Lures
Lure families and the physics behind them — what each design does in the water, how it is worked, what it is imitating, and where it stops working. Families rather than products: FishingHQ holds no opinion about a brand.
Crankbaits
A body with a diving lip that pulls it down and gives it a wobbling action — the lure family that fishes a specific, repeatable depth.Dry flies
Flies that float in or on the surface film, imitating adult or emerging insects — the most visual fly fishing and the one where drift beats pattern.Jerkbaits
A lure with no built-in action of its own, which moves only in response to what the angler does with the rod.Jigs and jig heads
A hook with weight moulded at the eye end, which makes a lure fall nose-first and lets the angler control depth precisely.Metal jigs
Dense metal slabs that fish the whole water column on the drop — the only lure family that reaches deep water in strong tide, and the one where the take comes on the fall.Nymphs
Sunk flies imitating the immature stages of aquatic insects — where the fish actually feed for most of the year.Saltwater lures
Poppers, stickbaits, metal jigs, soft plastics and saltwater flies — a family united less by what they imitate than by the corrosion and the loads they must survive.Soft plastics
Flexible moulded lures that feel like prey when a fish takes hold — the most versatile lure family, and the one that has grown most.Spinnerbaits and bladed jigs
A wire-framed lure with a blade and a skirt that is nearly weedless — the answer to fishing vibration and flash through cover that would snag anything else.Spinners
A blade rotating around a straight wire shaft, producing continuous flash and a strong vibration that fish detect through the lateral line.Spoons
A curved metal blade that wobbles and flashes as it is drawn through water — the oldest and simplest artificial lure design still in use.Streamers
Large flies imitating fish, worked actively rather than drifted — fly fishing's answer to a soft plastic.Surface lures
Lures that work on the surface film, producing noise and wake — the least efficient way to catch fish and the most exciting.Swimbaits
Large, realistic lures that imitate a whole fish rather than suggesting one — a low-catch, high-quality approach built on the idea that big predators want one substantial meal.Terrestrial fly patterns
Flies imitating land insects that fall onto the water — the patterns that matter most in small streams, in summer, and whenever nothing is hatching.Wet flies
Soft-hackled flies fished under the surface on a swing, imitating drowned insects and emergers — the oldest fly fishing method there is.
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