The biggest question we get asked by anglers is when to throw what bait. And guys wanted to know if there was a chart you could reference for when to fish certain bass fishing lures.We organized the Wired2Fish Bass Fishing Lure Selector Chart by water temperature and water clarity.
See if this helps you with some general ideas of when to throw what baits. Obviously experimentation is the key to fishing. So don't think these are the only baits, but it will give you a starting point and you can expand from there.
SEASON | WATER TEMP | CLEAR WATER | MUDDY WATER |
Winter | 30-40 | Jigging spoons, grubs, maribou jigs, float'n fly | Slow-rolled spinnerbait, crankbait, jig |
40-50 | Jigging spoons, jerkbaits, swimbaits, finesse crankbaits, blade baits, grubs | flatside crankbait, lipless crankbait, vibrating jig, spinnerbait | |
50-55 | Jerkbait, lipless crankbait, shallow crankbait, vibrating jig, slow-rolled spinnerbait, jig, swimbait | shallow crank, lipless crankbait, jig, spinnerbait, vibrating jig | |
55-60 | jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, shaky heads, buzzbaits, swimbaits | Jig, flipping bugs, shallow crankbait, spinnerbait, vibrating jig, creature baits | |
Spring | 60-65 | Shallow jerkbaits, swimbaits, plastics like lizards, craws, tubes, creatures, and senkos, vibrating jig, swim jig, topwaters | Jig, plastics, spinnerbait, buzzbait |
65-70 | floating worm, most plastics, topwater, senko, frogs, swimbaits | Plastics, buzzbaits, frogs, spinnerbaits | |
Summer | 70-80+ | Big plastics, topwater, offshore baits like deep crankbaits, flutter spoons, football jigs, deep swimbaits, drop shot | Big plastics, jigs, big spinnerbaits, deep diving crankbaits, |
75-70 | Topwaters, shallow crankbaits, spinnerbait, frogs, smaller plastics, punching baits, smaller soft swimbaits, wake bait | Punching baits, jigs, spinnerbaits, frogs, buzzbaits, swim jig | |
Fall | 70-65 | Buzzbait, topwater, jerkbait, swimbait, vibrating jigs, small plastics, swim jig | Swim jig, topwater, spinnerbait, jig |
65-55 | Jerkbait, swimbait, topwater, jig | ||
55-50 | Blade baits, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbait, shallow crankbait, swimbait, vibrating jig | shallow crankbait, lipless crank, spinnerbait, jig | |
50- | Blade bait, jigging spoon, swimbait, jig | Spinnerbait, crankbait, jig |
