Fishing Bait at a Glance: Lures, Natural Bait & Flies

Bait – the Heart of Fishing

No topic occupies anglers as much as bait selection. Yet it's not that complicated: once you understand how fish hunt and what they eat, the choice becomes logical.

Artificial Lures

Spinners

• Metal blade rotates around an axis, creating vibration + flash
• Ideal for: trout, perch, pike
• Classics: Mepps Aglia, Blue Fox
• Retrieve: steady, medium speed

Wobblers (crankbaits)

• Dives on the retrieve, imitates a swimming fish
• Diving wobblers: for medium depths, clearly defined diving depth
• Surface wobblers (poppers): work on the surface, ideal in the morning
• Retrieve: jerky with stop-and-go — imitates an injured fish

Soft plastics (softbaits)

• Soft plastic lures shaped like fish (shad, twister, worm)
• Combined with a jig head — weight determines diving depth
• Very versatile, works for almost all predatory fish
• Retrieve: jigging (up and down), Texas rig (weedless)

Spoons

• Simple metal plate that flashes as it falls and is retrieved
• Ideal for quick use and deep water
• Good for sea fishing (pilker = large spoon/jig)

Natural Bait

Worms & Maggots

• All-purpose bait, almost every fish bites on it
• Earthworms for carp, barbel, tench
• Maggots for bream, roach, whitefish

Baitfish

• Dead bait for pike, zander, catfish
• ⚠️ Live baitfish are prohibited in Germany. The Animal Welfare Act forbids causing a vertebrate pain, suffering or harm without good reason – hooking a live fish falls under that and is prosecuted as an administrative offence or a criminal offence.
• Dead bait: easy to handle and it catches – fresh or frozen, whole or as a strip

Dough & Boilies

• For carp fishing — boilies are round baits made from flour, egg, flavourings
• Long shelf life, specific flavours attract carp in a targeted way

Fly-Fishing Baits

Dry Flies

• Imitate insects landing on the water's surface
• Watch the fish rise from below and take it — very exciting!

Nymphs

• Imitate larvae below the water's surface
• Usable year-round, very effective

Streamers

• Larger flies, imitate small fish or crustaceans
• For trout, grayling, huchen

Bait Colour: When to Use What?