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Packing your lures for waters you’ve already fished before should be no problem, but selecting baits for a trip to unfamiliar bass fisheries could turn into quite a guessing game. A little paranoia could set in as you fear you’ll leave behind the one lure that produces limits for local anglers. So you cram almost every lure you own in your boat and struggle to shut the lids of your overstuffed storage boxes.

Since they frequently encounter unfamiliar waters while competing on the tournament trails, bass pros usually rely on a handful of lures to avoid over-packing their boats.

Here are some of the pros’ lure choices that work in most conditions on nearly any bass fishery.

1) Crankbaits

Crankbaits are available in numerous colors, but most pros stick with four basic hues: chartreuse green, shad patterns, chrome and crawfish. They also select a variety of plugs that run from 1 to 12 feet deep. The pros can afford to take less crankbaits than other lures because they keep a lure retriever in their boat that prevents them from losing crankbaits.

2) Jigs

Two plastic utility boxes can hold over 100 jigs in a variety of sizes and colors. The pros stock plenty of jigs in 3/8 and 1/2 ounces in black/blue and brown hues. Keep things simple with a few good versions of a casting, swimming, and football head jig and you’ll be all set. You can never go wrong with a black and blue or green pumpkin jig.

Clearwater – Green pumpkin, natural colors
Dirty Water – Black and blue, vibrant colors

3) Spinnerbaits

Some pros carry a couple hundred spinnerbaits to a tournament, but they suggest any beginning anglers should stock their boxes with a couple of sizes, blade combinations and colors such as 3/8- and 1/2-ounce models with Colorado and willowleaf blades. A spinnerbait with a chartreuse-and-white skirt can be used most of the time because it produces in both clear and murky water.

4) Soft Plastics

The pros consolidate these lures into a box each of lizards, Senkos, creature baits, tubes, and craws/chunks. Each box contains different sizes of each type of these plastic lures. The pros color choices for each box are green pumpkin and June bug for lizards; smoke/red and black/red for tubes; black/blue, green pumpkin and watermelon/red flake for Senkos, creatures, craws and chunks.

5) Finesse Lures

If the pros know they will be visiting a heavily fished lake with clear water, they will also stock boxes with shaky head jigs, finesse worms and terminal tackle for drop shot rigs.

6) Seasonal Lures

Buzzbaits, topwater plugs and plastic worms can be stockpiled in separate boxes for fishing in warmer seasons. A box or two full of suspending stickbaits are a necessity when winter fishing on clear water lakes.