**TERRESTRIAL TEMPTATION: Big Ant** Crankbaits may be well down the list of the most popular panfish offerings, but when the fish are on the bank, especially in extremely clear water, crankbaits are the best lure for a long-distance approach. The 1/8-ounce Big Ant is perfect for the shallows- it'll dive to a maximum of about 2 feet with a steady retrieve on ultralight line. A slow retrieve allows you to work the rattling lure along the surface. Try the spring grub color in clear water and firetiger in murky water. ($4.59; lurenet.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor
Click 'NEXT' to start the gallery for the best panfish lures. Outdoor Life Online Editor**TWEAKING A STANDARD: Thunder Bug** Long used for trout, bass and muskies, Mepps spinners are now designed for panfish. The Thunder Bug has a spinner that resembles the wings of an insect. Try a No. 0 with a gold blade and green body. ($3.50; mepps.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**VERSATILE NOISEMAKER: Rat-L-Trap** When white bass are schooling, bust out a Rat-L-Trap. It can be burned just below the surface, slow-rolled along the bottom or fished anywhere in between. Use a 1/4-ounce Mini-Trap in chrome with a blue back, but if the fish are small or shallow, go with the 1/8-ounce Tiny Trap. ($5.49; rat-l-trap.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**OLD RELIABLE: Beetle Spin** This safety-pin-style spinnerbait can catch practically any fish. The design allows you to use it in brush or weeds, and the removable safety-pin assembly allows it to double as a regular jig. The chartreuse-and-black combo is a favorite, but the bait is available in myriad colors. ($.99; berkley-fishing.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**CRAPPIE KILLER: Road Runner** Available with a feather or plastic body, and featuring an under-slung spinner blade, the Road Runner can be bounced along the bottom or waked under the surface. In clear water use marabou bodies; in stained to muddy water, employ a plastic body with a straight, curly or squid tail.($2.29; blakemorelure.com) Outdoor Life Online EditorClick 'NEXT' to start the gallery for the best trout lures. Outdoor Life Online Editor**BIG ACTION: Flatfish** The Flatfish has all the action you need when trout are holding on the edge of a current seam. The oddly shaped plug has a side-to-side wobble that'll call fish from the deepest cover. The 2 3/4-inch X-5 in a metallic gold/black back is perfect when there's some color to the water. ($6.44; yakimabait.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**GOLD IN A JAR: Trout Dough** With the spring spawn, trout eggs are a major food source. Rather than deal with messy eggs, use Berkley's new Gulp! Trout Dough. Just roll it into a ball, slide it on a hook placed below a small split shot and drift it in the current. ($6.49; berkley-fishing.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**HIGH-WATER WONDER: Wiggle Wart** When rivers run high and currents are strong in the spring, you need to use lures that will run deep and true. Storm's Wiggle Wart will do both, while maintaining an enticing wobble. Just let it out into the current and walk it downstream through deep holes and alongside trout-holding cover like current breaks and seams. A 3/8-ounce, 2-inch Wart in any bright color is highly effective in fast water, especially if it's a little off-color. ($4.29; stormlures.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**THE GOLD STANDARD: Panther Martin** This lure's shaft-through-the-blade design allows the blade to spin as soon as you begin to reel. It's available in 1/32- to 1/2-ounce sizes, but a 1/8-ounce lure is large enough to attract bigger fish, but not so big that it scares smaller ones. ($3.89; panthermartin.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**SPOON-FEED 'EM: Little Cleo** Because of its "humpbacked" design, the Little Cleo has an unusual, yet effective, wobble that works in any type of current-from slack to deep and fast. A 1/6-ounce model in gold and red is perfect for a low flow, but go to a 1/3-ounce if there's a lot of current. ($2.29; acmetackle.com Outdoor Life Online EditorClick 'NEXT' to start the gallery for the best walleyes lures. Outdoor Life Online Editor**BACK TO BASICS: Crawler Harness** A crawler on a harness can be dragged along the bottom, swum through the water column or burned just under the surface. Use a 36-inch harness with two No. 4 hooks and a gold or nickel blade in clear water, a firetiger in murky water or a hot yellow blade in muddy water. ($2.40; lindyfishingtackle.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**GO VERTICAL: Buck-Shot Spoon** To get finicky bottom-hugging walleyes to bite, vertically jig this 3/8-ounce spoon in Silver Shiner finish to mimic a distressed baitfish. The built-in sound chamber adds attraction in off-color water. ($4.95; northlandtackle.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**BEST SEARCH BAIT: Little Ripper** When the water's muddy and the fish aren't homing in on a jig, try trolling a 500 series Little Ripper in Eriedescent color. The minnow-style search bait is neutrally buoyant and has a unique lip, so it tracks true at a variety of speeds. ($5.69; reefrunner.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**LIVE BAIT SUBSTITUTE: 3-Inch Minnow ** These lures offer lifelike scent and action without the hassle associated with live bait. Tip your jigs with smelt-colored minnows for spring walleyes. They work as well as the real thing, but are more durable and stay on the hook better. Recharge their scent by returning them to the container. ($20-$40 per container; berkley-fishing.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor**DOUBLE-DUTY CRANK: Minnow Rap** When you can't decide between a conventional crankbait and a minnow-style crankbait in casting or trolling situations, the new 43/8-inch Minnow Rap splits the difference- it's elongated but has a deeper body than a typical thin-profile Rapala, thereby giving feeding walleyes a larger profile to focus on. The 3/8-ounce bait in Hot Steel- a deadly combination of blue back, chartreuse sides and orange belly-mimics a wide variety of baitfish. ($6.99; rapala.com) Outdoor Life Online Editor
These 15 lures are all you’ll ever need to catch walleyes, trout, and panfish.
