Daredevles, jitterbugs, hula poppers. Does anyone use them today? 2025

Fishing Rhino reply :

These were the staples of most tackleboxes when I was a kid, along with a Heddon Flatfish or two.

Al's Goldfish, and Johnson's Silver Minnow spoon. Never caught a thing on the Flatfish, Goldfish, or the Silver Minnow. My inability to use them properly, no doubt. Those I did not purchase when I started again.

When I started fishing again last year, I bought a couple of each, but have not tied a line to any of them, yet.

I'm curious. Are they in regular use by anyone in today's fishing world?

Muddy reply :

5/8 oz. Black Jitterbug is my number one topwater producer, they still work , just like the Original Floating Rapala, they will always work

crw reply :

I use and catch bass on Jitterbugs, Silver Minnow spoons, and Lazy Ikes. I have not had much luck wit Hula Poppers.

Primus reply :

Jitterbugs are still a part of my night fishing/ 1st light rotation. The wierd thing about a black hula popper is I stuck one in my topwater box a couple of years back just to show the fish something different on a midsummer morning. That morning I started off with my usual Yellow Magic Poppers & walking baits and I was only able to stick a couple of little ones. It was probably about mid morning on a bluebird day and I decided to try about 10 cast with that Black Hula Popper before I was going to start throwing soft plastics etc. It was either the first or second cast that I stuck a nice 4lber, then I caught a couple of other keepers until the topwater bite died. That turned out to be the best fish on mediocre day. I threw it a few times since then, never seemed to produce after that. It was right place right time, though there are more consistent baits in my opinion it was real satisfying to have a nice memory with the type of old school bait that my dad, grandpa & uncles would have used many years back.

Blue Streak reply :

I still use the Jitterbug and still catch bass with them. I think the pike fisherman are still using Daredevils.

SirSnookalot reply :

Johnson weedless is my of my go to bass & peacock baits, I like it in gold. I use a hula popper for snook.

What ever worked 50 years ago will work today, those bass from 1959 aren't around anymore.

bronzewb22 reply :

I don't personally dont use them, but my grandfather began fishing in the late 30's and has been using mostly flatfish, (but also daredevils and most of the other baits that you listed) for smallmouth bass in western maine. I've found that i catch a lot more fish than him (on our lake an average smallie is about 3-3 1/2 lbs), but he is always the one to land the elusive 6 or 7 pounder every summer. Seems like those flatfish really do work with patience.

andamtoft reply :

I still use jitterbugs, they are extremely fun to fish. i still also use daredevils, I seem to always catch fish on a spoon, so when conditions get tough i tie one on. also use them for trout/salmon of a pier.

fathom reply :

some of my best heart attacks have come from jitterbugs.

i always carry at least one on the water.

BassFishingMachine reply :

3/8oz Black Jitterbug, and 5/8oz Bluegill jitterbug. Both work very well for me. I fish the black one at night, dusk, and overcast. And the bluegill one when ever... If the fish are on bluegills (like around the spawn), I will fish the bluegill one. Though if its night, the black jitterbug is usually the right jitterbug.

Gone_Phishin reply :

The Silver Minnow, with a pork strip, is still a staple for pike in these parts. And I will not go pike fishing without a one ounce Daredevle.

bilgerat reply :

All good baits, there's a reason they're still around after all these years. Guy's aint buyin' 'em for nostalgia.

One thing (my opinion) I do is upgrade the factory hooks. They flat out suck eggs.

Gone_Phishin reply :

Quote
One thing (my opinion) I do is upgrade the factory hooks. They flat out suck eggs.

Heck Yes! The hooks on a lot of these baits are an absolute joke. I've seen better hooks at rummage sales. I bet you get a free bowl of soup with hooks like this...

If the bait has screw-in anchors for the hooks, just snip the old hooks off, and add a split-ring with new hooks. The split-ring will take some of the leverage away from the fish.

mrlitetackle reply :

jitterbugs (black and white) are decent producers for me.....

used to use a hula popper, but tossed it a few years back after the skirt dried and got all crispy like......

Gone_Phishin reply :

Quote
jitterbugs (black and white) are decent producers for me.....
used to use a hula popper, but tossed it a few years back after the skirt dried and got all crispy like......

You can replace the skirt with Terminator's quick change spinnerbait skirts. Lots of colors to pick from. Northland tackle makes them as well.

snuffy33 reply :

I still catch fish on a black 5/8 oz. Jitterbug. The Hulapopper is outfished by other poppers.

CRFisher reply :

I stopped fishing about twenty years ago and just got back into it last year. I was at Bass Pro shops looking for some River Runts and some Jelly worms.

Jitterbugs always work. Hula poppers as well, but I think most frog, popper baits are an upgrade on the Hula popper. All the spoons will work. First early morning fishing outing this year I started at 6:30 am with a Jitterbug and got my first topwater bass this year. I always viewed Daredevles as more of a Pike bait. I had a bad early season outing and resorted to using one trying to catch some decent sized pickerel and ended up catching a bass. I bumped into a guy tearing them up last year on a small black and white Daredevle.

I think for pure fish catching (dinks and all), little compares with a Mepps Aglia, which I think is somewhat unchanged since the 1920's.

I'll still throw a flatfish, the slow wobble still gets them. When the herring ran last year up river, the bass were feeding on them, the flatfish seemed to do better than Rapala's.

Fishing Rhino reply :

Quote
I stopped fishing about twenty years ago and just got back into it last year. I was at Bass Pro shops looking for some River Runts and some Jelly worms.
Jitterbugs always work. Hula poppers as well, but I think most frog, popper baits are an upgrade on the Hula popper. All the spoons will work. First early morning fishing outing this year I started at 6:30 am with a Jitterbug and got my first topwater bass this year. I always viewed Daredevles as more of a Pike bait. I had a bad early season outing and resorted to using one trying to catch some decent sized pickerel and ended up catching a bass. I bumped into a guy tearing them up last year on a small black and white Daredevle.

I think for pure fish catching (dinks and all), little compares with a Mepps Aglia, which I think is somewhat unchanged since the 1920's.

I'll still throw a flatfish, the slow wobble still gets them. When the herring ran last year up river, the bass were feeding on them, the flatfish seemed to do better than Rapala's.

The Mepps Aglia was in my tackle box. It was our best bait for smallmouth in the pond we fished.

I think it was a number 2, brass color, no skirt/bucktail.

How could I have omited it?

I have several Mepps, Black Fury model in chartreuse and orange. Sizes 3 - 5.

Like any other lure, there are times they produce, and times they don't.

midnighthrasher reply :

Black jointed jitterbug is my go to night lure!!! I also throw the weedless one over grassbeds. Jitterbugs are awesome.

Crestliner2008 reply :

I love 'em all! I always keep a Jitterbug or two in my box. Same with the Johnson spoon. These spoons make for some great slop fishing! The sinking flash in the pockets are just dynamite! Never had much luck with the Flatfish, but then again, I don't troll much anymore and these plugs were designed specifically for that kind of presentation. I keep one or two of these in my box as well. They look so darn GOOD in the water!

morts10 reply :

I too just started fishing again after a 20 some break. There were some flatfish (gold f1 & f4), jitterbugs and torpedoes (teeny,tiny,reg) leftover from past years. I started fishing with an ultralight in the local river and those flatfish and torpedoes were sure fooling the fish. I caught smallmouth, largemouth, sunfish, perch, and trout. I used to only fish jitterbugs at night so I haven't tried them much yet. Babysit grand kids so now in my fifties I have a curfew.

I get a kick out of showing people what I am using. Most have no idea what they are.

I am surprised that wally world caries both the torpedoes and jitterbugs in various sizes and color schemes. Flatfish are harder to find local but most big name catalog retailers carry at least a few sizes and colors. Haven't seen the F1s anywhere. Maybe no longer made? Had a lot of luck on the rainbow color too.

Those lures remind me of early days of fishing and people who are no longer fishing on this plain.

mort

skeeterman24 reply :

Jitterbugs work well when the water is calm because they aren't so loud and in your face as other top water baits. If there is wind the bass will have trouble finding them though.

Raul reply :

Old hardbaits you 'll see me fishing frequently:

Jitterbug ( by far my favorite topwater )

Hula Popper

Suptterbuzz

Spook ( Zara, Spook II, Puppy )

Torpedo ( Baby, Tiny )

Sonic & Super Sonic

Bayou Boogie

Hellbender

Ratlin RRR

Mepps Aglia size #4 & #5

Mepps Black Fury

River Runt

Lucky 13

Bankbeater reply :

If it ever warms up, I'll be throwing a 5/8 jitterbug from when I get to the lake until sun up.

Rcccad reply :

I use hula popper early morning or late even right off of the cattails or shore cover. It still works as good as it did 40 years ago.

iceintheveins reply :

Johnson's silver minnow with a pork frog is a great weedless lure. I do quite well on jitterbugs, especially at night. Daredevles are really good bass lures too, and they catch just about everything that swims.

CatBassin reply :

I still use all of these and others, sometimes I'll even pull out an old rooster tail. I say they're known as classics for a reason, they catch fish, period.

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Daredevles, jitterbugs, hula poppers. Does anyone use them today? 2025

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