Looking to add a few new baits to your collection? There are thousands of hard baits, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits to choose from, ranging from well-known brands to emerging fishing companies. With so many options on the market today and various external factors to consider ahead of purchase, from water type and location to your trusted rod and reel combo, finding the ideal bass lure can become tedious. To help streamline the process, we collected ten of our favorite bass fishing lures, some old classics and others brand new, that will all make great additions to your tackle box. If catching bass is your objective, these expert recommended lures are sure to help you reach your personal best this season.
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Strike King Red Eye Shad
Strike King
Need a shallow-water lure that's perfect for fall bass fishing? Bass fishing mastermind Kevin VanDam used this gold-tinged, lipless crankbait beauty to score his third Bassmaster Classic win in 2011. If KVD's preference is not reason enough to add this one to your arsenal, we don't know what is.
Lucky Craft Live Pointer 80DD
Lucky Craft
With an impressive run of public review and a unique, long-bodied design, this lure already has a reputation for helping anglers to notch extremely productive bass fishing sessions, especially during the spawn. Its lifelike action and feather tail is tough to resist, if you're a small mouth or largemouth bass.
River2Sea Dahlberg Clackin' Crayfish 90
River2Sea
Capture the hogs while they're hungry for crayfish with the Dahlberg. Too often, craw baits (as we call them down in Texas) look like the real thing, but rarely move like the real thing. This bad boy works like a charm, and the weedless hook helps avoid snags. Its versatility scores extra points.
Jackall Soul Shad
Jackall
Used by Cliff Pace to win the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, the Jackall Soul Shad is perfect for unfamiliar or difficult waters that professional bass fisherman face on a regular basis. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you.
Rebel Pop-R
Rebel
Seasoned bass anglers know this is a longtime classic that's risen to the top of the topwater lures category. The Rebel Pop-R will drive them bonkers with its topwater popper action. It works in dirty or clear water, and features plenty of color choices to mimic a bluegill, crawfish, or other bait.
Heddon Sonar Lure
Heddon
Adjustable action? The Heddon Sonar has it, and is a go-to for many big game fishermen. You can cover a lot of the water column with a lure like this.
Rapala Ultra Light Crank
Rapala
Forget larger lures. The 1.5-inch Rapala Ultra Light Crankbait is a perfect baitfish imitator that can sink to the bottom of many a bass-ridden river or stream late in the season. It's great for open water use. That it comes from one of the most noted lure manufacturers in the world only sweetens the deal.
Gary Yamamoto Taté Pencil Bait
Gary Yamamoto Baits
Taté, which means "dance" in Japanese, is a classic walk-the-dog topwater pencil bait with more character and zip than its counterparts. Big bass can barely resist, and the treble hooks will hold on tight.
Southern Lure Scum Dog
Southern Lures
You have to add a frog to your tackle box, and the Scum Dog might be the best of the bunch.
SPRO BBZ-1 Rat
SPRO
The SPRO BBZ-1 Rat might give some the willies, but it will drive hungry bass, and big ones at that, absolutely wild.
If you actually want to catch bass instead of just fish for them, then these bass lures should sit right next to your plastic worms and jig heads in your tackle box.
WATCH: 2 MINUTES OF RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS WITH MIKE IACONELLI
