Top 10 Best White Bass Fishing Lures for 2025 (Field-Tested by a Pro)

Tired of coming home empty-handed from your white bass fishing trips? My secret lies in this proven list of the best white bass fishing lures you're about to discover. Each lure has been hand-picked for its ability to perfectly mimic natural prey in size, action, and profile. These are the weapons that ensure I never fail when targeting this species. Follow this guide of riversiderelics.com to turn every one of your fishing trips into a resounding success.

Summary Table of Best White Bass Fishing Lures 

A quick note: While all these lures are killers, I've listed them in a general order of versatility, starting with the ones no angler should be without.

Lure Name	Lure Type	Best Season
Rooster Tail	Inline Spinner	Year-Round, Spring
Rat-L-Trap	Lipless Crankbait	Year-Round
Storm WildEye Swim Shad	Soft Swimbait	Year-Round
Zoom Super Fluke Jr.	Soft Jerkbait	Year-Round
War Eagle Jigging Spoon	Jigging Spoon	Summer, Winter (Deep Water)
Rebel Pop-R	Topwater Popper	Summer, Fall
Bobby Garland Stroll'R	Curly Tail Grub	Year-Round (Finesse)
Strike King KVD 1.5	Squarebill Crankbait	Spring, Fall (Shallow)
Whopper Plopper	Topwater Prop Bait	Summer, Fall
Blakemore Road Runner	Underspin Jighead	Year-Round (All-Purpose)

1. Worden's Original Rooster Tail

A timeless classic, the Rooster Tail is a top choice for its simplicity, versatility, and incredible effectiveness. The combination of an inline blade that puts off intense flash and vibration, along with a pulsating hackle tail, perfectly mimics a small, swimming baitfish. Its simple yet effective design is why the Rooster Tail remains a cornerstone in any serious discussion about the best white bass fishing lures available today.

• When to Fish It: Effective year-round, but it truly shines during the spring spawning runs. Mastering an inline spinner in current is a crucial skill for anyone learning how to fish for bass in spring, as they move up rivers and creeks to spawn. It's also a fantastic choice for casting into schools of fish feeding on the surface.

• Go-To Model: Worden's Original Rooster Tail, in sizes from 1/16 oz to 1/4 oz.

• Confidence Colors: White, Chartreuse, Fire Tiger, and Hammered Silver.

• Pro-Tip for Success: A long cast and a steady retrieve are all it takes. To combat line twist, a common issue with inline spinners, tie a barrel swivel about 12-18 inches above the lure.

2. Bill Lewis Original Rat-L-Trap

A legend in the world of lipless crankbaits, the Rat-L-Trap is an indispensable "search bait" for covering vast amounts of water. Its greatest strength is the signature "Liv-N-Sound" system, which creates loud rattles that mimic distressed baitfish, triggering the competitive, schooling instincts of white bass.

• When to Fish It: Extremely effective in the spring and fall when fish are actively feeding. It can also be yo-yo'd off the bottom to target suspended fish in the summer and winter.

• Go-To Model: Bill Lewis Original Rat-L-Trap, in 1/4 oz and 1/2 oz sizes.

• Confidence Colors: Classic shad patterns like Chrome/Blue Back and Chrome/Black Back are the top producers.

• Pro-Tip for Success: This lure is highly versatile. You can "burn" it back with a fast retrieve, use a steady retrieve, or employ a "yo-yo" technique by ripping the rod up and letting the lure flutter back down.

3. Storm WildEye Swim Shad

This soft plastic swimbait is the epitome of "matching the hatch." It comes pre-rigged and internally weighted, perfectly mimicking the profile, color, and swimming action of a shad. The thumping paddletail creates a lifelike swimming motion, while the 3D eyes and internal holographic foil provide critical visual triggers.

• When to Fish It: A year-round producer, especially when white bass are actively chasing schools of baitfish.

• Go-To Model: Storm WildEye Swim Shad, in 2 to 4-inch sizes.

• Confidence Colors: Natural patterns like Pearl, Shad, and Natural Shad are the best choices.

• Pro-Tip for Success: A simple cast and a slow-to-medium steady retrieve are often enough. Adding short pauses allows the lure to sink slightly, often triggering a strike on the fall.

4. Zoom Super Fluke Jr.

Hailed by Field & Stream magazine as the "Best Overall" white bass lure, the Super Fluke Jr. exemplifies what makes for one of the best white bass fishing lures: incredible versatility. Its unique split-tail design and body shape allow it to dart, glide, and spiral erratically, perfectly imitating a wounded baitfish.

• When to Fish It: A fantastic year-round option due to its adaptability to nearly any white bass fishing situation, from schooling fish on the surface to suspended fish in deep water.

• Go-To Model: Zoom Super Fluke Jr., 4-inch model.

• Confidence Colors: White Pearl, White Ice, and Smokin’ Shad.

• Pro-Tip for Success: A "twitch-twitch-pause" cadence is most effective. Rig it weightless on an offset worm hook for surface action, or add a jighead to target fish in deeper water columns.

5. War Eagle Jigging Spoon

When white bass school up in deep water, the jigging spoon is the undisputed king. The War Eagle Jigging Spoon is renowned for its fast sink rate, hammered finish that maximizes flash, and high-quality components like a built-in swivel and a razor-sharp hook.

• When to Fish It: Summer and winter, when fish are holding in deep water (15-50 feet) to escape the heat or during their pre-spawn staging periods.

• Go-To Model: War Eagle Jigging Spoon, in 1/2 oz or 7/8 oz weights.

• Confidence Colors: Nickel, White, and Gold.

• Pro-Tip for Success: Vertical jigging is the name of the game. Drop the spoon to the bottom, then give the rod a sharp upward "pop" and let the spoon flutter back down on a slack line. Most bites occur as the lure is falling (learn more in our guide to vertical jigging techniques).

6. Rebel Pop-R

This legendary topwater popper has been the standard by which all others are judged for decades. Its signature cupped mouth creates a distinct "popping" and "chugging" sound with each twitch, creating a surface disturbance that mimics a struggling baitfish.

• When to Fish It: Summer and fall, especially during low-light conditions at dawn and dusk when white bass push baitfish to the surface.

• Go-To Model: Rebel Pop-R, 2.5 inch, 1/4 oz model.

• Confidence Colors: Silver/Black Back, Silver/Blue Back, and Foxy Shad.

• Pro-Tip for Success: Work the lure with a "pop-and-pause" cadence. A quick snap of the rod tip creates the "pop," and the subsequent pause is one of the most crucial topwater fishing tips as it gives the fish time to commit and strike.

7. Bobby Garland 2.5” Stroll'R

This lure represents the classic curly tail grub, a simple yet deadly effective design. Its high-action tail is engineered to produce an enticing swimming motion even at very slow speeds, making it ideal for finesse applications.

• When to Fish It: A great year-round option, especially when fish are less active or under heavy fishing pressure.

• Go-To Model: Bobby Garland 2.5” Stroll'R, paired with a 1/16 oz to 1/4 oz jighead.

• Confidence Colors: Bluegrass, Blue Ice, Monkey Milk, and other translucent or two-tone colors.

• Pro-Tip for Success: Incredibly easy to use. Simply pair it with an appropriate jighead and a steady retrieve is all you need to get bit. It can also be "strolled" (a form of slow trolling) or jigged vertically.

8. Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill

The squarebill crankbait is purpose-built for fishing shallow water (3-5 feet deep) and around cover. Its unique "hunting" action and ability to deflect off cover without snagging is its most powerful strike-triggering quality. While deadly for white bass, its design heritage comes from the largemouth tournament world, making it one of the all-time best bass fishing lures for any species feeding in shallow water.

• When to Fish It: Most effective in the spring when fish are migrating up rivers and in the fall when they are feeding on shallow flats.

• Go-To Model: Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill.

• Confidence Colors: Shad patterns (Sexy Shad, Gizzard Shad) and crawfish patterns (Fire Craw, Chartreuse Spring Craw) are excellent when fishing around rocky bottoms.

• Pro-Tip for Success: A medium-speed, steady retrieve that allows the lure to dive and bang into cover is key. Be prepared for a bite the instant the lure deflects off an object.

9. River2Sea Whopper Plopper

The Whopper Plopper is a modern phenomenon in the topwater world. It features a unique rotating tail that creates a deep, resonant "plop-plop-plop" sound, which is incredibly effective at calling fish up from deep water to strike.

• When to Fish It: Summer and fall, where like other topwater lures, it shines in low-light conditions when fish are feeding near the surface.

• Go-To Model: River2Sea Whopper Plopper, in the 75mm or 90mm size.

• Confidence Colors: Bone, Phantom Shad, Loon, and Powder.

• Pro-Tip for Success: A straight, steady retrieve is the most common and effective method. The tail does all the work. Varying your retrieve speed can be the key to triggering a strike.

10. Blakemore Road Runner

This is a classic hybrid lure, combining a jighead with a small spinner blade attached just below it (an "underspin" design). This design offers the best of both worlds: the profile of a jig and the added flash and vibration of a spinner.

• When to Fish It: An excellent "do-it-all" lure that can catch fish in almost any season or condition, especially useful when you're not sure what the fish are keying in on.

• Go-To Model: Blakemore Road Runner, in 1/16 oz or 1/8 oz sizes.

• Confidence Colors: White or Chartreuse jigheads, often tipped with a matching or contrasting soft plastic grub.

• Pro-Tip for Success: A simple "cast and wind" retrieve is highly effective. It can also be slow-rolled along the bottom or jigged vertically.