How does the Fishing Lure Planner work?

You pick a region, whether you are fishing fresh or salt water, how clear the water is, roughly how warm it is, and how deep you are fishing. The planner filters to the gamefish available in that region and water type, then ranks lures for the species you choose based on those conditions.

What lure color should I use in murky water?

Black, dark blue, junebug, or solid chartreuse. Under a foot of visibility a fish is hunting by lateral line and silhouette, so a dark, high-contrast profile with vibration beats a natural finish every time.

Which single lure covers the most situations?

In fresh water, a weightless 5-inch stick worm rigged wacky or Texas style. It catches bass, pike, walleye, and panfish, it works from 40°F to 85°F, and it is nearly weedless. Inshore, a 3–4 inch soft plastic paddletail on a light jighead is the equivalent.

Does water temperature matter more than clarity?

Temperature sets your retrieve speed and profile size; clarity sets color and how much vibration you need. Get depth right first, then temperature, then clarity — color is the least important variable of the four.

Fishing

Fishing Lure Planner

Tell it where you are and what the water looks like. It shows the fish you can realistically target and exactly what to throw at them — and why.

1Where are you fishing?

Region sets which gamefish are actually on the table.

2Fresh or salt?

3How clear is the water?

4Water temperature

5How deep are you fishing?

6Pick your target species

11 species are realistic in Midwest & Great Lakes fresh water.

Your lure recommendations appear here

Choose a species above and the planner ranks the best lures for stained water, moderate, at shallow depth.

Lure planner questions

How does the Fishing Lure Planner work?: You pick a region, whether you are fishing fresh or salt water, how clear the water is, roughly how warm it is, and how deep you are fishing. The planner filters to the gamefish available in that region and water type, then ranks lures for the species you choose based on those conditions.
What lure color should I use in murky water?: Black, dark blue, junebug, or solid chartreuse. Under a foot of visibility a fish is hunting by lateral line and silhouette, so a dark, high-contrast profile with vibration beats a natural finish every time.
Which single lure covers the most situations?: In fresh water, a weightless 5-inch stick worm rigged wacky or Texas style. It catches bass, pike, walleye, and panfish, it works from 40°F to 85°F, and it is nearly weedless. Inshore, a 3–4 inch soft plastic paddletail on a light jighead is the equivalent.
Does water temperature matter more than clarity?: Temperature sets your retrieve speed and profile size; clarity sets color and how much vibration you need. Get depth right first, then temperature, then clarity — color is the least important variable of the four.