Top April bass lures

Walk into any tackle store to grab a few lures and the choices can be overwhelming. Racks are piled with all manner of baits that each manufacturer promises will catch more bass.

So what’s a bass angler to do?

We asked David Langston, who has fished South Louisiana tournaments for years and now manages Bowie Outfitters’ fishing department, what lures top sales for this month’s fishing. And he went to work pulling a few lures out.

Here’s what he said will definitely work:

• Crankbaits — Is there anything more at home in a Louisiana swamp than a crankbait? Bounce one of these bad boys off a laydown, cypress tree or stump, and then just hold on. They also allow you to cover a lot of water. Of course, Bandits are a long-time favorite of anglers across the South, but don’t forget Strike King KVD models.

• Stick baits — The words “Rattlin’ Rogue” and “Redfin” make any bass angler’s knees go weak in the spring. There’s just not many lures that offer such exciting fishing when bass are hunkered down next to trees. Casting these lures out and giving them subtle twitches are sure to end with a huge swirl. Just remember that patience is a huge part of this game — the slower these lures are worked the better.

• Jigs — These lures have become standard equipment in any bass angler’s tackle box. They can be fished dead slow or, as Baton Rouge’s Ken Sherman does, as rapid-fired from target to target to provoke reaction strikes. And, while real pigskin trailers are still in vogue in some areas, soft-plastic chunks like those made by Zoom work well.

• Spinnerbaits — You just can’t beat a spinnerbait for covering water and generating bites. And they’re so flexible — you can burn them past cover, slow-roll them along the bottom or bounce them off stumps and logs before letting them drop. Bass just can’t resist them. There are gazillion choices on the shelves.

About Andy Crawford 863 Articles
Andy Crawford has spent nearly his entire career writing about and photographing Louisiana’s hunting and fishing community. While he has written for national publications, even spending four years as a senior writer for B.A.S.S., Crawford never strayed far from the pages of Louisiana Sportsman. Learn more about his work at www.AndyCrawford.Photography.