 – the best fishing lure for beginners: the plastic worm. I don’t, however, mean just any plastic worm. No, I mean the Yamamoto Senko. This soft plastic works so well wacky rigged that it is the only soft plastic I’ve restocked my tackle box with for this year. That’s right, folks. I made it through the entirety of Black Friday, Christmas, and now Spring Sales Events without buying another type of worm but this.
There’s a simple reason for that — there’s no need to buy anything else. A wacky-rigged Senko is about the easiest way I’ve yet found to catch largemouth bass, especially in the spring. All you need to do is hook one on, make a cast to where you think a bass might be, and hang on. Nature will take care of the rest.
Not only will this lure catch bass, it will also take more than its share of pickerel. This makes it a good choice for beginners who want to have an opportunity to catch larger fish than perch and other panfish.
If you want to see why I’m so excited about this product, pick up a pack of your own and find out!
Conclusions
I hope you found this article about the best fishing lures for beginners helpful. While I did a descending countdown for “theatrical suspense reasons,” I’d definitely suggest that you work your way backwards on this list. The first three fishing lures you should buy are a pack of Senkos, the elements necessary for a drop shot rig, and a spinnerbait. These are some of the best fishing lures for largemouth bass, crappie, and (in the case of the drop shot) even trout. With these three items you’ll go from novice to respectable in no time flat.
If you’d like to shorten the learning curve further, consider buying my book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide. While it is designed primarily to teach you how to fish so you can take your kids out, there’s nothing stopping you from skipping that second step.
Have a great day for fishing,
John Paxton
Want to learn how to take your kids out fishing? Do you have a friend who might need a hand? Click the pictures below to purchase my helpful books!
