As he name itself suggests fishing lures are used to lure the fish or in simpler words ‘attract' the fish. The lures come in various sizes and types to suit different types of fish. The main aim here is to catch the fish's attention because of which the fish bites the hook and thus gets caught.

Many anglers prefer lures to bait as they are less messy than baits, targeting the fish species is easier now that you can use the specific lure for a particular fish type and you can cover more water, irrespective of whether you are on shore or a pier. Let us now look at the different types of lures used in fishing.

Jigs are the most common of the lures. They have metal heads and the tail is made of either animal hair or soft plastic feathers, or even rubber. Adding a piece of pork or a minnow at the end of the hook has proved to be helpful for anglers. These are excellent for catching both freshwater and saltwater fish.

Next are the plastic baits. Minnows, soft plastic worms, crayfish come in a variety of sizes and colors; generally used for bass fishing. These resemble natural look for fish, worms, lizards, crawfish, frogs etc. The plastic baits encourage the fish to hold on to them a little longer, giving the anglers a better chance to hook.

Spinnerbaits have skirts made of vinyl, animal hair, rubber or other materials. They come with one or more blades and ‘safety pin' type shaft. The effectiveness of this type of lure makes it popular. 

If you are going perch fishing, you need to carry some of spoon lures with you.  This curved metal lure has got the name as it looks like the inside of a table spoon with a broken handle. There bright colors and side to side movement in the water makes it so effective for almost any kind of fish and especially perch.

Surface lures or top water lures makes the fish sprint out of the water to catch the lure. There are no chances of these lures getting entangles in the weeds in the water as they remain on the surface only. Surface lures being one of the most common lures are widely available; now some of the best quality lures are available in online tackle shops.

Plugs are another type of fishing lures that are hard bodied, made either of plastic or wood. These are also known as crabkbaits and resemble frog, bait fish or other prey. They come with two or three treble hooks, and are made to dive or float or both. They are available in all sizes and colors to suit the needs of the anglers.

For fly fishing, a specific type of bait is used known as flies. They resemble insects and in various stages of their life cycle, thus they come in various sizes and are very light. Generally made of feathers and fur, foam and rubber are often used now. These flies work very well for panfish, trout and bass.

So before you decide to buy your fishing tackles, keep in mind what type of fish you are aiming to catch and select your lures accordingly. These specific set of lures will make your fishing adventure even better and more successful.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fishing-articles/fishing-lures-tutorial-5403055.html

Allan simons is an Australian fisherman. He is also an accomplished writer of numerous articles on fishing, fishing tackles and other related topics.