Top 5 Lures for Fishing Freshwater

* This page contains affiliate links. The Great Lakes Fisherman may earn a commission on items purchased through these links. For more on this, please click here.

Who doesn’t have a favorite fishing lure?  We all have that one bait that we make sure we always have in our tackle box on fishing trip.  It is the bait that seems to always catch fish when nothing else will.  For those veteran fisherman out there, we know that almost every lure has its time and place.  Some just have more of them than others.  Nonetheless, there are a handful that are standouts and that can produce in a large variety of situations and locations. These are the lures that have stood the test of time and that do the best at attracting a fish’s attention.  Here we will take a quick look at our top 5 lures for freshwater fishing. 

Before we start, we must clarify that these are artificial lures only.  Anything requiring live bait as a integral part of the presentation is not included. For example, a night crawler harness becomes much less effective without a live crawler.  As a result, it doesn’t qualify for this list.   That said, let’s get into it!  

5. Flies

Fly fishing is a popular sport in the Great Lakes region.  There are hundreds of tributary streams, creeks and ponds that host a variety of species that rely heavily on inspect species that can be fooled by a well-tied (or in some cases, not so well-tied) flies.

In addition to inspect patterns, well-presented crayfish and wetfly patterns will take species such as smallmouth bass in many of these same lakes and streams.  

Trolling flies are a very popular bait when targeting salmon and trout in the open waters of the big lakes.  When fished behind a dodger, these can be one of the most productive presentations for salmon at certain times of the year. 

4. Trolling Spoons

Trolling spoons are probably the most used open water lure in the Great Lakes.  They are used for targeting salmon, trout and walleye but catch a whole host of other fish along the way. 

The fluttery motion of a reflective spoon in the clear Midwest waters mimic all sorts of forage that the bigger game species can’t resist. That same fluttery motion also makes spoons more visible in deeper water, giving them an advantage over many other lures that simply won’t show up in those dark conditions.

3. Spinners

This covers all spinners, including inline spinners such as a Mepp’s for trout or pike, bucktails for muskies or spinner-jig combos like spinner-baits for bass.  

Our personal favorite and one of the most versatile lures out there is the Beetle-Spin.  These are fantastic baits for locating fish, especially on new bodies of water. 

2. Original Floating Rapala

If you know nothing about fishing or are trying a brand new body of water, this is probably your go-to lure. Most people have an original floating Rapala in their tackle box.  It is easy to see why.  The bait imitates your basic bait fish in a whole host of conditions.  The black-white contrast will show up in all but the most turbid of waters and the fluttery action of their movement is enough to drive any fish crazy.  This bait appeals so well to a fish’s predatory instincts that is has been known to catch fish half of it’s size and less.  It is also a great trolling lure for the region’s most popular gamefish, the walleye.  They are particularly productive in low-light conditions when contrast becomes important (for more on this, see our article on Lure Color Selection).

1. Jig

The most versatile and deadly fishing lure to have in the arsenal, in our opinion, is the jig.  This bait can be used to fish all levels of the water column.  They come in nearly every color combination in the rainbow and they can be paired with plastics and retrieved to mimic nearly any variety of forage.  There is almost no fish anywhere that won’t respond to a jig when presented with the right size, color, and retrieval.  While a jig may not seem very special to a novice, an experienced fisherman can attest to their productivity when fished properly.  

Disagree with our list?  Drop a comment below and let us know what your best-producing lure is in freshwater.