Here we go, the 7 best Florida bass lures. This was a tough one to come up with because there are so many good lures out there but the 7 that I’ve chosen are consistently better producers of giant Florida bass than any other lures that I’ve found. This selection of bass fishing lures will cover just about anything that you’ll come across in Florida. I’ve also got another blog on the 5 best topwater lures for fishing Florida. If you’re interested, you can check that out here.
Whether or not an individual lure on the list will work for you depends upon exactly what kind of body of water your fishing and what kind of cover it has to offer the bass. But not to worry I will be going over everything you need to know to catch some giant Florida bass off of these lures. So without any further adieu lets begin.
1. Jerkbait/Fluke
Now these lures aren’t put in any particular order because it really depends on what type of cover you’re fishing that will determine which you’ll want to use. But if there is one lure on this list that has earned the right to be #1 in my eyes it’s a Jerkbait/Fluke.
I put these two together because they are essentially the same bait, just two different versions ( Same thing with a few other lures on the list also). But if you’re just talking about a straight fish catcher a jerkbait/fluke has got to be #1. 
I have 100% caught more fish off of a jerkbait and fluke than any other lure ever. And big fish too, 8-10 pounders. Now while they are both jerk type lures they are also both used in two completely different types of cover.
Jerkbaits excel in any kind of submerged vegetation that is beneath the water. Like hydrilla or eel grass. The key to making a jerkbait work so well is ripping it through this vegetation with a hard jerking motion with your rod tip. This is hard to explain over a blog, I have a great YouTube video explaining exactly how to work one that you can check out here. It’s aptly named “Florida #1 fish catcher”. I’ve got many other good videos on there showing you everything on Florida’s fishing.
You’re going to want to stick with shad and shiner colors with these because that’s what you’re mimicking. I’ll go with more of a translucent color when the water is extremely clear and a solid color when the water is murky. Here’s a Bass pro shops link to my favorite jerkbait the Megabass.
Now a fluke excels in much thicker and tougher vegetation. Like lily pads and Kissimmee grass. A Texas rigged weightless fluke is completely weedless so it can go where a jerkbait cannot. You use it much the same as a jerkbait. Just jerk it around back and forth inside the grass and lily pads.
But there is another way of using a fluke and this is my favorite because I’ve found that it tends to produce more big fish. And that’s dead sticking it. Just throw it to a target and let it sink much like you would a senko. Then jerk it back a couple times and let it sink slowly back down. Rinse and repeat and that’s it. For some reason that little bit of a different fall fish can’t resist.
Now I tend to stick with more natural colors for flukes. Like watermelon and watermelon red. Any of those greenish/brownish colors really excel here in Florida. Here’s a Bass pro link to my favorite fluke that works ANYWHERE. The watermelon fluke.
But whether you’re pond fishing or lake fishing here in Florida you better have a jerkbait/fluke with you.
2. Speed worm
There are many people who would definitely say that a speed worm is the best lure for fishing Florida. And they have a strong argument. Many tournaments in Florida have been won off of a speed worm. Florida bass just for some reason can’t get enough of them. A speed worm is 100% without a doubt the most popular and the most versatile lure for Florida bass fishing.
It can be used as a topwater, just swam back to you, wormed on the bottom, or you can even flip it with a heavy weight into cover. If I had to recommend using only ONE lure off of this list, it’d be a speed worm. Remember how I said it depends on your cover situation which lure will work the best? Well a speed worm will cover just about ANY situation in Florida.
The most popular way of using them is just a steady reel retrieve. Rig one up with around a 1/4 ounce weight and just nice and steady reel it back to you. This retrieve works best if you’re fishing hydrilla or any other type of vegetation you can reel it through. It’s important to feel it going through the vegetation, if you can’t, reel slower.
The second best way is too worm it on the bottom. Using a lighter weight throw it out, let it sink, and very slowly drag it about a foot at a time. If you’re getting hung up to much use a lighter weight. Sometimes when the bite is slow you can pick a few giants off like this. This can be done anywhere, in lily pads, Kissimmee grass, hydrilla, or just on a clean bottom.
As far as color, if you’re fishing dirtier water stick with a darker color like junebug, and if the water is clearer use a more natural color like watermelon red. That’s just a general rule for most soft plastic lure colors here in Florida.
The speed worm is the other must have bait here in Florida. Here’s a Bass Pro link to my favorite Speedworm
3. Worm/Senko
This would not be a complete top Florida bass lure list if it didn’t have a worm on it. The worm is the most well known bass lure ever made and it doesn’t matter where you are at in the country a worm/senko will catch you some bass. Here in the state of Florida a worm not only catches bass, but big bass. Most of the states lake record bass have come off of worms, and the senko specifically is the most sold lure in bass fishing.
Their’s just something about a wacky rigged senko that fish across the country can’t resist.
Now when it comes to worms and senkos it’s important to understand where each of these lures shines. A good old fashioned curly tail worm works best when Texas rigged weedless with a light weight. You can work these things anywhere whether it’s lily pads, Kissimmee grass, or hydrilla or any other type of vegetation on the bottom you can drag a worm through it.
The key though is to drag it slowly. You don’t want to get in a hurry. Fishing as worm is as simple as it gets. Just slowly pull it along until you feel a bite. The big bass in Florida tend to like things slower so remember that when using a worm.
Now a senko is a bit different. It doesn’t work as well as a bottom worked bait as a regular worm does. Where a senko excels is when it is weightless. Just tie on a hook and hook the stick bait through the middle and cast it out to any cover you want whether it is lily pads, a boat dock, or the edge of the grass, basically anywhere where a bass may be, throw it.
But here’s the most important part. DON’T DO ANYTHING WITH IT. Just let it sink. Just throw it to a piece of cover, let it sink to the bottom, lift your rod and if you don’t feel a fish throw it again. Their’s something about that slight little wiggle it makes when falling that fish just have to bite. Most fish you throw a senko in front of will bite it. Big, small, it catches them all. And their’s a reason it is the most sold bait in bass fishing.
The colors are the same as the speed worm. If you’re fishing dirtier water use a darker color and if you’re fishing cleaner water use a more natural color.
If they aren’t biting anything else, they’re biting a senko. Here’s a Bass Pro Shops link to the most popular senko
4. Swimbait/Swim jig
Again these are pretty much the same lure and can be used interchangeably. However there are two different situations that each one specifically excels in in my opinion and it depends on what type of vegetation you’re fishing. A swimbait and swim jig bite is one of the most fun bites in my opinion. When they hit it they usually hit it HARD!
I have won a lot of money in tournaments fishing a swimbait around Kissimmee grass and lily pads. I have a few videos on my YouTube showing exactly how I use them. I’ll put a link to one of them here. 
Now here’s where you’re going to want use this bait. It’s very simple. If you’re fishing around Kissimmee grass and lily pads (basically any type of cover that is sticking out of the water) you’re going to want to use a swimbait. My favorite type of swimbait is the Gambler Big EZ. In a natural type color like copperfield.
Rig it on a very lightly weighted swimbait hook and just throw it out, reel it back in nice and steady, and watch fish absolutely blow up on it! It’s that simple. It’s important that you are throwing it in and around some type of vegetation though. That video link above will show you exactly how and where to throw it.
Now all a swim jig is is a swimbait with a jig head and skirt in front. Swim jigs work best in the hydrilla and other types of submerged vegetation. You’re going to work it exactly the same as you would a swimbait. Just throw it out and reel it back in ticking the tops of the hydrilla. I tend to throw white swim jigs but darker colors and more natural colors like green pumpkin can be good choices also.
Here’s a Bass Pro link to the best swimbait the Gambler Big EZ
5. Frog
This is probably most peoples favorite lure. Their’s just something about a frog that allures people just as much as the bass. It’s the lure I caught my biggest bass on which was a 11.6 pound monster.
While a frog bite can be tough at times it can at any time catch your PB. Now getting bit on a frog and actually catching that bass are two different things. You tend to lose a lot of fish on frogs, it’s just part of frog fishing. It is very important to pause just a second before setting the hook after a fish bites your lure.
Their are two different types of frogs, popping frogs, and walking frogs. Both work, you just have to figure out what they want that day. Their are two main colors that I use, black and white. I use black in low light conditions and white just about every other time. I’ve also found that orange belly one’s work particularly well in the summer or any time there is a lot of bluegill or sunfish around.
Frogs work best around matted out vegetation. That’s typically the only time I throw one.
If you’re fishing Florida chances are you’ve already got a frog in your tackle box. And there isn’t a better place to use it than here.
Here’s a link to the frog I caught my PB on. Terminator popping frog.
6. Rattletrap
Their are some who say that a rattletrap is the #1 fish catcher in Florida over a jerkbait. In my experience that’s not the case. However that does not mean rattletraps are not good. They’re on this list for a reason. My dad’s biggest bass a 15 pound 8 ounce behemoth was caught on one.
Rattletraps tend to work best in the same places a jerkbait would. Around hydrilla or any other type of submerged vegetation that you can rip it through. The colors are simple you really just want to stick with a shad or shiner type color here in Florida. That’s it.
The thickness of the vegetation is going to determine how you work it. If the hydrilla is sparse you’re going to want to do what’s called yo-yoing. Which is where you yank your rod up then let it sink then yank it up again and repeat. Much like a yo-yo. This up and down motion will make bass react into striking.
If the hydrilla is thicker you can just simply throw it out and reel it back in. You want it ticking the top of the grass. If it gets caught up simply yank it out.
Here’s a link to the best rattletrap.
7. Spinnerbait
Another classic Florida bait. These babies have been catching bass here since before I can remember. And they are my dad’s(Capt. Jamie Jackson) favorite bait. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen him sling one of these out and out of nowhere pull in a giant.
They may not always catch the most fish but let me tell you what if you’re seeing a bunch of bait fish swimming around, throw a white spinnerbait. You are liable to catch the biggest fish in that area. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.
When there is a bunch of bait fish, be it shad or shiners, you can’t beat a white spinnerbait. No matter how old they get. I’ve got a video on YouTube of my dad and I catching close to a 25 pound bag on these babies. You can check it out here. If that doesn’t convince you I don’t know what will. And here’s a link to the spinnerbait we were using in that video! Strike King Premier plus
There’s your 7 best Florida bass lures. Now get out there and catch some giants off of them!
Bass wishes,
Capt. AJ