The best fishing lures expert review

Fishing is a timeless pursuit that has been enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds for centuries. One of the most important components of any fishing trip is having the right lure. A well-chosen fishing lure can make all the difference in attracting and catching fish. However, with so many different types of lures on the market, it can be challenging to know which ones to choose.

That’s why we’ve compiled this expert review of fishing lures. We’ve gathered together a team of experienced anglers and fishing enthusiasts who have spent countless hours testing and evaluating various types of lures. They’ve put these lures to the test in a wide range of fishing conditions and have carefully documented their findings.

Whether you’re a seasoned angler or just starting out, this expert review will provide you with valuable insights and recommendations on which lures to use in different situations. From soft plastics to crankbaits, topwater lures to jigs, we’ve got you covered. We hope that this expert review will help you to choose the right fishing lure for your next fishing adventure and improve your chances of landing that trophy fish you’ve been dreaming of.

Let’s get started!

The Dardevle Spoon

The classic Eppinger® Original Dardevle® Spoon, one of the most popular and effective all-purpose fishing lures in history, remains as deadly as ever. More than a century after this spoon was introduced, its vibrant action remains irresistible to large pike, pikeperch, bass, lake trout and all other types of freshwater fish. When casting or trolling, its unique wobbling and wobbling action brings aggressive strikes at any speed.

A popular, proven classic bait.
Irresistible to almost all game fish
Unique wiggling and wiggling action
Can be cast or trolled

There are hundreds of types, sizes and colors of spoons, but there is only one Dardevle. Lou Eppinger probably had no idea he was making fishing history when he hand-forged the first Dardevle spoon in 1906.

The secret of the Dardevle is that it is thinner in the middle and thicker around the edges, which causes it to twist back and forth while hooking, but always returns to an even position between each cycle. It also has a crazy side-to-side wobble that drives the fish crazy.

Dardevle catches all kinds of fish that swim anywhere in the world. Salmon, trout, grayling, lake trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, striped bass, white bass, crappie, pike, muskie, pike perch, walleye and big sunfish. I have even caught carp and catfish on them. More record fish have been caught on Dardevle than on any other lure in history. If you could only have one lure, this would be it.

The Dardevle comes in a huge number of color combinations, but in my experience, any color is good as long as it is the original red with a white center stripe.

Eppinger Dardevle Spoons give you a popular fishing option with which to easily attract a catch. They have a combination of red and white tones that are eye-catching in the water. The fishing spoons are designed to mimic wounded bait, which makes them attractive to fish. They are ideal for catching pike, pike, perch and other fish. The baits are easy to put on the line, so you can enjoy fishing right away.
Unique jiggling action.

Eppinger spoons simulate injured bait
High quality hooks
Ideal for catching pike, pike, perch and other fish
Can be fished fast, slow, deep or shallow

Characteristics and and features

Features

High quality hooks

Characteristics

Yakima Bait Flatfish F-5 High Action Plug

American brand Yakima Bait is quite well-known and popular on the territory of the North American continent. This is due to the fact that the range of the company has a lot of specialized lures for catching the local predator – maskinong and steelhead salmon.

For over 50 years the FlatFish has been around and catching fish because of its unique floating action. Available in 6 sizes and over 100 different colors, the FlatFish is more versatile than ever. No matter where you fish or what you’re fishing for, the FlatFish is right for you.

This flatfish fishing lure has a trout and panfish finish. They have a highly active wiggle rod and multispecies construction. They produce irresistible trolling action with the round bend of the triangle hook.

Characteristics and features

Features

Finishing tackle for trout and panfish
High performance wobbler
Multi-species design
Produces compelling trolling action
Round bend hook
Available in 50 colors and 6 sizes from F2-F7
Single hook is standard on F2. All other sizes available with single hook
Double-bladed hook option available for sizes F5-F7

Characteristics

The Mepps Agilia

When French engineer André Meulnart created the first French spinner in 1938, he knew he was in for something extraordinary. He knew that fish are attracted to vibrations and flashes, and this lure was unlike any previously created.

He thought it looked like a butterfly and named it Aglia (Latin for “butterfly”). Mölnart created a company for mass production of his creation, Manufacturier D’Engins De Precision Pour Peches Sportives (in English: “Precision Equipment for Sport Fishing”), and later shortened the name to mnemonics MEPPS. The lure enjoyed some success on the local market, but it took a series of strange events to bring it to the world stage.

Europe in 1938 had other concerns than fishing. Hitler’s Nazis were becoming a real threat, and the following year the situation came to a head when the Nazis invaded Poland. Soon much of the rest of Europe followed.

It took hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Britain, the United States, Canada, and other countries to defeat the German war machine, at a terrible cost in lives and property on all sides. Many of these foreign soldiers came across MEPPS decoys in France and brought them home after the war.

In 1951 Todd Sheldon had a very successful tackle store in Antigo, Wisconsin. One day he had bad luck fishing on the Wolf River, but he wasn’t about to give up and go home empty-handed. He tied a MEPPS Aglia rod that his friend Frank Velek had brought back with him from Europe years ago.

In two hours using the Aglia, Todd caught four trout totaling over 12 pounds… a good result by any standards. He was confident in the new bait and was soon looking for ways to get it into his store.

Demand always exceeded supply, and Sheldon tried all sorts of ways to keep them in stock, even bribing a Frenchwoman with stocking stuffers to send him baits. Unfortunately, the baits sold out much faster than she had time to wear out her stockings. Eventually Todd was able to negotiate with MEPPS to get them directly from the manufacturer.

Demand skyrocketed, and after 1960 Todd passed the 3 million annual sales mark, something no fishing lure manufacturer had done before him. Sheldon closed his store and created Sheldon’s Inc. specifically to import MEPPS lures into the United States.

Today, MEPPS lures can be found almost everywhere tackle is sold. The Aglia is the standard by which all other spinning lures are judged. It catches most species of fish in fresh water, and it is virtually trouble free. Just cast it, let it sink a little and reel it in. It can be fished in deep water, shallow water and in tandem behind a topwater. It works in fast water, slow water and everything in between. Lakes, streams, ponds… doesn’t matter. Aglia just works.

Characteristics and features

Features

The bodies and blades of all Mepps Aglias tools are made of solid brass. The silver blades are silver plated. Gold blades are polished brass. Varnished blades have a computer-aged vinyl coating that resists chipping and fading.

Characteristics

Rapala Original Floater Fishing Lures

In the 1930s, Lauri Rapala was a poor Finnish fisherman trying to make a living on Lake Paianne. But he had keen powers of observation, and while sitting in his humble boat, he noticed that predatory fish were swimming through the shoal and singling out those swimming erratically, with a sideways wobble. He reasoned that if he could create a lure that would do that, he could stop wasting time baiting all those hooks.

He chiseled, sanded and finally came up with a cork design that floated the way he wanted it to. Adding a “lip” at the front made the bait both wiggle and dive. When the hooking stopped, it slowly surfaced, guaranteed to drive the fish crazy. He covered it with candy wrapper foil to give it flare, and protected the foil by melting photographic negatives and covering the entire lure with them.

The bait was a resounding success, and he soon gave up fishing to start making baits for others. By 1936, Rapala baits had a loyal following. Laurie hand-tuned each lure to make sure it worked right out of the box. It wasn’t the fastest way to make lures, but Rapala quickly gained the trust of anglers around the world, and to this day, every Rapala lure is still hand-tuned to make sure it works perfectly from the start.

Characteristtics and features

Features

Balsa Wood Construction.
Natural Minnow Profile.
VMC Black Nickel Hooks.
Available In Classic & Bleeding Patterns.
Hand Tuned & Tank Tested.

Characteristics

The Rapala floating minnow is the industry standard for catching really big fish in both fresh and salt water. For fishing striped bass, white bass, largemouth bass, pikeperch and other large freshwater fish, a Rapala lure is the way to go. In fact, any lure used to catch these fish is often referred to simply as a “Rapala.” In saltwater, the Rapala accounts for more trophy fish than any other lure. One can hardly argue with more than 80 years of success.
In 1928, Fred Arbogast was working for Goodyear Tire and Rubber. On the side, he carved lures. Some of his creations became so popular that he quit Goodyear and started making lures for tackle stores all the time. They were all very successful. He soon outgrew the local market and formed a company to mass produce his lures.
In 1938, he introduced a new design that mimicked the frenzied action of a large bug dropped into the water. It quickly became (and still is) the No. 1 lure for night fishing for largemouth bass. It works great in daylight as well. The large lip makes a strong noise in the water and also gives the lure a seductive action.

The Arbogast Jitterbug

In 1928 Fred Arbogast was working for Goodyear Tire and Rubber. On the side he was making lures. Some of his creations became so popular that he quit Goodyear and started making lures for tackle stores all the time. They were all very successful. He soon outgrew the local market and formed a company to mass produce his lures.

In 1938, he introduced a new design that mimicked the frenzied action of a large bug dropped into the water. It quickly became (and still is) the No. 1 lure for night fishing for largemouth bass. It works great in daylight as well. The large lip makes a huge noise in the water and also gives the lure a seductive action.

There are few anglers over 30 years old who have never fished with a jitterbug. It remains one of the best baits of all time.

Well known as a night fishing lure, the Jitterbug has proven its ability to cause explosive strikes during the day. Fred Arbogast’s Jitterbug was first introduced in 1937. The Jitterbug has a double lip, positioned at just the right angle and producing a loud, rhythmic, surface blasting sound that has proven irresistible to all known surface fish… especially for bass.

Characteristics and features

Features

The Jitterbug has proven its ability to elicit explosive blasts from surface fish.
Positioned at just the right angle, it makes a loud, rhythmic, surface-blasting sound that has proven irresistible to all known surface fish, especially bass.
The Arbogast Jitterbug is a legendary topwater lure whose sound is instantly recognizable to millions of anglers.
The perfect bait for fishing at any time of day – morning, afternoon and evening.
Jittbug is designed with 2 hooks for a secure grip when striking topwater

Characteristics

In conclusion

In conclusion, choosing the right fishing lure can be the difference between a successful day on the water and a disappointing one. With so many different types of lures available, it can be overwhelming to know which ones to choose. However, with the help of this expert review, you can confidently select the best lure for your specific fishing needs.

Our team of experienced anglers and fishing enthusiasts have put various lures to the test in different conditions, and have provided detailed recommendations and insights to help you make an informed decision. From understanding the different types of lures, to knowing how to properly use them, this review covers everything you need to know to improve your fishing experience.

We hope that this expert review has been a valuable resource for you and has helped you choose the right fishing lure for fishing.