Black Bass

Black Bass Lures at Charlie's Fishing: Japanese Softbaits, Topwaters, Crankbaits, Swimbaits and Rigs

Black bass lures have to do two things well: trigger a fish that sits tight to cover, and fool one that has already seen every lure on the lake. Black bass hunt around rocks, sunken trees, weed beds and steep banks, and in the clear reservoirs and lakes of Spain, France, Italy and Portugal they can be very selective. In this collection you find our lures for black bass: softbaits for the Texas rig, Carolina rig, wacky rig, Ned rig and drop shot, topwaters, crankbaits and twitchbaits, soft and hard swimbaits, glidebaits, spinnerbaits, and the hooks that go with them. A big part of the range comes from Japan, where these lures were designed for exactly this fish. Below you find which lure is for which situation.

Japanese bass lures: Jackall, Megabass, DSTYLE, HideUp and more

Japanese brands design most of their lures for black bass first, which is why they fit so well on European bass waters. We stock Jackall (topwaters, swimbaits and finesse softbaits), Megabass (the Hazedong softbaits), DSTYLE (worms, creature baits and finesse spinnerbaits designed with pro angler Daisuke Aoki), HideUp (the Stagger and Coike series), Fish Arrow (Flash Jerk softbaits with a foil insert), Gan Craft (the Jointed Claw), DRT (Klash and Cramp Shad), Kaesu (adjustable big baits and the RANKA spinnerbait) and Madotachi (soft crankbaits). Next to them you find Rapala, BlueBlue Fishing, Nays, Swimbait Republic, SPRO, Gamakatsu and two Spanish brands, Hispano Lures and Walobaits. Read more about the Japanese finesse range in our blog HideUp Lures: Japanese Finesse Baits such as Coike, Stagger Stick, Stagger Craw.

Topwater lures for black bass: walkers, poppers and bugs

Early in the morning, at dusk and on warm, calm days, black bass feed at the surface, and a topwater is the most exciting way to catch them. The Jackall Slick Bait (120 mm, 15 g) is a floating surface lure with a jointed elastomer tail that slides left and right on the retrieve; run the line through the body and you steer where it goes along weed beds and jetties. The BlueBlue Inemun 60 is a compact 6 cm pencil with a natural walk the dog action for calm conditions and pressured fish, and the Rapala Claptail 110 (11 cm, 25 g) has a rotating tail blade that makes a rhythmic clapping sound for bass that hunt actively and for windy days. When bass feed on insects along overhanging trees, the Jackall Chubby Bug 35 is a tiny floating crankbait shaped like a beetle, with silicone legs that keep moving during the pause. The Illex MoMouse (42 mm body, 7 g) is a mini wakebait that leaves a clear wake along banks and stone groynes. See all Topwaters and the Mouse & Bucktail Lures.

Crankbaits, twitchbaits and jerkbaits for black bass

Hard lures let you cover water and find active bass along rocky banks and drop-offs. The Nays CRNK FLT (7.5 cm, 10.5 g) is a slow floating crankbait that runs at 0.8 to 1.5 m and rises gently during each pause. The Madotachi Soft Hanitas Crank 3 is a floating soft crankbait with a hollow body: fish it slowly over submerged weed, or remove the treble and rig it on an offset hook for a more weedless presentation. To twitch, the Rapala Air Boss 8 cm is a suspending twitchbait that casts far thanks to its tungsten weight system and hangs in the strike zone at 1.2 to 1.5 m during the pause. The Rapala Shadow Rap Shad Deep Twitchbait is the one for bass holding deeper in clear water: it darts sharply from side to side and sinks slowly in a horizontal posture on the pause. More in Crankbaits & Twitchbaits, Jerkbaits and Vibration Baits.

Worms and stick baits for wacky rig, neko rig and Texas rig

A slim worm or stick bait is the softbait every bass angler starts with. The Megabass Hazedong 4" (10 cm) is a slim baitfish worm that rolls and darts with minimal rod movement, weightless, on a light jig head or in finesse rigs. The DSTYLE Torquee Straight Type HG 3.8" (9.7 cm) is a straight worm with maximum salt content, so it falls faster and keeps working while it rests on the bottom: fish it on a neko rig, wacky style or on an offset hook. The HideUp Wapper 4" has a panic action on the fall and works on wacky, Ned, neko and Texas rigs as well as a heavier drop shot, so one bait covers several techniques around weed and wood. The DSTYLE Freeimo 65 (6.5 cm, 7.7 g) is a compact do-nothing bait that skips under overhanging cover and sinks slowly towards the bank on an offset hook, with or without a nail sinker. See all Ned's & Worms.

Craws and creature baits for Texas rig, Carolina rig and jig trailer

Around rocks, sunken trees and reed beds, a craw or creature bait on a Texas rig is the classic way to pull a black bass out of cover. The HideUp Stagger Craw 4" (102 mm, 8 g) has large, active claws and a refined action for cautious fish on a drop shot, jig head or Carolina rig. When you need more vibration, in coloured water or heavy cover, the HideUp Stagger Wide Hog 4" (102 mm, 20 g) is a bulky creature bait with multiple appendages that fishes weedless through vegetation, on a Carolina rig or as a jig trailer. The DSTYLE SVSB Big 3.4" (8.6 cm, 10 g) is a sinking creature bait with integrated legs and a twin tail that skips easily under overhanging trees, Texas rigged or as a trailer on a rubber jig. The Walobaits Maramba Craw 3", from a small Spanish brand, is a finesse craw with shrimp scent for the Texas rig, Ned rig and neko rig over hard bottom and gravel. More in Craws & Creature Baits.

Ned rig and drop shot: finesse for pressured bass

In clear water, in cold conditions and on heavily fished lakes, bass often take a small bait that moves on the spot. The Rapala CrushCity Salted NedRoll is a floating, ribbed finesse bait with a spade tail, built for the Ned rig and drop shot when fish feed on small baitfish close to the bottom. The Hazedong, the Wapper and the Stagger Craw above all fish on a drop shot too, and the Torquee on a neko rig stands up off the bottom with a nail sinker in the tail. On the drop shot the weight sits on the bottom and the bait hangs just above it; on the Ned rig a light, flat jig head keeps a buoyant bait standing upright. The same finesse lures catch perch, so also see Perch.

Soft swimbaits and paddle tails for black bass

A soft swimbait on a weighted offset hook or a jig head lets you fish the water column without snagging. The HideUp Stagger Original 4" (102 mm, 10 g) is an all-round soft swimbait with a low-pitch rolling action for a 3/0 to 4/0 hook, sitting between finesse and power fishing. The DRT Cramp Shad (11 cm, 10 g) combines a small V-tail with a high-frequency paddle tail for a subtle, natural swim, weightless, on a light jig head or a weighted offset hook. For a bigger meal, the Hispano Lures Polaris 147 (147 mm, 37 g) is a floating soft swimbait, made one by one in Spain, with a line-through system that lets you rig the treble on the back for weedy water or underneath for deeper spots. The Jackall Vividus (145 mm, 51 g) is a floating soft swimbait that wobbles at the slowest speed over weed beds and snags, with tungsten inserts to fine-tune how it sits. See all Soft Swimbaits and Glidebaits and Paddle Tails.

Swimbaits and glidebaits for big black bass

Big bass eat big prey, and a jointed swimbait or glidebait fished slowly along a drop-off or over a weed bed is a proven way to pick out the largest fish of the lake. The Jackall Gantarel is a floating three-section swimbait with a bluegill profile that turns 180 degrees on a sharp twitch, with two line eyes to adjust the action. The Swimbait Republic Glideway 126 (12.6 cm, 29.5 g) is the compact glidebait for a lighter baitcaster: with the lead stickers you make it floating, suspending or sinking, and it does its best work on the pause. The Nays TRN 130 (130 mm, 19 g) swaps its lip and tail in seconds, so you get an S-curve glide or an aggressive cranking action out of one lure, and the SPRO KGB Lil Guy 120 (120 mm, 26 g) is a compact swimbait with a natural rolling action for open water and structure. For a slow, deliberate presentation the HideUp Nota Nota S (11.5 cm, 53 g) is a sinking glidebait designed for bass that holds its posture during long pauses along drop-offs. The bigger swimbaits in this collection, from Gan Craft, DRT, Kaesu and Gamakatsu, are covered in Swimbaits & Glidebaits.

Spinnerbaits for black bass

A spinnerbait finds bass in coloured water and around weed, where flash and vibration do the work. The Kaesu RANKA is a Japanese spinnerbait with an adjustable weight from 10.6 to 14.2 g and a Knocking Blade System: set the front blade to touch the rear blade for irregular speed changes, or switch it off for a stable slow roll near the bottom. The DSTYLE D-Spiker Compact 10.5g is a finesse spinnerbait with a small profile and strong blades for pressured fish; DSTYLE describes it as a spinnerbait you can fish almost like a worm. See all Chatterbaits & Spinnerbaits.

Hooks, weights and leaders for bass rigs

Most bass softbaits are fished on an offset hook (Texas rig, Carolina rig, weightless) or a wacky hook. The Gamakatsu Wacky Worm 318 is a wide gape wacky and drop shot hook with a round bend that lets the worm move freely, for softbaits up to 15 cm. Around docks and vegetation the Gamakatsu G-Finesse Weedless Wacky adds a flexible wire weed guard. Offset hooks, Ned rig heads, jig heads, bullet weights and drop shot weights are in Hooks and Rigs, Jigheads and Weights. Black bass do not bite through line, so a fluorocarbon leader from Lines and Leaders is enough, unless pike share the water.

Which black bass lure for which situation

• Early morning and dusk, calm water: Jackall Slick Bait or BlueBlue Inemun 60; Rapala Claptail 110 when there is wind.
• Bass tight to rocks, trees and reed beds: HideUp Stagger Craw 4" or DSTYLE SVSB Big 3.4" on a Texas rig.
• Clear water and pressured fish: Megabass Hazedong 4" wacky or on a drop shot, Rapala CrushCity Salted NedRoll on a Ned rig.
• Skipping under overhanging trees and docks: DSTYLE Freeimo 65 or HideUp Wapper 4" on a weedless wacky hook.
• Covering rocky banks and drop-offs: Nays CRNK FLT, Rapala Air Boss 8 cm or Rapala Shadow Rap Shad Deep.
• Coloured water and weed: Kaesu RANKA, DSTYLE D-Spiker Compact 10.5g or HideUp Stagger Wide Hog 4".
• Big bass on a slow presentation: Jackall Gantarel, Swimbait Republic Glideway 126 or HideUp Nota Nota S.
• Bass feeding on insects or small fry: Jackall Chubby Bug 35 or Illex MoMouse. Many of these lures also catch Perch, Zander and Pike.

Why buy black bass lures at Charlie's Fishing

We are a specialised predator fishing webshop and stock black bass lures from Jackall, Megabass, DSTYLE, HideUp, Fish Arrow, Gan Craft, DRT, Kaesu, Madotachi, Rapala, BlueBlue, Nays, Swimbait Republic, SPRO, Gamakatsu, Hispano Lures and Walobaits, with the hooks, weights and leaders to rig them. Every order ships from our own stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery to Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and the rest of Europe, and we are happy to help you choose the right lure for your lake or reservoir.

What is the best lure for black bass?

There is no single best lure, but a softbait on a Texas rig or wacky rig catches black bass in most situations. In clear, pressured water a finesse worm on a drop shot or Ned rig usually works best; when bass are active, a topwater, crankbait or spinnerbait finds them faster.

Which softbaits do I need for the Texas rig and the wacky rig?

For the Texas rig use a craw or creature bait, such as the HideUp Stagger Craw 4" or DSTYLE SVSB Big 3.4", on an offset hook with a bullet weight. For the wacky rig use a straight worm or stick bait, such as the DSTYLE Torquee Straight or HideUp Wapper 4", hooked through the middle on a wacky hook.

Can I use black bass lures for perch and zander?

Yes. Finesse softbaits, drop shot and Ned rig baits, small crankbaits and compact spinnerbaits catch perch just as well, and larger worms and swimbaits also take zander and pike. Add a fluorocarbon leader, or a wire leader where pike are present.