Top 3 Lures For Spring Fishing
- By: Pat Ogletree
- on
What are the top 3 lures for springtime fishing?
What lures do you need to prepare for the spring?
If you want to jumpstart your spring fishing success, then you need to check this out!
Learn more below!!
Top 3 Lures For Spring
In order to pinpoint what types of lures will perform well in the spring, we first need to take a look back at the weather patterns of winter.
During the winter, there are cold fronts that sweep through the area that severely cool water temperatures down.
The fish then seek areas where temperatures are more stable and conserve their energy as much as possible.
Thereafter, a warming trend comes through the area to warm up the shallows, and then the fish return to the shallows to feed.
And the cycle repeats itself.
Throughout this cycle, baitfish and food sources are limited which causes the fish to eat more crustaceans.
As we transition into spring, the cycle lessens in frequency and intensity.
The water temperature does not drop as much and cold fronts become less and less prevalent.
As the angle of the sun changes with the onset of spring, it is a signal of sorts for fish to begin moving and actively hunt for bait.
Simultaneously, baitfish hatching occurs in the back bays and creeks connecting to larger bodies of water.
The fish are keen on this and begin stalking areas where the smaller backwater creeks fill into larger concentrations of water.
This signals a change from a crustacean-based diet to a fin-fish-based diet due to what is readily available.
1. Topwater Lure
The topwater lure is a go-to lure for fishing anytime in the early morning hours of a spring day.
Topwater lures are excellent search baits during spring.
You are able to cast topwater lures a far distance and cover much more water than other lures.
The best times to throw a topwater lure are in low-light conditions either first thing in the morning or on an overcast day.
If after the sun has risen you are still getting bites on topwater lures, continue to fish with topwater.
Just because the sun rises doesn’t mean the topwater bite will shut off.
The Salt Strong Moonwalker plug is designed to tackle any inshore fishing situation and is hands down our favorite topwater lure.
2. Paddletail Lure
Paddletails are the ultimate versatile inshore fishing lure that can be used anytime, anywhere.
You can explore all water columns with this lure and cover plenty of area.
In the springtime, the baitfish have just hatched and are on the smaller side in terms of size.
The best paddletail size option is somewhere in the 3-3.5 inch range.
The Slam Shady 2.0 is the go-to for paddletail lures.
Depending on the depth you are fishing, you want to pair the Slam Shady 2.0 with either an Owner Weighted Twistlock Hook or a Jighead.
Owner Weighted Twistlock Hooks are preferable for shallow water fishing and Jigheads are better for fishing deeper depths.
The most popular way to rig the Slam Shady 2.0 is on an Owner Weighted Twistlock Hook because it can be rigged weedless and creates a natural presentation.
This is the go-to lure presentation for springtime fishing.
The Slam Shady Bomber and Gold Digger Bomber are 5″ paddletails that are best for when larger-sized bait comes into your area.
3. Jerk Shad
As previously mentioned, baitfish are going to hatch in the spring changing the diet of most predatory fish.
For that reason, the jerk shad is an excellent bait to use in the spring.
Jerk shads imitate wounded baitfish and can be rigged in multiple different ways.
The most popular way to rig jerk shads is on an Owner Weighted Twistlock Hook because it can be rigged weedless.
Jerk shads are ideal for calm situations and sight casting opportunities up and down a shoreline.
The jerk shad especially shines in clear, calm shallow water scenarios.
Our Alabama Leprechaun jerk shad has proven to be one of the best jerk shads out there with its ability to hook into big fish of all different species.
We also recently introduced the Slam Shady Jerk Shad and F.R.E.D. The Jerk Shad that are already reeling in some nice fish out on the water.
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Top 3 Lures For Spring [VIDEO]
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Conclusion
Spring opens the door to more hungry fish and opportunities to hook into a possible personal best!
Be sure to anticipate the progression of bait and match the hatch with your lure profiles!
Spring is almost upon us!
Do you have any more questions on the top 3 lures for spring fishing?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to learn more about the top 3 lures for spring, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. – Want to know how to retrieve all the different types of inshore fishing lures in a variety of ways? Check out our Artificial Lure Retrieval Methods Mini-Course.
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This will be my setup this Spring like you presented. Keeo it simple. Instead of jerk shad, while bait is still small I may pinch off a 2.0 tail and then a month into the Spring bite go on up to the jerk.
Once sun comes up or top bite shuts off, Ill swap the top water with a suspending or sinking twitch bait.
Great video Pat!
Thanks Anthony! Great input!
I have a lot of bags of baits sitting in my binder and always choose to start with a color that is very similar to your Alabama leprechaun and slam shady. I only go to my other colors if they snub those two right away. Lots of good info y’all give and it really does work.
Thanks Casey! Appreciate the feedback!
Do you guys think that lures like top water and paddle tails work in any country like I live in Ireland and I done top water frogs and helco top water lures .I see you guys use some top water lures popper wopper Haddon top water lures. But it’s hard to get them in Ireland.
Happy to hear all the way from Ireland!
Will topwaters work in other countries?
Think of it this way, all a lure does is mimic some sort of forage for the fish you’re after. If you’re fishing for a predator fish that feeds on baitfish, then absolutely a topwater will work!
If you see predator fish actively chasing baitfish, I would definitely throw a topwater.
Thanks for the question Darren!
Great rundown of lure options for Springtime anglers … thanks for sharing the simple feeding cycle logic behind the lure recommendations.
You’re welcome Buddy! Glad you liked the video!