What lures to use depends so much on conditions... water temp... time of day... wind... water clarity... structure you are fishing... depth... so many more variables affect what the bass are feeding on... I suggest you get some magazines or go online to learn the habits off bass and what works during different conditions... even then there are those days where the bite is just not on... several of the lures mentioned above are proven winners... spinnerbait, plastic worms, swimbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits all have been successful..... if its live bait you want to try... shinners make incredible results....
Like everyone is saying, depends on many factors, but i do have a few baits that consistently produce, and they are plastic worms, usually in darker colors, and white or chartreuse spinnerbaits. The spinnerbaits were on fire for me last season. I caught around 75% of my bass on it ( them) went through a few last year.
Been catching them on a whitehaired rostertail, a white or blue and yellow spinnerbait for years. Once the water warms up i use some plastic worms or the good old reliable jitterbug-i have some poppers and crankbaits, but i only use them when nothing else is working.