Fishing lures are mostly used in recreational fishing.

They consist of objects hung at the end of the line and they are manufactured so as to imitate the regular prey of the fish the angler is after. The methods of attracting the fish consists of such aspects as color, shape, movement and vibration. Without the fishing lures attached to the lines, the bait could pass unnoticed by the fish. All fishing lures have a hook on the end for the attaching of the bait. Once the fishing lures play their part, the fish gets hooked.

Lures can also help fishermen look for and actually find the places where fish may be hiding. Anglers move the fishing lures with progressive regular hand motions that make the plastic or fiber material look like swimming. The lure often reflects light contributing to attracting the fish even further.

Fishing lures fall into several categories depending on the design and the purpose they serve. The jig as a first mention consists of a a sharp lead hook onto which artificial or natural bait is placed. This is usually shaped like a minnow, worm or crawfish. Another category consists of the surface fishing lures that got their names because they are lighter than the jigs and therefore meant to float on the water and look like surface prey. Last but not least, the spawn fishing lures have been created for surface fishing; they are thin and shiny so that they can get fish attention as quickly as possible.

Another category is that of plugs or crank-baits; these fishing lures are designed to move at faster speeds and to go back and forth exactly as fish prey would. In the popular group of artificial baits, bass worms and flies are extensively used.

Fishing lures are not an invention of our times, as they have been part of fishing ever since the appearance of this occupation. What has changed about them is that today they have become artificial; thus the most common materials for fishing lures are rubber, cork, plastic, wood and metal. Somehow, the decreased use of smaller fish species as baits poses no longer a threat for the survival of such small-sized specimens; consequently, the food chain will remain unaltered if regular living baits are not used extensively.

Another advantage of today’s fishing lures is that they encourage recreational fishing without causing death of caught and released fish. The hooks that today’s fishing lures are provided with are not very dangerous for the fish and do not impale the mouth as deep as the old type hooks used to. Therefore, more and more fish live after being released by amateur anglers.