Oldschool Freshwater Fishing Lures

Fishing Spoon

This list includes some of the most famous oldschool freshwater fishing lures. These lures catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, crappie, pike, pickerel, musky, catfish and other species

worms - Soft plastic worms were among the original bass fishing lures. Thousands of variations have been produced. Worm rigs include Texas, Carolina, floating, wacky.

jerk baits - These popular soft plastics are rigged on an offset shank hook or jig head.

jigs - These come in hundreds of styles including classic marabou crappie jigs, bucktails, feather jigs, soft bodied grubs, shad bodies, tubes, etc.

jig and pig - This lure consists of a combination of a simple jig with a natural pork rind.

spinner bait - This is another combination lure, which pairs a jig with a spinner blade.

buzz bait - This bait is similar to a spinner bait. It combines a jig type hook with a large, noisy propeller.

poppers - Thus family of lures share a hard body with cupped or wedge-shaped mouth.

stick baits - These lures include torpedo to pencil shapes with tapered ends. Some variations have propellers or skirted tails.

crankbaits - These lures come in an array of shapes and sizes. Most float at rest and dive when retrieved although some models sink. Most share common characteristics such as a hard lip, multiple treble hooks.

rattle traps - These hard bodied diving lures oscillate when retrieved. Most contain metal balls inside which rattle when moved

spoons - These come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Spoons wobble or spin as they pass thru water. Depending on the type, spoons may be cast, trolled or jigged.

Trophy Bream Sunfish Techniques

Bream (Bluegill Sunfish)

Having an arsenal of fishing techniques will increase the odds of success. To insure a good catch of bream (bluegill sunfish), experiment with these proven tactics:

 - Fish the early morning. In some locations the bite can be incredible during the first hour of daylight.

 - Cast as close as possible to structure such as stumps, cypress trees, overhanging limbs, and submerged vegetation.

 - Target areas of water flow (streams, springs, culverts, dams, channels, tidal rips).

 - Watch for seasonal food sources and adjust fishing techniques to exploit changing behavior.

 - Use ultralight outfits, cane poles, or fly fishing gear to present small natural baits to wary fish.

- Experiment with small, brightly colored lures, especially soft plastics and feather jigs.

- Fish a variety of depths with small floats or slowly jig lures throughout the water column.

 - Try fishing for sunfish with a kayak, canoe, or other small boat. Small craft allow fishermen to explore areas that are impossible to reach using conventional boats.

 - Wear polarized eyewear to help spot fish, structure and bottom features

 - Keep essential fishing equipment available including line cutters, pliers, camera, etc.

 - Keep a journal, noting time of day, weather conditions, barometric pressure, moon phase, water levels, etc.