Introduction to the Global Lure Market
The world of fishing lures is a multi-million-dollar industry, driven by the relentless pursuit of the next big catch. From the intricate handcrafted creations of artisan lure makers to the mass-produced, scientifically engineered baits of global corporations, fishing lures represent a fascinating blend of art, science, and a deep understanding of predatory fish behavior. A well-designed lure can mean the difference between an empty net and a trophy-winning catch. This article will delve into some of the most popular and influential fishing lure brands in the world, exploring what makes them so successful and beloved by anglers of all skill levels, from those fishing for pike in Ireland to those chasing trout in the USA.
The Most Popular Brands of Fishing Lures in the World
Here is a list of some of the most popular and respected fishing lure brands, known for their innovation, quality, and effectiveness.
- Rapala
- Berkley
- Strike King
- Megabass
- Savage Gear
- Daiwa
- Westin
- Z-Man
- Mepps
- Bonibaits
Rapala Lures
Rapala, a name synonymous with fishing, has a legendary status that dates back to its humble beginnings in Finland in 1936. The brand’s founder, Lauri Rapala, hand-carved his first lure from cork, and his quest for the perfect lure action laid the foundation for a global empire. Today, Rapala is renowned for its balsa wood lures, a material chosen for its lightweight buoyancy and incredibly lifelike action. The use of balsa wood allows the lures to have a unique, sensitive wobble that mimics a wounded baitfish, a movement that predatory fish find irresistible.
Advantages and Popularity: Rapala’s popularity stems from a combination of time-tested designs and a commitment to quality. Their lures are known for their consistent performance right out of the box. They are versatile and can be used for a wide range of species, from trout to bass and walleye. The brand is trusted by both professional anglers and weekend warriors.
Materials and Best Sellers: The core of Rapala’s success lies in its use of materials like balsa wood for its classic hard baits, complemented by a variety of hard and soft plastics in its newer lines. The Original Floater, the lure that started it all, remains a best-seller, known for its versatility. The Shad Rap, with its tight wobble, is a go-to for cold or clear water. The DT (Dives-To) Series is a favorite for anglers who need to hit precise depths quickly.
Berkley Lures
Berkley is a brand that revolutionized the fishing world with a scientific approach to lure design, particularly with its soft plastic baits. Their most famous innovation is the Gulp! series, which is not a traditional plastic but a water-based, biodegradable material. This material is engineered to disperse scent into the water at an incredibly high rate, creating a scent trail that attracts fish from a distance.
Advantages and Popularity: The primary advantage of Berkley’s soft plastics is their scent dispersion, which they claim is 400 times greater than traditional plastic baits. This “unfair advantage” expands the fish’s strike zone and triggers bites from inactive or pressured fish. Berkley lures offer a lifelike feel, and their biodegradable nature makes them an environmentally conscious choice.
Materials and Best Sellers: Berkley’s lures are primarily made from their proprietary materials, such as the water-based Gulp! and the scented, durable PowerBait. The Gulp! Jerk Shad and Gulp! Peeler Crab are highly popular for their ability to mimic natural baits. The PowerBait range, with its scientifically-formulated scents, is a staple in tackle boxes around the world, especially for bass and trout fishing.
Strike King Lures
Strike King has established itself as a dominant force, particularly in the bass fishing world. The brand is known for its wide array of hard and soft baits that are designed to be highly effective and affordable. Strike King’s reputation is built on its collaboration with professional anglers, who help design and test the lures, ensuring they meet the demands of tournament-level fishing.
Advantages and Popularity: Strike King’s lures are praised for their durability, realistic movement, and noise-making capabilities, which are crucial for attracting predatory fish. They offer a vast range of products for both freshwater and saltwater fishing, from topwater lures to deep-diving crankbaits. Their lures are easy to use and appeal to a wide audience, from beginners to pros.
Materials and Best Sellers: The brand uses a variety of materials, including hard plastics for crankbaits and jigs, as well as a range of soft plastics for their famous Rage Tail series. The KVD (Kevin VanDam) series of hard baits, including crankbaits and jerkbaits, are top sellers. The Rage Tail soft plastics, with their unique tail designs that create significant vibration, have a cult following among anglers targeting pike, bass, and other predators.
Megabass Lures
Hailing from Japan, Megabass is a brand that has achieved a cult following for its masterfully crafted, high-end lures. Founded by the visionary Yuki Ito, Megabass blends handcrafted artistry with cutting-edge technology. Each lure is based on a hand-carved original, resulting in an exceptional level of detail and precision that sets them apart from mass-produced baits.
Advantages and Popularity: Megabass lures are celebrated for their unparalleled performance and aesthetic appeal. They are known for their Silent Gravity Oscillation System, which ensures long, accurate casts and a perfect, erratic swimming action. The lifelike finish, often featuring holographic foils, creates a natural flash that entices wary predators. These lures are designed to inspire confidence and deliver results in high-pressure situations.
Materials and Best Sellers: Megabass primarily uses robust hard plastics and high-quality components. Their most famous lure is the Vision 110 Jerkbait, which is widely regarded as one of the most effective hard lures in modern bass and trout fishing. Other popular models include the Dark Sleeper soft swimbait and the Zonk series of hard baits.
Savage Gear
Savage Gear, a Scandinavian brand, has made a name for itself by creating some of the most realistic and innovative lures on the market. Their philosophy is to produce lures that perfectly replicate the look and movements of real fish, a goal they achieve using advanced 3D scanning technology. This allows for incredibly detailed designs and lifelike swimming actions.
Advantages and Popularity: Savage Gear’s biggest advantage is its hyper-realism. Their 4D Line Thru system is another game-changer, where the line passes through the body of the lure, allowing it to slide up the line after a fish strike. This not only increases the hook-up rate but also prevents the lure from getting damaged by the fish’s teeth, making it highly durable. Savage Gear is particularly popular with pike anglers due to their range of large, realistic baits.
Materials and Best Sellers: Savage Gear utilizes a variety of durable materials, including soft and hard plastics, often based on precision 3D scans of real baitfish. The 3D Line Thru Pike and 3D Suicide Duck are iconic examples of their innovative designs. The Cannibal Shad is another best-seller, known for its lethal action and effectiveness across various predatory species.
Daiwa Lures
Daiwa is a global giant in the fishing industry, famous for its reels and rods, but it also boasts a formidable lineup of technologically advanced lures. The brand focuses on incorporating patented technologies into its lures to enhance casting distance, action, and fish-attracting capabilities.
Advantages and Popularity: Daiwa’s lures are a testament to Japanese engineering and a focus on precision. Features like the Maglock casting system, which uses magnets to ensure a long, balanced cast, and ADEL Hologram Foil, which provides a lifelike holographic flash, set their lures apart. They also offer lures with their proprietary Elastomax material, a stretchy and durable soft plastic that provides a highly realistic swimming action.
Materials and Best Sellers: Daiwa utilizes advanced plastics and a variety of internal components, including magnetic weight transfer systems. The Shore Line Shiner series of hard baits is legendary among bass anglers, and their Bait Junkie soft plastics are popular for their built-in scent and unique keeper design that prevents the plastic from slipping.
Westin Lures
Rooted in a legacy of Scandinavian craftsmanship, Westin Fishing has transitioned from a small, handmade lure company to a global brand known for its effective predator baits. The brand is built on the foundation of the “Westin-roll,” an irresistible side-to-side action that was the hallmark of the founder, Ingvar Westin’s, original lures.
Advantages and Popularity: Westin lures are known for their consistent, lifelike action that mimics a wounded baitfish, often triggering strikes when other lures fail. Their products are rigorously field-tested, ensuring they perform in real-world fishing scenarios. Westin has a diverse range that caters to both freshwater and saltwater anglers, from pike and perch to halibut and cod.
Materials and Best Sellers: Westin uses a variety of materials, including durable plastics and high-quality components for its hard and soft baits. The Westin Swim is a popular glide bait for pike fishing, known for its erratic action. The Danny the Duck is another famous lure from their line, showcasing their commitment to unique and effective designs.
Z-Man Lures
Z-Man is a brand that has gained a strong reputation for its incredibly tough and buoyant soft plastic lures. Their revolutionary ElaZtech material is the key to their success. This super-stretchy material is virtually indestructible, allowing anglers to catch dozens of fish on a single lure without it tearing or falling apart.
Advantages and Popularity: The primary advantage of Z-Man lures is their durability, which is an impressive “10X Tough” compared to traditional soft plastics. The material’s buoyancy also gives the lures a lifelike, upright posture on the bottom, mimicking a crawfish or a baitfish feeding. This realism, combined with their incredible longevity, makes them a cost-effective choice for serious anglers.
Materials and Best Sellers: Z-Man’s lures are made exclusively from their patented ElaZtech material. The ChaterBait, a bladed jig, is one of their most popular products, and the Z-Man Slim SwimZ and Z-Man StreakZ are top choices for those who enjoy finesse fishing techniques.
Mepps Lures
Mepps is an iconic name in the world of spinners, with a history dating back to 1938 in France. The brand’s claim to fame is that more record fish have been caught on Mepps lures than any other lure brand. Their spinners are celebrated for their unique blade design, which produces an irresistible flash and vibration that mimics small, fleeing prey.
Advantages and Popularity: Mepps lures are simple, effective, and incredibly versatile. They can be used to catch everything from trout and bass to pike and salmon. The key to their success is the precisely machined brass components and stainless steel shafts, which ensure the blade rotates perfectly every time. Their hand-tied bucktail skirts add a lifelike pulse that is highly attractive to fish.
Materials and Best Sellers: Mepps spinners are crafted from high-quality metals like brass and stainless steel, with blades available in various colors and finishes. The Mepps Aglia is the original and most famous spinner, known as the “World’s #1 Lure.” The Black Fury and Comet series are also staple lures in the Mepps lineup, each offering a slightly different action and profile.
Bonibaits Lures
Bonibaits is a lesser-known but highly respected brand of handmade lures from Sweden. The brand specializes in high-quality, handcrafted soft plastics for predator fishing, particularly for pike. The fact that each lure is meticulously hand-poured and hand-painted ensures an unparalleled level of quality control and a unique, lifelike feel in the water.
Advantages and Popularity: The core advantage of Bonibaits is their artisanal quality and attention to detail. The hand-poured process gives the lures a subtle, natural feel, while the hand-painted finishes provide a depth of color that is visually appealing to fish. They are made from a durable, phthalate-free soft plastic that is both resilient and environmentally responsible. Their designs, such as the Happy Hybrid, are engineered to push water and create a strong acoustic signal that attracts large, lethargic pike.
Materials and Best Sellers: Bonibaits lures are made from a special, durable, and environmentally friendly soft plastic. The Happy Hybrid and Happy Slim families are their best-selling ranges. The Happy Hybrid, with its hybrid tail design, is a versatile lure that can be used for both casting and trolling, while the Happy Slim is known for its slender profile and smooth, side-to-side action. These handmade lures are gaining popularity among anglers who appreciate craftsmanship and superior performance.















