Best Bass Lures for New England Lakes

I fish Lake Winnisquam and Lake Massabesic in New Hampshire, and the water around here is very clear. That shapes almost everything in my tackle: I keep my colors natural, I fish mostly around structure, and I rely on a handful of lures I trust.

The short list

1. Yamamoto 5” Senko, green pumpkin black flake: my one constant.
2. Football jig with a trailer, 3/8 oz.
3. Drop shot on spinning gear.
4. Small silver paddle-tail swimbait.

I do not throw crankbaits much, so they are not on this list.

1. Yamamoto 5” Senko, green pumpkin black flake (#297)

This is the one lure I fish everywhere. I never go out without at least one tied on and ready to go, and I use it all season long.

I only use one color: green pumpkin with black flake, #297. The water here is so clear that natural colors work best, so I do not waste time on anything else.

What I love about it is how many ways I can rig it:

• Texas rigged on an EWG hook, with or without a bullet weight.
• Wacky rigged, using one of my drop shot hooks.
• Weightless, to get as much action from the worm as I can.

Weightless, it sinks about a second per foot, so I keep it to less than 15 feet of water. That way I am not waiting a long time for it to reach the bottom. I throw it on or around structure: rocks, weeds, lily pads, wood, anywhere a fish might be holding.

Wacky rigging is quickly becoming my favorite way to fish it, because it produces way more strikes than I usually get. Texas rigged has been good for me too. I walk through the wacky rig step by step in my wacky rig guide and the Texas rig in my Texas rig guide.

Check price on Amazon (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

For wacky rigging I use the same small hook as my drop shot rig:

Check price on Amazon (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

2. Football jig with a bug trailer

My jig is a football head around 3/8 oz, usually in green pumpkin or black and blue, with a Googan Squad Bandito Bug as the trailer. The Strike King Finesse Football is the one I throw.

Check price on Amazon (affiliate link, opens in a new tab) Check price on Amazon (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

I fish it along rocks, wood and weed edges. I cover how I work it, from the drag to the hop to setting the hook, in my football jig guide.

3. Drop shot

I like to throw a drop shot when I want to go finesse, and I fish it on spinning gear: a 3/8 oz tungsten weight, a small hook through the nose of the worm, 10 lb braid and a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader. Everything about that setup, with links, is in my finesse spinning combo guide.

4. A small silver paddle-tail swimbait

A paddle-tail swimbait is exciting to fish. I do not tie to one brand, because they all work pretty much the same. What matters to me is size and color: I go a little smaller, to match the bait in the lake, and I prefer a silvery, flashy color over the darker ones. The forage on my lakes is mostly shiners and smelt.

The Keitech Easy Shiner is a widely used small paddle tail that fits that description. I have not fished this exact one, so it is a research pick, not a personal recommendation. Check that the size and color on the page are the small, silver ones you want.

Check price on Amazon (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

What ties it together

• Clear water means natural colors: green pumpkin for the worm and jig, silver for the swimbait.
• Fish the structure: rocks, weeds, lily pads, wood and the edges where they meet open water.
• Keep it simple: four lures cover everything from a few feet down to deeper water.

If you only buy one, start with the Senko.

The lure choices, rigs and colors in this guide are from my own fishing on Lake Winnisquam and Lake Massabesic. The paddle-tail swimbait is a research pick that I have not fished.