5 Best Bass Lures: Stop Wasting Money On Gear

Grab your favorite drink – you might need it for this one! I’m diving into the world of bass lures and sharing what I believe are the only five bass lures you need to consistently catch fish. I know, it sounds crazy, especially when tackle shops are overflowing with options. But trust me, simplifying your tackle box can actually make you a more effective angler. I’ll even be creating a new “EDC (Every Day Carry) bass lure box” based on these picks. Now, I know I’m leaving off some favorites, but stick with me. If you want to see a more in-depth explanation, then keep reading!

Why Just Five Lures?

Let’s be honest: the sheer number of lures available can be overwhelming. I’ve got boxes downstairs filled with them! But I’ve found that focusing on a few versatile lures simplifies my approach and ultimately leads to more fish. Plus, it’s way more cost-effective. You don’t need to break the bank to enjoy bass fishing. These five lures can cover a wide range of fishing conditions, making them perfect for anglers with limited budgets or those who just want to streamline their gear.

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The EDC Bass Lure Box: The 5 Lures You Absolutely Need

These aren’t just any five lures. These are the ones I reach for time and time again because they produce results. What makes these so special? They’re effective year-round. You can catch fish on these lures in any season. So, what are they?

• The Ned Rig
• The Senko (Stick Bait)
• The Jig
• Topwater Lure (Whopper Plopper)
• Swimbait

Let’s break each of these down.

The Ned Rig

The Ned Rig. It’s a small, simple soft plastic bait that has taken the bass fishing world by storm. The Zman Finesse TRD is kind of the OG when it comes to Ned Rigs. I like to fish it on finesse mushroom heads or a mule jig. Scientific research has even shown that creature baits around 3 inches long with no legs catch more fish than anything else. I started Bait Finesse fishing with this bait. If you’re not fishing it, you’re probably catching less fish than you should.

When it comes to colors, green pumpkin is the go-to. But I also have a lot of other colors. The Deal, Yoga Pants, and Green Pumpkin Orange are probably the four that I fish most often. Also, don’t forget those Helgrammite lures as an alternative. I like to fish them on a Ned head or offset Ned. Green pumpkin black aurora in the Nikko Zaza Helgrammite are my two favorite colors.

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The Senko (Stick Bait)

Next up is the Senko, specifically the Gary Yamamoto Senko or Yamamoto Bait Sinko. This particular stick bait has a shimmy that looks like jell-o floating through the water, and no other stick bait really duplicates it, in my experience. For BFS, I use the 4-inch or the 3-inch. The 3-inch is fantastic. Scientific research shows that the 4-inch will catch you the highest number of 1 and 2 lb bass. I throw the 5 inch a lot on some of my heavier rigs. And on this again, controversial, green pumpkin is the only color you need.

Make sure you have some sort of O-ring tool when wacky rigging. When you hook it through the O-ring, it helps the worm stay on the hook a lot longer. This really is one of the most productive bass lures you can throw. And it’s also landed a few very large fish for me as well.

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The Jig

Jigs are effective year-round. You can catch fish on a jig year-round, just like you can with a Ned rig or a stick bait. That’s why these are go-to lures that you should always have. Jigs are typically used to imitate crayfish or bluegill.

My two favorite jigs currently are the Keitech Mono Spin for really lightweight stuff and the Keitech M2. I’m not a tournament fisherman, but a lot of tournament guys don’t like people to know about this M2 jig. I just fish it on the bottom. You can throw a Ned rig on there or a TRD on there for a little bit more bulk if you want. They’ll catch fish bare.

This can be a slippery slope, as it’s easy to start thinking about all the trailers you could start using. The idea the most bass lures are meant to catch fisherman is real! Initially, stick with green pumpkin and black.

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Topwater Lure (Whopper Plopper)

Now, for some topwater action! I’m partial to buzz baits, but if I had to pick just one of the topwater bass lures, it would be some sort of Whopper Plopper. They create a similar commotion on the surface as a buzz bait, but you can work them at different speeds and even pause them – something you can’t do with a buzzbait.

I really like the Creek Life Lure Hillbilly Plop and also the River2Sea Whopper Plopper 60. This one has to be fished at exactly the right speed, but it will catch a lot of fish. As far as colors go, either black or white work. Perch and the larger ones work for me. River2Sea has a monkey butt color, but black or white is typically going to work pretty much everywhere.

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Swimbait (Keitech Fat Swing Impact)

Last but not least, we have a swimbait. I would almost say specifically the Keitech Fat Swing Impact. The downside of these is they’re a little pricey, and they’re not real durable. I think the most fish I’ve ever caught on one of these is like six or seven, but they catch fish like nothing else.

Another great swimbait option is from Fitt Premium Lure is out of Frederick, Pennsylvania. It’s almost as effective. There are days where it will catch just as many fish as a Keitech Fat Swing Impact. It’s a little bit longer, but they’re a lot cheaper and a lot more durable, so I need to get more because I’m about out.

I’ve tried many of the more durable swimbait plastics, but most of the finesse ones don;t have enough action. that’s why these two are on my list of must-have bass lures.

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Building Your Box of EDC Bass Lures on a Budget

You don’t need to spend a fortune to catch fish! I estimate you can fill this box with all the lures, including the box itself, for less than I spent on my last shipment of lures from Japan or what I spent at Cabela’s yesterday. For probably a hundred bucks or less, you can create this selection of lures and become a fish-catching machine for the rest of this year. The only things that are going to wear out are probably those Keitechs, and maybe you’ll lose some jigs. But the rest of the stuff, you know, a few bucks a month, you can replenish.

Check out the Plano 3600 Stowaway box with the label spot I use for my EDC Bass lures!

Addressing the Haters (and What Was Left Out)

I know what you’re thinking: “He left off my favorite lure!” The ones that I told you about are more effective, more often, and more versatile, and that’s why I left them off. I know some anglers might disagree with my choices, and that’s okay.

But here’s the thing: not everybody has the money to have hundreds of lures, right? Not everybody has the money to buy 10 different presentations for every single month.

So let me know respectfully, if you can, what lures should have been on my top five.

Here are two lures that I thought could have been on the list: A spinnerbait and the crankbait. Both are really effective bass lures. But I also believe both fill the same role as the Swimbait, but with less versatility. And I’ve personally probably caught 20 or 30 bass on swimbaits for every 1 bass I land on a crankbait.

Talk to me – what are your favorite bass lures?

I’m curious to know what I left off the list. What are your favorite lures that didn’t make the cut? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Also, be sure to like this post and subscribe for more bass fishing tips and tricks.

If you want to go deeper on the 10 best bass lures for every month, I wrote a book on the subject, and you can get it for FREE HERE. Also, if you are just getting started with BFS, you should check out my guide to BFS Reels.