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 an animal pain, suffering or harm without good reason (Section 1 TierSchG) – hooking a live fish is regarded as such a case.
- 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?
| Conditions | Recommended Colour |
|---|---|
| Clear water, sunny | Natural colours (silver, brown, green) |
| Murky water | Bold colours (chartreuse, orange, red) |
| Low light, dusk | White, silver, UV-active colours |
Sources
- Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG): § 1, accessed 5 Oct 2026
The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.