Lures

Lures are artificial devices designed to attract animals or insects by visual, auditory, or chemical stimuli, enabling observers to attract, observe, or harvest them. They are used in fishing, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. Lures differ from bait in that they are typically artificial and designed to provoke a response through designed motion, color, scent, or sound rather than simply presenting food.

In fishing, lures imitate prey to trigger strikes. Common categories include hard plastic plugs, spoons, jigs, spinnerbaits, and soft plastics, as well as flies used in fly fishing. Each type relies on motion, color, texture, and sometimes scent to appeal to target species. In hunting and wildlife management, lures may involve scent attractants or decoys that imitate reproductive displays or other species signals. In pest control, lures use pheromones, food cues, or heat to draw insects or rodents toward traps. Some lures are designed for educational or demonstration purposes in angling or wildlife observation.

Construction and usage aspects include materials such as metal, plastic, wood, or composites, and features like reflective surfaces, buoyancy, ribs, and hooks that affect performance. Lures are used with specific tackle and retrieval techniques, and the choice of lure depends on the target species, water or air conditions, and season. Safety and regulatory considerations may apply, including restrictions on certain devices, hook usage, and environmental impact.

Historically, lures evolved from simple spoons and wooden plugs to a broad range of specialized models developed through the 19th and 20th centuries, driven by advances in materials, testing, and fishing and hunting technologies.