Fishing lures can be classified in many ways, but one of the simplest is by how far and fast they cover water:
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Search baits are built for quickly probing large areas. They feature aggressive, continuous action to trigger reaction strikes over a wide range.
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Finesse baits are ideal for precise presentations in spots where fish are known to be present but less active. They work best with slower retrieves, allowing the current to pass through them or relying on a subtle drop‑and‑pause motion.
Search bait: crankbait, jerkbait, twichbait, glidebait, and etc.
Finesse: drop bait, Texas rig, and other soft bait.
Techniquely, all of these are search baits(except the soft plastic, they can be both).
It is common to class 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 11 as crankbait, 6 as jerk bait or twitch bait in some regions. Basically they are defined by how-to-use.
- Metal jig:
Primarily used for boat jigging in deeper water, metal jigs excel when paired with a slow-action rod. Their action varies by shape—some flutter like a falling leaf, others spin as they sink. For optimal performance, rig them with a bearing swivel to ensure free rotation.
Tip: You can also employ metal jigs from shore if there’s sufficient depth, or work them off the beach using a simple, steady retrieve. - Glidebait:
A glidebait is a jointed hardbait that requires a specific retrieve technique to swim naturally. Anglers often count their twitches or jerks—each pop of the rod will send the lure turning and gliding in that direction. Beyond the basic side‑to‑side action, you can adjust how far it glides by timing your next twitch. For the smoothest motion, let your line go slightly slack after each pull.
(Technically, any lipless lure that glides to the side after a single twitch could be called a glidebait. However, in the angling community “glidebait” almost always refers specifically to a single‑jointed, lipless model.) - Shad:
A shad is a slender, minnow‑style lure equipped with an extended, narrow bib for deep diving. It was developed for fishing off piers and docks, where steep drop‑offs require a lure that can reach—and stay in—the strike zone. Unlike vibers, shads are built to sink or suspend slowly (rather than free‑fall), giving you maximum hang time at depth. In use, you fish a shad much like a minnow but benefit from its streamlined body and long bib to cover deeper water or drastic ledges. - Crankbait:
A classic deep‑water search lure built for speed and simplicity.Crankbaits deliver a tight, aggressive wobble with little need for rod work—just point your rod tip at the water, keep your line snug, and reel. When you pause, most will float back toward the surface. Their strong action makes them excellent for covering water quickly, though it can sometimes spook more cautious fish.
(Crankbait definitions vary by region; here, it refers to the chunky lure whose action is driven primarily by its lip.) -
Pencil:
Pencil lures come in both floating and sinking versions, and each demands a different handling technique:-
Floating Pencil (“Walk‑the‑Dog”)
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Retrieve with rhythmic twitches so the lure darts side‑to‑side in a zig‑zag pattern.
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This classic “walk‑the‑dog” action is all about timing your rod tip and cadence.
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Sinking Pencil
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Treat as a true depth‑search tool—you decide how deep it goes.
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First, determine its sink rate (e.g., seconds per foot).
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Let it fall to your target depth, then use timed twitches (based on your sink‑rate test) to halt its descent and keep it cruising at that level.
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You can rapidly adjust depth, but it takes more precise timing to maintain a steady presentation.
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Both styles offer unique advantages: floating pencils excel on the surface with an enticing zig‑zag, while sinking pencils give you full control over subsurface depth—at the cost of requiring sharper timing skills. Note that: User should compare sinking minnow to sinking pencil instead of floating pencil.
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Minnow:
“Minnow” refers to a small baitfish–style hardbait available in floating, sinking, and suspending models. They feature a streamlined body and a shorter, angled bib (lip) than shad or classic crankbaits, which gives you plenty of room for “play” with your rod tip. Once the lure reaches its target depth, that angled bib helps it hold position, so you spend more time covering a specific depth.-
Floating Minnows: Dive only as deep as their bib allows, then pop back toward the surface when you pause.
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Sinking Minnows: Drop to whatever depth you choose—simply let them fall, then begin your retrieve.
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Suspending Minnows: Tuned to nearly neutral buoyancy so they hover at a set depth. (Keep in mind that colder water is denser, so you may need to tweak your lure’s buoyancy with extra weight.
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- Viber:
A viber is a full‑depth search lure—arguably the fastest way to cover water. It delivers a tight, high‑frequency vibration, and models equipped with internal rattles are among the loudest in your tackle box. There’s minimal “rod work” involved: when you pause your retrieve, the lure simply drops until you reel again. Like metal jigs, vibers sink rapidly, so deploy them with care. They excel at locating fish across vast areas, but their intense action can also easily spook or stress wary fish. - C-tail & T-tail:
Often nicknamed “jelly,” these soft plastics are inexpensive and highly disposable. Unlike dedicated search lures, how they fish depends entirely on your rig. They don’t cast far (they tend to spin in flight), so the simplest setup is a jighead—all the action comes from the tail. C‑tails spin in a tight spiral, while T‑tails deliver a gentle wiggle. You can either reel them steadily or hop them along the bottom.
Note that there are some more setup that require other accessories and parts to work with, for instance, Texas rig/dropshot rig/senko rig.
Searching: use with jighead, Texas rig
Finesse: Dropshot rig, Senko rig
Finesse rigs tend to be more stationary and often rely on pinpointing fish with sonar(on kayak). For most anglers, sticking with jigheads and Texas rigs is simpler and more effective.
The main advantage of soft baits is when you know fish are present but inactive: their subtle action is less likely to spook wary fish, making them especially effective in freshwater ponds. - Popper:
Unlike most lures that imitate a fleeing baitfish, poppers mimic a surface‑hunting predator. Their cupped face throws a violent splash and noise—water transmits sound efficiently, so that pop carries a long way. At rest, a well‑balanced popper will either sit flush on the surface or ride tail‑down, depending on its internal weight placement.
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Shallow‑cup models let you burn out a rapid sequence of small “pops” with quick, light jerks.
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Deep‑cup models deliver louder, more explosive splashes—but you’ll need to pause after each big pop to let the lure settle before the next strike. This design is usually seen on bigger lures for seafishing, user may pull for a small distance right after each pop to create a trail looking bubble.
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- Plopper:
Plopper is mainly being used in freshwater, it generates a continuous popping sound by the propellor. Consider it as a mild version of popper which works with steady retrieve. - Spinner bait:
Spinnerbaits are highly customizable—anglers can swap out the skirt or attach a soft bait body to tweak their silhouette. Fished much like a jighead, they work best on a steady retrieve with occasional hops along the bottom.
