7 Best Saltwater Fishing Lures We’ve Proven on the Water

Would you like to know the best saltwater fishing lures you need to catch fish pretty much anywhere in the world?

The great news is they do exist. I’ve spent decades fishing and with all that experience, it boils down to only seven lures you need to worry about!

The even better news is you probably have a couple of them in your tackle box already.

So, if you’re traveling, kayaking, wading, or want a simplified tackle box that’s almost guaranteed to get strikes anywhere you can go saltwater fishing, here are the ones I personally recommend.

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Best Saltwater Fishing Lures

1. Paddletail
2. Gold Spoon
3. Shrimp Lure
4. White Bucktail
5. Walk-the-Dog Topwater
6. Jerkbait/Fluke
7. Suspending Twitchbait

7 Best Saltwater Fishing Lures

1. Paddletail Soft Plastic Lure

The paddletail soft plastic is undoubtedly the most versatile of all the best saltwater fishing lures. These lures can draw strikes from pretty much any predator fish that eats smaller baitfish.

Their soft tails generate a wobbling tail motion as they move through the water, enabling this lure to get strikes even with a straight retrieve.

But the reason why it ranks in the top spot is that these lures can effectively cover so many different depth levels.

When rigged on a jig head, this lure can cover water in as shallow as just 10 inches with a tip-up fast retrieve, but the next cast can target depths of 5+ feet by putting the rod tip down and slowing down the retrieve. You can dial it in even more by using a variety of weighted hooks and jig heads.

Our favorite paddletail is our 2.0 in the Slam Shady color. This 3.5-inch lure has gold and silver flecks for extra flash in any water condition, plus an outstanding fish-attracting action.

While you can use the 2.0 any time of the year, it’s often best to match the size of the bait in your area. As the early season bait gets bigger moving into the late spring, you can switch to the 4-inch Mulligan that’s not only larger, but also has dimples that make it a distance champion when you’re making long casts on the flats.

When fish are feeding on mullet or other larger baits, step up to our 5-inch Bomber. This is another long-casting bait that can pull triple duty as a go-to bait for inshore, nearshore, and even offshore fishing.

Pro Tip: If you’re not getting hits right away, try different retrieves and speeds. With a paddletail, you can straight retrieve it like a swimming baitfish, twitch it off the bottom like a shrimp, hop it through the water column like an injured baitfish, or just about anything else you can think of.

The 2.0: $4.99 public price, $3.99 for Members

Mulligan: $6.99 public price, $5.59 for Members

Bomber: $4.99 public price, $3.99 for Members

Try a pack of Slam Shady paddletails for FREE! (just cover the shipping)

2. Gold Spoon

The gold spoon is a staple in more inshore saltwater fisherman’s tackle boxes across the globe than any other fishing lure.

As you probably know, the “spoon” now comes in all sorts of shapes and colors (like the second most popular silver spoon), along with weedless options and single hook or treble hook configurations.

Although there is no one spoon that will always work better than all other spoons, you won’t go wrong with the traditional gold that’s we’ve caught countless types of saltwater species on. The classic Johnson Silver Minnow (available in gold and silver) is still the model we use most often.

The reason it’s so effective is that its polished finish reflects light as it wobbles, creating a similar flash to baitfish and triggering instinctive strikes.

If you’re only going to use one, go with gold. If you have room for both, use silver in clear water and switch to gold in stained or muddy water.

To use it, a straight retrieve is highly effective. Reel just fast enough to feel the spoon wobbling. When you’re fishing potholes, try to keep it just above the grass.

Pro Tip: When you’re using a traditional spoon, it should wobble in the water. Don’t retrieve it too quickly or troll it. If you do, it will spin and twist up your line.

Johnson Silver Minnow: $4.99 public price, $3.99 for Members

3. Shrimp Lure

Just about everything in saltwater eats shrimp (including fishermen). Their unique swimming and escape actions make them a challenge to reproduce with an artificial lure, though.

The best overall artificial shrimp lure that we have ever used is the Prawn and its smaller brother, the Prawn, Jr. Its combination of glide and flexible motion mimics the natural action of a shrimp better than anything else we’ve tested.

Another fantastic shrimp lure is the Berkley Gulp!. While it doesn’t have the same action that the Prawn and Prawn, Jr do, its unique scent has been proven time after time for both recreational and tournament anglers.

One of the reasons I prefer these over pre-rigged artificial shrimp is that you can cover a wider range of depths. Fishing in 18 inches of water? A 1/8-ounce Hoss Helix weighted hook is the way to go. Working a ledge in 40 feet with a strong current? A 3/4-ounce weedless football jig will keep you in contact with the bottom. Pre-rigged shrimp lures can’t do that.

Fishing a shrimp lure is pretty easy. Rigged on a weighted hook or jig head, let it sink to the bottom and give a twitch. Using a popping cork, give it a good, sharp tug to pop the shrimp up and let it sink back down. Most strikes happen on the drop.

Pro Tip: To work an artificial shrimp, let it sink to the bottom and give it a sharp twitch upward. Keep your rod tip up as it sinks back down so it glides forward naturally.

Prawn: $7.99 public price, $6.39 for Members

Prawn, Jr: $7.99 public price, $6.39 for Members

Gulp! Shrimp: $7.99 public price, $6.39 for Members

4. White Bucktail

These days, bucktail jigs come in all kinds of crazy colors and flairs. But I recall the days of fishing down in Marco Island as a kid where all we needed for a fun afternoon of fishing was a Millie’s White Bucktail.

We would catch snook, redfish, speckled trout, and even tarpon all using the exact same white bucktail, so it’s no wonder it makes our list of the best saltwater fishing lures.

Despite tons of new and innovative versions, these white bucktails still work like magic today. Plus, they’re easy to use. Bounce them off the bottom or swim them through the water column. The hair creates a smooth wavy action in the water that makes it look like the jig is alive.

Most people buy their bucktail jigs, but they’re one of the easiest homemade lures to make. Check out this step-by-step tutorial video on how to make and customize bucktails like a pro.

Pro Tip: Add your own flair such as Silver Flashabou or rig a soft plastic on the hook to make your bucktail more appealing to fish.

SPRO Bucktail Jigs: $4.49 – $5.49 public price, $3.59 – $4.39 for Members

5.  Walk-the-Dog Topwater Lure

It doesn’t get much better than a fish attacking a topwater lure. Whether it’s an explosive hit out of nowhere or the drama or huge redfish wake following your lure before the strike, it’s heart-pumping fun.

There are a ton of options for this unmatched fishing style and the best topwater lure for saltwater out there is our very own Salt Strong Moonwalker. It creates the ultimate walk-the-dog action that fish can’t help but hit and its single hooks are better for both you and the fish.

Another proven model you can’t go wrong with is the original Zara Spook topwater plug by Heddon. We recommend either the 5-inch Super Spook or 3.5-inch Super Spook Jr, and if you had to only pick one color, the Bone (white) is always a safe bet.

These lures cover a ton of water since you can cast them a mile. Once you cast, reel at a steady pace and with your rod tip down, twitch the rod to get a zig-zagging action going.

Pro Tip: Use a loop knot to tie on walk-the-dog and other topwater lures to get the best action from them.

Original Moonwalker: $9.97 public price, $6.98 for Members

Moonwalker SBD: $9.97 public price, $7.98 for Members

Super Spook Jr: $7.99 public price, $6.39 for Members

6. Jerkbait/Fluke

Freshwater, Saltwater, Brackish water… a quality jerkbait can attract a fish strike almost anywhere! In fact, the jerkbait (AKA fluke) is one of the best overall artificial lures for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. Pretty much anything that eats a baitfish will eat a jerkbait.

They’re easy to rig weedless on a weightless or weight hook for shallower depths. With a 1/4-ounce jig head, they’re killer for trout in deeper grass and fantastic for beach snook.

The Polk County Tweaker is our go-to jerkbait. Available in a variety of colors, it doesn’t have the same belly profile as others like the Zoom Fluke, but it’s twitching action in the water is incredible and more importantly, irresistible to saltwater fish.

Similar to my shrimp lure recommendations, the Berkley Gulp! Saltwater Jerk Shad is another excellent choice thanks to its scent profile.

In shallow water, work the bait using a twitch-pause-twitch motion with your rod tip down. On deeper flats, let it sink to the bottom and give it a sharp twitch up to get the attention of big trout. When you’re targeting bluefish, mackerel, and other fast-attacking species, put a little heavier jig head on and twitch it quickly all the way through the water column.

Pro Tip: Jerkbaits don’t create as much disturbance in the water as paddletails, so they’re a great option to avoid spooking fish in calm, clear water.

Polk County Tweaker: $6.99 public price, $5.59 for Members

Gulp! Jerk Shad: $7.99 public price, $6.39 for Members

7. Suspending Twitchbait

Twitchbaits are ideal to have because they are designed to mimic a glass minnows, white bait, and other baitfish which are among the natural favorites for cruising coastal predator game fish.

If I were only able to bring one twitchbait with me, the MirrOLure MirrOminnow suspending twitchbait is the best and their MirrOdine would be a close second. It’s size and profile are perfect, attracting everything from redfish to mackerel.

The basic retrieve is a constant twitching action with the rod tip down, similar to a walk-the-dog bait. Since it suspends on the pause, you can also twitch-pause-twitch, make a series of twitches with longer pauses, or any combination of twitches, pauses, and speeds.

Pro Tip: MirrOlure treble hooks are unforgiving—which is great for catching fish, but also for snagging hands. Consider swapping the treble hooks out for singles to reduce the risk.

MirrOlure MirrOminnow: $9.99 public price, $7.99 for Members

MirroLure MirrOdine: $9.99 public price, $7.99 for Members

Improve the Best Saltwater Lures with a Scented Attractant

Adding a scent to your lure might be the difference between a fish being spooked off or interested enough to strike! While many soft plastics have a scent in them already, we still recommend adding to it along with your unscented hard baits. The exceptions are Berkley Gulp! products.

Dr. Juice Inshore Slam Scent is hands down the ultimate difference-maker in terms of additional attraction to your lures. Even for the best saltwater lures, it improves your odds. Its combination of oil and water-based ingredients is specifically designed to disperse in water and trigger bites from the pickiest inshore fish.

Pro Tip: Reapply Dr. Juice every 15 – 30 minutes to keep the scent going. Just a drop is all you need.

Dr. Juice Saltwater Slam: $9.49 public price, $7.59 for Members

Where Will These Saltwater Fishing Lures Work?

Anywhere there is saltwater!

I have personally been saltwater fishing in over 10 countries, and I have seen many of these same lures below catch all kinds of species of saltwater fish. Believe me, at least one of these top saltwater fishing lures below will work on any and all of the 7 continents:

• North America
• South America
• Africa
• Europe
• Asia
• Australia / New Zealand
• Even Antarctica!

Freshwater Bonus:

Most of these saltwater lures can also help you catch fish in freshwater lakes and large freshwater bodies in the world, especially for fish such as largemouth bass or pike.

What’s the Best Saltwater Lure for Shore Fishing?

Any of the lures we recommended will work from shore, but if we could only choose one, it would depend on the type of shore fishing you’re doing.

From the beach or shoreline, go with a paddletail. If you’re fishing from a bridge or pier, the shrimp lure is what I’d turn to. Just remember to match the weight of your rigging to the depth and current for the best results.

What Rod and Reel Setup Should I Use?

For fishing around the flats and shorelines with these saltwater lures, we recommend a 2500 to 3500 series spinning reel spooled with 10-lb braid on a 7′ or 7’6″ medium action rod.

If you’re going to be fishing piers and bridges, go ahead and step up to 20-lb braid and consider going with a medium-heavy action rod.

What Leader Line Should I Use?

Around the flats, a 2-foot 15-lb test monofilament line is all you need. If you’re fishing close to structure, you can step up to 20-lb or even 30-lb if you’re expecting to hook bigger fish. Keep in mind that the lighter the leader, the more strikes you’re likely to get, so go as light you can while still landing your catch.

You might be surprised that I’m not recommending fluorocarbon. After years of testing, our objective results proved that monofilament is the superior material. It’s what we trust for ourselves and recommend to our Members.