Choosing between bait and artificial lures is often an easy choice. Fishing lures can attract a variety of fish just as well as live bait, and one of the advantages of using lures is the decrease in money spent on fresh bait. While certain types of lures function underwater in diverse ways, they are all meant to resemble and move like live bait when manipulated correctly. A lure attracts feeding fish through interest or irritation by using various vibrations and color, from bright, glowing lures to more natural base colors.
But knowing which type of lure to use can be daunting. Experience and personal preference are obvious factors, but they should not limit your choice. Consider a fish's prey eating habits. Some bigger fish prefer smaller fish while others just eat insects and worms. Knowing a fish's diet greatly aids in hooking them, but sometimes you just need to try different lures and colors to find out what the fish want that day. For all occasions, a variety of lures and colors in your tackle box is best.
Here are some common types of lures to consider:
Spinnerbaits
The spinnerbait is usually used by more experienced anglers. It consists of a hook and a flashy metal blade meant to act like a small fish. It spins underwater like a propeller, sending out vibrations in the water akin to a small fish's movement.
To provide variety, the skirts and blades on spinnerbaits can often be interchanged. The speed of the retrieve is a major factor in the speed of the spin. For example, broader blades sometimes entail a slower retrieve to maintain the spin but usually have greater vibrations than those with smaller blades. In general, spinnerbaits should be avoided in areas with lots of waterweeds to prevent them catching.
The two most common types of spinnerbaits are the in-line spinner and safety pin. The in-line spinner's metal blade rotates around the core wire, sometimes causing problems by twisting the line and tangling it; however, swivels can prevent this. Also, in-line spinners, as a typical horizontal bait, should only be used when a boat has space to move slowly, letting the lure trail behind. Unlike the in-line spinner, the safety pin's metal blade is attached to a separate overhead blade. Whichever spinnerbait you choose, play around with them until you get used to them, or ask an experienced angler for a little advice.
Jigs
In general, jigs are more simple to use than spinnerbaits, so more anglers who are just starting out opt to use them over other lures. However, even more experienced anglers can never turn down the charm of a jig for a simple reason: it works!
Jigs have lead sinkers that aid with creating vertical, erratic movements to attract fish and can be used for both saltwater and freshwater fishing.
Many anglers have found that where a live bait fails, a jig picks up the slack. With the simple design of the jig, many have achieved great success with larger species like bass and even tuna. There are many advantages to using a jig rather than live bait, first of which is cost. A jig is reusable; live bait is not. While live bait can only be used once, or twice if you're lucky, you end up spending more for live bait than a jig that you can use all day long. Also, the lead sinkers weigh down the hook faster than live bait, so you spend more time fishing and casting than waiting to see if the fish are in the area. When selecting a color for a jig, just recall the type of baitfish in the area. Use smaller jigs for surface fishing and larger jigs for deepwater fishing. Plastic jigs work extremely well for crappie fishing.
Spoons
If you're fishing in a place with waterweeds, spoons are a good choice because they do not get caught as easily. The simple spoon lure reflects light from its long, curved metal piece, which attracts the fish and travels randomly in the water. A treble hook or a single hook is usually attached at the end of the spoon.
For boats equipped with trolling motors, anglers have found that you can cover more ground with a lighter spoon lure, greatly increasing the number of fish caught in a day. If the water is colder than your target usually likes, it is best to retrieve slowly, but many find that spoons lose their appeal to fish at very slow speeds.
Spoons now come in a variety of colors for those who believe that color affects bites. The spoon works well in darker water also, reflecting what little light there is to attract the fish and help it locate the spoon.
Surface lures
A surface lure attracts fish that feed on lizards, frogs, insects, and other animals near the top because it skims across or floats along the surface of the water. This makes the surface lure an attractive addition to any angler's collection.
Whatever lure you use, the key is to make the bait look and move as life like as possible.
< Back to Top >
< Back to Fishing Articles Main Page >
When fishing out on the water, you want to unwind and enjoy your time. 
Despite the wish for a relaxing, easygoing day, deep down you never forget the thrill of a catch or the hope of your dream catch. But sometimes hours pass with not a single bite even after repeatedly moving locations. You wait with baited breath for that tug, but it never comes. Without prior knowledge of hotspots in the area, it's hit-or-miss. But there is a solution for the wait time. With a Marine GPS System like a GPS fishfinder combo, you spend less time looking for fish and more time catching them.
So now you're interested in a GPS fishfinder combo, but you're remain uncertain of what you want in your fishfinder. You don't understand how it works, and you want to know questions like how it determines a fish from debris. To give an example, a Humminbird fishfinder analyzes the sonar return shapes of a suspended target using sophisticated software. When it detects a fish, the GPS fishfinder represents it graphically by an "arch" or a fish symbol on the LCD or color screen. With a multiple beam configuration, you can even identify the location of the fish in respect to your boat. It determines if it is directly below your boat or to the left or right.
Also, many GPS fishfinders include a speed sensor and a temperature gauge in the transducer that calculates the surface water temperature, and you can purchase separate speed sensors for trolling speeds. Some fishfinders show where warmer waters intersect with cooler waters, called thermoclines. Since some fish prefer certain waters, this can bring you that much closer to catching a particular fish. Your dream catch is that much more possible with the fishfinder's temperature gauge.
So now you know you want a GPS fishfinder, but how do you know which one to buy? Knowing the answer involves understanding the parts of the fishfinder. When considering a purchase, you need to consider things like the display resolution and size and the transducer's power and frequencies.
There is a wide variety of display resolutions for fishfinders. The higher resolutions create better images. When choosing between a LCD and color screen, price can becomes a factor. While LCD screens are less expensive, they are harder to see in poor lighting and glares from the sun.
Color is generally easier to see, and most find it worth the extra cost. The typical size of the screen usually ranges from 4-7 inches, but some come larger. The bigger the screen, the easier it is to see, but the greater the cost.
The transducer is another part to consider. Generally, there are two types: a single frequency and a dual frequency. If you mostly fish in lakes or on shallow coasts, then single frequency will suffice, but dual frequency is needed for deep-sea fishing. The quality of the transducer also affects the sonar depth range. Better transducers will perform at greater depths, but water quality also affects it.
Now that you understand the abilities and benefits of the GPS fishfinder, you have everything you need to make your dream catch. By purchasing a fishfinder, you can make it happen. Fish can't hide from you any longer!
< Back to Top >
< Back to Fishing Articles Main Page >
