10 A FIELD INDEX FOR CHOOSING
VELAFIT GUIDE · ABOUT 9 MIN READTypes of Fishing Lures: Give Each One a Job
The lure box makes more sense when you sort by what a cast must do—not by a wall of names.
There are many types of fishing lures, but a useful first choice is smaller: where must the lure travel, and what should it do there? A bait that looks promising in the box cannot help if it misses the depth, fouls on the first weed, or moves past the target before you can work it.
Look at the water before the rack. Is there a small opening you can fish slowly? A clean lane along an edge? A surface route above floating cover? A reachable bottom change? Make one sentence about the cast you want. Then choose a lure family that can complete that sentence.
Minnesota DNR groups common artificial lures by what they are and how they move, including jigs, spinners, and plugs. This guide turns those names into casting jobs. See the DNR lure-selection guide.
Soft plastic and jig: keep the test local
Soft plastic fishing lures are bodies, not one retrieve. A stick worm can fall slowly beside a post. A paddle tail can travel steadily. A creature shape can be worked around an opening. Hook style, added weight, and the cover decide how the finished rig behaves. The same bait body may become a poor choice when it is rigged for the wrong route.
Use this family when one spot deserves time: a gap in pads, the shaded side of a dock, a small rock pile, or the edge of a drop you can reach. Cast beyond the target, allow the bait to fall into the useful water, then move it a short distance. Watch the line; a bite can happen before you feel it at the rod.
NEMESIS 100 Senko Worm
A 100 mm, 3/16 oz soft body sold in a 10-piece pack. The photo shows the bait alone, with no hook or weight. Consider it for a slow, controlled presentation after choosing a compatible rig for the cover and your tackle.
See NEMESIS 100 and specifications →A jig fishing lure adds a weighted head and hook to a soft body or other trailer. It can help you feel bottom and change levels with short lifts, but the head weight, hook, line, and water all affect the finished path. A lighter head may fall slowly; a heavier one may reach depth more directly. Test rather than assume.
Ned Rig Jig Head
The listing offers 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, and 1/4 oz heads. It is a separate component. The photo shows an exposed hook, so pick a route where the completed rig can pass cleanly. Physical fit with NEMESIS 100 has not been verified.
See Ned Rig head sizes →Want the steps between choosing a soft body and fishing it? Read “Soft Plastic Fishing Lures: Choose, Rig, and Fish Them” →. It explains bait shapes, rigging choices, and how to work them near cover, using bass examples.
Crankbait or spinnerbait: search with a clear path
Crankbait fishing lures carry a hard body and a lip that makes the lure dive and wobble during a retrieve. They are useful when you can run a repeatable line beside an open edge or over a reachable bottom change. The lip and line angle affect the path; “floating” on a label is not a guaranteed running depth. Start with a short cast so you can learn what the bait actually does.
STRYKER 40 Floating Crank
43 mm, 3/16 oz, floating. The real product photo shows a clear diving lip and two exposed treble hooks. Give those hooks an unobstructed path; the product listing does not state a reliable depth for every cast.
See STRYKER 40 and specifications →A spinnerbait uses one or more rotating metal blades beside a skirted hook. It gives you a moving presentation with a different hook arrangement from a treble-hook crankbait. Try it along scattered reeds or an edge with gaps, keeping the blades turning on a steady retrieve. It may still catch stems or debris, so check each pass.
FLASHFIRE 70 Spinnerbait
70 mm, 3/8 oz, sinking. The photographed lure has two metal blades, a wire arm, a red skirt, and one exposed hook. Use a controlled retrieve along a lane you can keep it moving through; it is not a promise of weedlessness.
See FLASHFIRE 70 and specifications →For a real example of choosing by cover, depth, and retrieve before choosing between moving lures, read “Bass Fishing Lures: Choose by Cover, Depth, and Retrieve” →. That guide walks through bass water step by step; this page is the broader lure-family map.
Topwater: choose the surface route
Topwater fishing lures share a water layer, not a single job. A popper can pause beside one clean target. A floating pencil can move across an uninterrupted strip. A hollow-body frog can cross reachable pads with its hook close to the body. None is automatically the “best fishing lure” for all three routes.
If you see open water around a dock, test a short pop-and-pause or a controlled walk. If the water is sealed by floating vegetation, exposed trebles may foul before the bait reaches a gap. Choose the hook route before the color. Low light can be a useful time to test surface baits for largemouth, according to Minnesota DNR, but the exact lane still matters.
Start with the cover you can see. If it changes halfway through the cast, fish the open and covered portions separately instead of asking one lure to perform two incompatible jobs.
For a full surface-water example, read “Topwater Fishing Lures: Three Surface Routes” →. It shows where to pause a popper, walk a floating pencil, and cross reachable vegetation with a frog.
What a spoon adds—and what it does not
A spoon fishing lure is a curved metal bait that wobbles or flashes when it moves. It can be cast or lowered through a suitable open lane, depending on the design and fishery. It is not a substitute for every jig, crankbait, or topwater lure: you still have to decide whether you need a falling bait, a moving horizontal path, or a surface presentation.
This guide does not show a VelaFit spoon, because the current catalog we checked does not contain a matching freshwater spoon. A lure sold for a different technique should not be relabeled to fill the slot. Minnesota DNR’s fishing basics offers broader tackle context. Check local rules, hook restrictions, and the lure’s actual weight before using one.
Turn the list into one decision
Soft plastic or jig. Slow it down and watch the fall.
Crankbait or spinnerbait. Compare clean moving passes.
Popper or pencil. Make the rhythm repeatable.
A suitable frog. Cross the mat only if you can control the lure.
After a few casts, ask what failed. Did the lure miss the target, run at the wrong level, foul, or travel cleanly without a response? Fix that part first. The purpose of lure fishing is to learn from each presentation, not to empty the tackle box one bait at a time.
If your next trip is for trout in a stream or lake margin, read “Trout Fishing Lures: Read the Water Before You Choose” →. It shows how current, accessible lanes, and small presentations change the choice for that fish.
For a reachable lake edge and a walleye-specific choice, read “Walleye Fishing Lures: Find the First Break” →. It walks through locating a depth change and testing a slow jig, a moving crankbait, and a low-light minnow.
Questions before you pack
How many lure types do I need to start?
Start with two jobs you can actually fish: one slow presentation for a target and one moving bait for an open lane. Add a surface option when your water gives you a suitable route.
Is a soft bait the same thing as a jig?
No. A soft bait is a body; a jig includes a weighted head and hook. They can be combined when the sizes, weights, and hook fit suit the target water. The product photos above show separate parts.
Do I need the exact product shown?
No. These real VelaFit products illustrate visible lure features. Match your own rod, line, local rules, cover, and intended route before buying or casting.