Sometimes, bass just don’t seem to be biting. One cause of this is that they know the difference between your lures and their real forage.
So you need to have some of the most realistic bass lures in your tackle box so that you can fool even the smartest bass.
I’m going to break these lures down into three categories. Baitfish, crawfish, and topwaters. This way it is easier to understand and I can focus a bit more on each lure.
When it comes to mimicking a bluegill, shad, baby bass, or other baitfish, absolutely nothing is more realistic than a swimbait.
I couldn’t decide which body style was more natural, so I through them both in.
One time, I was fishing in a small pond and as someone was walking past me they said, “Nice catch!”.
I hadn’t caught anything, it was just my swimbait on the end of my line.
These baits are so realistic that they literally fool humans. I personally prefer throwing jointed swimbaits because of the signature snake-like action they have in the water.
Choosing which swimbait to use is completely up to you. The biggest advantage of jointed swimbaits is their full body swimming action.
And the biggest advantage of soft plastic swimbaits is their stout, single hook which keeps bass on better. But you really can’t go wrong with either one.
The drop shot is an incredibly natural presentation. It allows you to suspend a small soft plastic bait about a foot off of the bottom and wiggle or hop it along.
The drop shot paired with a small, hyper realistic minnow bait is a deadly combination.
You would be amazed at how detailed some of the soft plastic baits are these days.
6th Sense baits, for example, are almost indistinguishable from real, live baitfish.
When bass get very lethargic and picky, a drop shot minnow is one of the best options and will fool even the smartest bass into biting.
When it comes to realism in the soft plastic industry, nobody beats 6th sense. I mean just look at that bait above.
It is absolutely incredible, and you can’t even tell that it isn’t a real fish.
6th Sense makes a bunch of different baitfish plastics such as minnows, shad, paddle tail, straight tail, and more.
The attention to detail and natural feel of their baits are spectacular. If bass aren’t biting, tie one of these on and they will never be able to tell that it isn’t the real deal.
Created by legendary angler, TV host and lure designer, Larry Dahlberg, the River2Sea Clackin Crayfish not only looks like a real crayfish in every detail, it actually mimics the same motions as a crayfish as well.
Featuring a unique, hinged, hard-plastic tail section, which also functions as a diving lip as it swims through the water, the hinged design allows the tail to actually appear to grab water and pull the lure forward on the retrieve – exactly like a real crayfish.
It’s head and claws are composed of soft plastic for additional action, and the claws even float up in a defensive position on the pause.
So real in the water, you have to see it to believe it, the River2Sea Larry Dahlberg Clackin Crayfish is sure to get you that double-digit monster you’ve been looking for.
A premium blend of form and function, the LIVETARGET Hollow Body Crawfish Jig offers an undeniably realistic design that will fool the wariest of predators.
Designed with a custom built head and a perfectly matching, soft plastic body, the LIVETARGET Hollow Body Crawfish Jig provides a more natural crawfish presentation than any other jig on the market.
Delivering an exceptional hook up ratio, the LIVETARGET Hollow Body Crawfish Jig features an extra strong, custom hook that quickly penetrates the jaws of fish thanks to the hollow body design.
Incredibly effective, even when the bite gets tough, the LIVETARGET Hollow Body Crawfish Jig provides an incredibly unique, and undeniably realistic construction that will become a staple among serious anglers.
Pretty much every company makes a variation of these soft plastic crawfish baits. For the most part, they are all the same.
They all have super detailed designs and get the job done. My favorite ways to rig these baits is on a Ned rig and a and a Neko rig.
Both of these rigs are finesse setups that allow the detail and action of the soft plastics do do all the work.
Dragging and hopping these finesse craws along a clean bottom is absolutely deadly.
Creating an anatomical stride-like action when pulled along the surface, the LIVETARGET Ultimate Frog hinges at the hips and stretches out just like a real frog thrusting forward to accurately mimic the action of a fleeing amphibian exposed in open water.
The body of the Ultimate Frog is built using floating ABS plastic, while the flexible legs are made using highly-durable TPE plastic so they can withstand the abuse of numerous fish catches, and each package includes extra legs to ensure longevity.
Built around a stout 2x Mustad Ultra Point O’Shaughnessy hook with a new TitanX TX coating, this razor-sharp hook is reinforced inside the body of the frog for exceptional durability and provides superior corrosion resistance for long-lasting performance.
The perfect weapon for fishing around thick slop, the LIVETARGET Sunfish Hollow Body invites bass to an easy meal with its precise sunfish imitation.
Appetizing with a fast and slow retrieve, the LIVETARGET Sunfish Hollow Body delivers a tempting 180-degree swing with a steady twitch and a trail of bubbling attraction with a quick wind.
Built to collapse around the custom Trokar double hook, the LIVETARGET Sunfish Hollow Body provides rock-solid hook sets and an awesome strike-to-catch ratio.
Available in a number of dead-on panfish colors, the LIVETARGET Sunfish Hollow Body provides all of the attributes that are necessary to succeed around heavy cover and big fish.
Delivering big time attraction in a bite-sized package, the Savage Gear 3D Cicada utilizes cutting-edge manufacturing techniques to provide a super-realistic, injured bug presentation.
Fitted with a set of soft plastic wings, the Savage Gear 3D Cicada waddles across the surface with a unique spitting action, leaving a subtle wake in its path.
Engineered using a 3D scan of an actual cicada, the Savage Gear 3D Cicada delivers an unmatched anatomical accuracy and comes in a range of forage-based colors that will fool the most discerning predators.
I have found that cicada imitations such as this are some of the best creek fishing lures because creek fish feed much more on insects than lake or pond fish.
There are pretty much two scenarios where hyper realistic lures work the best.
These are when you are fishing in clear water or fishing for highly pressured bass.
It’s very simple, in clear water, bass can see exactly what your lure looks like.
They have the time and visual accuracy to tell if the bait is real or suspicious.
If the lure isn’t realistic than it probably won’t be able to persuade the bass into biting.
Pressured bass are those that get fished for a lot. If your pond or lake has tons of fisherman out there every day, then those bass are pressured.
These bass are seeing and hearing tons of lures every day. Lots of them have even bee caught already.
This pressure makes bass more picky and cautious with what they eat.
So if you can match the hatch to a tee, then you can still have lots of success in pressured waters.
