The Five Best Lures for Catching White Bass

A five best list of white bass fishing lures is bound to muddy up the water a bit. Opinions on lures often cause major rifts in families and close friends. My best friend wouldn’t speak to me for years after I denigrated his favorite lure. But what else could I do? He was wrong and I’m a better fisherman than he is! His opinion differs. Ah well–we still agree on the number one white bass lure. I will list these “best” lures in order of preference.

5. Rapala Broke Back Minnow

The J07 and J09 jointed lures are good for general purpose fishing. I catch a lot of white bass with these. I especially like them when trolling or searching for fish. These lures naturally run from four to seven feet deep. Pause your retrieve and the lure floats to the top which helps avoid bottom snags. I modify lures by removing the front treble hook. Sometimes I’ll add a small spinner blade in place of the front hook. I like the light colors best but really haven’t noticed any difference between them.

4. Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap Crankbait
Once again I remove the front hook and sometimes add a small spinner. Great choice of weights and colors. My preference is the one quarter ounce in silver or white with red accents. The rattle trap is good for casting, trolling, and searching for schools.

3. Worden’s Rooster Tails
I cast for fish with Rooster Tails more than any other kind of lure. There are other inline spinners but these work best for me. I work them at any speed shallow or deep but mostly just fast enough to turn the blade over. Color and weight selection are second to none. I generally choose lighter colors like white, yellow, and chartreuse. Favorite weights are one eighth and one quarter ounce. You can troll with a Rooster Tail, but I find other lures more effective for trolling. It is very important to make sure the blade turns.

2. Blakemore Road Runner Bucktails
This is a great all around lure for trolling and casting. I normally use the half ounce size for white bass. If there is chance for big hybrid or striper I use the one ounce lure and fish a little deeper in the school. I use all the colors when searching for a school of white bass, but white with red is best.

1. Dardevle Genuine Spoons
You’d think a spoon is a spoon is a spoon, but not so. I’ve tried a lot of spoons and nothing compare to the Dardevle spoons–especially red and white. Good for slow trolling, but you need a very good swivel setup. Great for casting and working an active school. Fish bite on the drop or when retrieved fast, slow, deep, or shallow. Hard to make a mistake with this spoon.

Give these lures a try. Remember that the greatest secret for catching fish is to go fishing.