Learn some of the finer points of lure selection from MidWest Outdoors editor, Mark Strand.

There is a dramatic difference in the way professional anglers and most everybody else chooses lures. It’s so profound that it can dictate your chances of catching fish.

To become a true catcher of fish, you must approach fishing first from the question of where the fish are holding on the day you’re fishing. In other words, you have to locate fish. It will never matter what your favorite lure is if you run it through places that aren’t holding fish.

The lure that works for you may be completely different from what works best for your buddies. It depends on various factors, including the body of water your are fishing and the depth at which the fish are holding, as well as conditions like weather and fishing pressure that can help you predict the mood of the fish.

A logical approach

• First, get a contour map of the body of water you’re going to fish. It doesn’t take long to look it over and get a general feeling for the layout. It might have steep drop-offs that fall into a very deep basin, and be dominated by water 40 feet deep and deeper. Or, it might be a shallow, bowl-shaped lake with little structure. Or it might be somewhere in between, with a few deeper basin areas and several structural elements, in the form of points, humps, islands, etc.
• Second, learn what fish species are most common and which are “present” but in low numbers. Many maps and online sources have that information readily available.
• If you can (talking with local fisheries biologists is a good starting point), find out what the main forage species are in the body of water. With the right information, you might even learn what the predominant size of the forage is at each season of the year, and can match that knowledge up to the time of year you are fishing.
• Understand that different types of forage live in different portions of the system. For example, in natural lakes, perch are usually bottom-dwelling. They “relate to structure.” Whereas, shad often roam open-basin areas, suspended off bottom, following their food supply. Knowing this can help you decide what color lure to use, based on where you are fishing! A “silvery” lure can be the best choice when trolling for suspended fish. A perch-colored lure might be better when fishing on a rocky hump or along the edges of weeds.
• Note carefully the depth of any given spot as you begin to fish it. Let’s say it’s a flat, with good weed growth on it, that averages 11 to 15 feet deep. Let’s say the weeds grow up to within 4 feet of the surface. In a situation like that, one good approach can be to cast lures that run 3 to 4 feet deep. With those lures, you are checking for high-riding fish that are willing to hit lures ticking the tops of the weeds.

Logical lure selection

The overall point is that lure selection should not be made when you are flushed with emotion as your friend recounts with glee all the fish he’s caught on such-and-such bait, in such-and-such color. Fishing lures are most effective when they mimic something a predator fish eats on a regular basis. It might be said that they are only effective when they come swimming near a fish. Use lures that run in the depth fish are holding at. It doesn’t hurt to match the color of the baitfish most commonly found in that zone.

If you regularly approach your fishing in this methodical way, you will catch many more fish over the long haul. Even on lightly-fished Canadian waters, this line of thinking can mean the difference between frustration and coming home flush with fish stories.

Note: many Canadian lodges offer advice on what types and sizes of lures to bring. Seriously consider loading up on baits they say are best for the waters they know. After all, they want you to catch fish so you will want to come again!

Looking for more tips from the experts? Find them in the February issue of MidWest Outdoors, available the first full week of February at the newsstand or by subscribing on our website.