Favorite Old School Bait 2024
NoBassPro reply :
Just wondered if others here have a favorite bait that is no longer in production or just no longer popular. Mine are the original fat rap and the heddon crazy crawler. I found a guy selling off a bunch of fat raps two years ago and loaded up, probably have two planos full of them. They just work for me. The crazy crawler is still made, but I haven't seen anyone else use one for awhile. Its accounted for some nice bass the last few years as well.
piscicidal reply :
Not necessarily "old school" but the RI Swamp Donkey is a favorite of mine that is no longer in production. Not sure why RI stopped making them...there's a huge demand for them. I've bid some up on ebay but they always end up beyond my max bid.
SirSnookalot reply :
Fishing my ponds I need a lure that doesn't dive deep, and I lost my favorite one that I've caught more fish on than all the other ones put together( it's discontinued). Been using an original Rapala in it's place and doing good with it.
Hooligan reply :
I'm with you, love the original Fat Rap for finesse cranking. I also like the Risto Rap a lot. I buy those whenever I see them. Another that I buy on sight is Clear Spooks. They're getting hard to find for some reason. The other thing that I buy without abandon is a Lake Fork Baby Ring Fry in Bull Bream. I bought two thousand when they DC'd them, and have bought another thousand here and there, I'm down under a three hundred of them now.
shootermcbob reply :
My favorite "old school" lure is the black jointed jitterbug. That thing still brings 'em.
Jigfishn10 reply :
Spit'n Image and Bayou Boogie. Still being produced but perhaps lost a lot of popularity. The Spit'n Image I have was produced by Excalibur and is now produced by Heddon.
LgMouthGambler reply :
I still love using the Chug Bug every once-in-a-while. I know they still make them, but I remember when they first came out. I caught soo many fish with those early in the morning back then.
River Rat316 reply :
Lazy Ike is what I think they were called, the really old ones are the best, I don't throw them much but have caught a bunch of fish on them, including up until a couple years ago my pb largemouth.
grimlin reply :
On 12/14/2011 at 10:08 PM, River Rat316 said:Lazy Ike is what I think they were called, the really old ones are the best, I don't throw them much but have caught a bunch of fish on them, including up until a couple years ago my pb largemouth.
A buddy of mine fishes them things and whips me every time. The newer lazy Ike suck....i tried 3 and can't get any of them to swim right. They don't seem to be able to be tuned either.
LuckyHandsINC. reply :
Jitterbugs and hula poppers.
J Francho reply :
Hopkins Shorty
Lil' Cleo
MudBug
Zara Spook
Wooden Basser
Silver Buddy
Rapala F series
NoBassPro reply :
On 12/14/2011 at 10:29 PM, J Francho said:Hopkins Shorty
Lil' Cleo
Zara Spook
Silver Buddy
Rapala F series
I guess I didn't consider those old school. More like timeless classics, its hard to imagine not having a few of those around.
Crestliner2008 reply :
Flatfish.
J Francho reply :
On 12/15/2011 at 2:38 AM, NoBassPro said:I guess I didn't consider those old school. More like timeless classics, its hard to imagine not having a few of those around.
That they all worked so well is what makes them timeless.
00 mod reply :
Smithwick devils horse. I have a dozen or so with me anytime I'm on the boat!!! Have probably.only lost like 2 ever but you can never have too many right?
Jeff
catchnm reply :
Most of my fishing is done with plastics so I'm gonna throw a couple out there **pun intended :-)**.....1st is the Mann's Augertail Worm. Don't use them as much as I used to but this was my first serious worm fishing bait back in the early 80's. I caught a ton of bass on them and still get bit every time I use them now. They're excellent t-rigged on a light 1/16 oz. bullet weight and really finessed through shallow cover. I know they're still produced now, but the ones I throw are the ones that came with a little pack of FS454 with them.....killer stuff!
2nd is the original Flip Tail worm. Seem like they were huge to me back when.....8" I think. One of the first straight tail worms ever produced I believe. I've still got some of the purple ones and they work great on a shaky head.
I'm also a fan of the original Pop-R P-70. Got 4 of them now, on two of them I did the old modification trick of trimming back the bottom lip so they spit and walk better.......yea! They get the job done still! The bone color is my favorite.
Hard to beat an original Hellbender for deep cranking.
An old Lucky 13 in either full or baby size in the frog pattern will call up some bass too.
And.....x2 on the Devil's Horse.
Jigfishn10 reply :
On 12/14/2011 at 10:29 PM, J Francho said:Hopkins Shorty
Lil' Cleo
MudBug
Zara Spook
Wooden Basser
Silver Buddy
Rapala F series
Wow JF, I forgot about that one. If the Woodwalker was still being produced, I think it would have made that list. Nice post!
loodkop reply :
I caught my first bass on an old Heddon floating meadow mouse and still cast it when I'm just fun fish.
JIGFISHERMAN. reply :
I caught more bass in one day on a pre rigged worm than anything else ever.
A purple-ish blue with white stripe on the back, with three single hooks, and mono leader.
I would go out on the dock while camping, and toss that thing with a Rhino rod, and Zebco 33, and wear them out.
Give them a break, and come back 1/2 hour later same thing.
It's funny how as you get older you quit using things that worked so well.
tholmes reply :
Hildebrandt's Snagless Sally.
I think they might still be in production, but I rarely see them anymore.
Flat out deadly.
Another oldie that really caught fish was the Shannon's Twin Spin. It was a double armed spinner with a bucktail skirt.
Tom
J Francho reply :
On 12/15/2011 at 11:08 AM, Jigfishn10 said:Wow JF, I forgot about that one. If the Woodwalker was still being produced, I think it would have made that list. Nice post!
I don't think they make them anymore, but I know where there is a large stash of them, LOL.
webertime reply :
Strike King Timber King Spoon.
NoBassPro reply :
On 12/16/2011 at 12:22 AM, JIGFISHERMAN. said:I caught more bass in one day on a pre rigged worm than anything else ever.
A purple-ish blue with white stripe on the back, with three single hooks, and mono leader.
I would go out on the dock while camping, and toss that thing with a Rhino rod, and Zebco 33, and wear them out.
Give them a break, and come back 1/2 hour later same thing.
It's funny how as you get older you quit using things that worked so well.
We used to get all the weedless purple/white stripe worms we could find. They sure did work.
zip pow reply :
Thin fin fat so and original bagley db3 before they added the weighted lip
Vinny Chase reply :
On 12/14/2011 at 10:08 PM, River Rat316 said:Lazy Ike is what I think they were called, the really old ones are the best, I don't throw them much but have caught a bunch of fish on them, including up until a couple years ago my pb largemouth.
Caught some of my biggest muskies on a white/red color Ike
Vinny Chase reply :
Pre-rapala wiggle warts - especially the bone color
Drop Shot Maniac reply :
Probably more suited for the "timeless" category, but the Heddon Baby Torpedo. It's likely my all-time favorite lure. I mostly drop-shot these days, but when I fish topwater this is the only lure I use. My grandfather first taught me how to use it when I was a boy - cast it, ease the slack out while letting it sit until all the ripples are gone, then bump/reel it with an alternating pace, then let it sit some more. I have great confidence with this lure because I feel like I know just how to work it. It's caught many a nice bass for me, and there's nothing more fun than catching a nice one topwater.
LgMouthGambler reply :
Red Devil Spoon?
WCCT reply :
The original Berkley Power Worm. I know they still make them, but I haven't used one in years. Not sure why to be honest with you, but I used to wear them out on a 4 or 7" black worm with a small brass bullet weight and a glass bead. I also grew up fishing the Mister Twister grub that they no longer make. It had a nice thin, wide tail. It seemed like I could catch them anywhere with these simple baits. Makes a guy wonder why we all go to the newest, flashiest baits instead of these old classics.
whitwolf reply :
Bill Norman Snatrix......The absolute best plastic worm I fished.
Bigbarge50 reply :
heddon river runt and headon meadow mouse.
The real old meadow mice that were fuzzy are the best. FInd it hilarious now people are getting way back into mice imitators and people are spending 30 bucks on mice swim baits and pradco is sitting on those fuzzy meadow mice. Think they stopped making them in the 80's. Action is amazing on them. Literally sitting on a gold mine.
A jointed river runt has insane action.... and the suspending model was well ahead of its time. Def would love to see them make a comeback.
Vinny Chase reply :
Berkeley Tournament Craw. The only replacement I have found to make me feel better about them being DC is the 3" crazy legs chigger craw.
jorilo reply :
The Mud Bug.
NoBassPro reply :
On 12/16/2011 at 1:46 PM, Bigbarge50 said:pradco is sitting on those fuzzy meadow mice. Think they stopped making them in the 80's. Action is amazing on them. Literally sitting on a gold mine.
Pradco didn't buy heddon until the 80's. I wouldn't know if they took old lures and lure designs with them or not, but I am certain there is almost nothing left of the original Heddon plant, a portion of it is now a small museum and most of the rest is used to manufacture shower stalls.
Bigbarge50 reply :
Thanks NoBassPro,
My father went on ebay and bought about a dozen meadow mice back in the 90's, though most were not the "fuzzy" ones. Glad I am stocked up on them.
Something about that lure...... and the river runt..... guess it is the way the plate was on front, gave them a very wide wobble. The white mouse in the water literally seemed to turn a near full 180 degrees per turn. Throw in that soft tail they have.... dynamite shallow water action.
My father loved the medow mouse and runt so much he searched high and low of a "modern" replacement. He got us a whole bunch of spence scouts in the 90's which had a very similar wide wobble. Looked the other day..... appears strike king stopped making them a few years back. Figures huh.
I laugh at how many lures are now gone or now different. I own probably about 10 jitterbugs inherented from my father (as well as a few I have used since I was a kid) and have owned storm stuff since I began fishing. I did not know classics such as the jitter bug, wiggle wart, and chug bug are now different in some way. The storm stuff I have loved (NY PB came on a chug bug pooping next to lilly pads) and have fished the doors off of, having to replace hooks several times over the years.
My chug bug's paint is pretty rough now and I have a wiggle wart who's bill is wearing down from all the bottom cranking..... should I not replace these because the new ones are not the same?
NoBassPro reply :
On 12/17/2011 at 7:14 AM, Bigbarge50 said:My chug bug's paint is pretty rough now and I have a wiggle wart who's bill is wearing down from all the bottom cranking..... should I not replace these because the new ones are not the same?
I can't really answer that. Prior to Rapala purchasing Storm, Hot N Tots and Wiggle Warts were our top cranks for steelhead and salmon in the rivers, while Rapala's were our go-to cranks for bass and pike. We were excited about the merger until the following year's salmon run. Even after they brought back the original series Storm baits, I haven't really had the same success with them. I also haven't been able to fish near as much, which may be a large part of the reason. That, and the L. Michigan salmon fishery has undergone some changes since then.
urp reply :
Shakespeare quit making the Flapjack sometime in the 70s. Similar to the Lazy Ike it was bigger, ran wider, deeper and slower than the Ike. I still have a half dozen and its a killer. And then there's the timeless Jitterbug...
paangler13 reply :
jitterbugs, devils horse, and white single spin spinnerbaits.
Jim
oldhippie reply :
zara spooks work great on the tennessee river,as well as the big ledge buster spinnerbaits!!
IntroC reply :
Bagley Grass Rat and the Rebel Minow Slvr/Blu back in 4.5 inch. They still make them in the 3.5 version but thats just a little small for my taste. Suprises the heck out of me that you don't hear more about Rebel Minnows as far a mionnow baits go. These things catch fish like its going out of style.
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