Gone but not forgotten............ 2024
ww2farmer reply :
For whatever reason, we are all guilty of this...........probably at some point in the past, we have had baits/lures that were mainstays in our rotations, but we have moved on from them for one reason or another, with the exception being they never stopped catching fish. Here is a list of mine, in no particular order:
Bandit crankbaits: Especially the 100............it was my "go to" shallow crankbait for ages, the chart. rootbeer colored 100 used to do some major work for me. Then the SK KVD's burst onto the scene and for no good reason, I haven't used or bought a bandit since.
Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps............there was a time that in the spring a red craw Rat-L-Trap was money, followed closely by a gold/black back, and chrome blue/back. I strayed away from them to try a whole bunch of other lipless cranks, before settling on the SK Redeye shad as my new "go-to". And much the same as the Bandit's haven't bought or used a Rat-L-Trap since.
Spinnerbaits: No matter the brand. I don't even own one anymore, the swimjig and chatterbait have replaced them.
Mann's jelly worms: There was a long period of time, from the late 80's to the early 2000's that if I needed or wanted to throw a straight tail worm, it was a jelly worm. I ran out once, and tried something else, and have never gone back for really no good reason. They worked on t-rigs, c-rigs, weightless, on jig heads (back when we called it a jig worm instead of a shaky head)
Culprit Ribbon tail worms: Like the jelly worm, this was my go-to action tail worm in the late 80's until at least the late 90's. Then I found myself out of them one trip and bought some Berkley Power worms. I have used Power Worms ever since, but have never thought them to be superior to the Culprit, I just never went back to them. The Power worm is, or should I say was, in the same boat. From about 2006 -2014 or so, I am not sure I ever threw one. I have gone back to them the last few years however, and they work as well if not better than they ever did.
I am sure I will think of a few more....but those are just off the top of my head for right now.
Blackhawk83 reply :
Bandit 100 series cranks are a long time favorite of mine but seem to have been replaced by bagleys honey b. I do find balsa wood lures to be superior to the plastic bandits but in their defense they never stopped catching fish
scaleface reply :
Beetle spins .
A-Jay reply :
Rapala Husky Jerk & Deep Down Husky Jerk ~ Many of them have almost no paint left on them - because they are/were that good. Don't know why I stopped throwing them, but as the "New" jerkbaits came out - these stopped getting wet. May fix that.
Berkley Chigger Craw - must have ten pounds of these - Been completely replaced by the Rage Lobster & Craw -
Whopper Stopper Hellbender and the Fred Arbogast Mud Bug ~ only have a few of each of these left - but back in the infancy of my bass fishing life, these baits accounted for the few 5 lb plus bass I was able to catch. I used to throw them on a fiberglass spinning rod & reel what weighed 8 pounds and was armed with less than half a spool of Gumby Mono; which was actually not that fun now that I think about it.
A-Jay
WRB reply :
A-Jay, Put the Chigger craws in the flea market!
Tom
A-Jay reply :
On 1/12/2017 at 12:17 PM, WRB said:A-Jay, Put the Chigger craws in the flea market!
Tom
Not a bad plan Tom.
However, I neglected to mention that the Chigger Craw is the first & only craw / trailer my fishing partner (insert wife) will use.
So if I were to in fact, liquidate that particular inventory, there would most likely be a bit of trouble in paradise .. .. .. ..
A-Jay
dwh4784 reply :
White Slug-Go used to be my mainstay, but haven't used one in years now. Fishing from a kayak I don't know that I'd go back to it anyway, so many of the fish I caught were on bites that I saw rather than felt. Nothing quite like watching that bright white bait twitch all over the place and all of a sudden it just disappears and you set the hook instantly.
Gundog reply :
Berkley 4" worms: T-rigged they would produce in the small pond I started fishing for bass in.
Charlie Brewer Slider Spider Head: Caught a lot of good bass putting a worm on those heads but just stopped using them. Still have some lying around somewhere.
Original Floating Rapala in the classic black back/white sides: This was one of the first lures I started fishing for bass with, but slowly turned to more "flashy" substitutes.
MassYak85 reply :
Berkley Powerbait 10" ribbontails
smalljaw67 reply :
Poe's Cedar crankbaits. The flat sided models were always a killer in cold water!!!
cgolf reply :
Yum Crawbug, with the Ned rig the last couple of years my number 1 all time river bait has been on the shelf. Learning from others, I won't allow myself to bench the Bandit 100, it is my number 2 river bait and might move up to number one if the crawbug stays on the bench, also has done well on the lakes too.
Spankey reply :
I love fishing soft plastics. The most disappointing thing for me, gone but not forgotten are a few items I just can't get anymore.
Mr. Twister Silk Worm 4.5
Mr. Twister Exude Worms
Culprit 4" ribbon tail worms
Guido Bugs (craws)
Don't exist anymore. I'd like to have $1.00 for every Smallie I caught on a Silk Worm 4.5 alone. Have just a few of these left and time is not helping them. Oldies but goodies.
edfitzvb reply :
Mepps spinners. Used to throw them all the time when I was young. NEVER tie one on now, but I imagine that they still catch fish.
Hellbender lure used to catch some real nice smallmouth for me when they were scratching the rock bottom
Still fish Jellyworms, Rapala floating minnows, and Jitterbugs. Great producers for me
Catt reply :
Gene Larew 7 ½” Salty Ring Worm Cinnamon Pepper Neon/June Bug Laminated (Camouflage).
Discontinued 
2tall79 reply :
Anything Uncle Josh, Twister Slither worms, Hawg Boss Super Toads, original Power Lizards
kbeeb374 reply :
hmm I would say I used to fish the Strike King Grass frog a lot but have since switched to hollow bodies.. I have also caught a bunch of river smallies on a white mister twister and the rapala floating minnow but neither see any action really any more.. might have to fix the floating minnow situation, those are fun to catch em on.
Mumbly reply :
I used to throw grubs a lot but just got away from them I guess. Floating rapala and husky jerks have taken a back seat as well for some reason. I enjoy topwater most and used to throw a hubs chubs a ton and also a heddon crazy shad. I haven't thrown those in years.
I should try to get those out this year along with the old heddon crazy crawlers. Might be fun.
scaleface reply :
The Dalton Special . I only have one and its in my display case . I need a couple for using and keep my eyes open for them .
WRB reply :
Forgotten lures like Stocker Trout, Basstrix 8" swimbait, Osprey swimbaits....since they stopped stocking trout my older trout swimmers and dozens of newer swimbaits get little use.
Gone lures like Black Dog wooden Shell Cracker swimbaits baits, LA Slider swimbait, Megabait 3/4 oz jigging spoons, Pupfish, original cedar Poes 300, wooden musky Jitterbug, Schurmy Shad spoon and several others I keep in the boat and used sparingly.
Super Pork rind....miss you Robin!
Soft plastics, that is a long list!
Tom
lo n slo reply :
Diamond Back Lizards exist only in my memories now.
each Spring when they would close the gates to the spillway at the state park, we'd throw a Lil Cleo across the froth and catch a stringer full of white bass. we'd spend all day walking those banks as teenagers.
burning a Shyster parallel to the bank at the pond drew boiling strikes from fiesty largemouth bass, so would a chrome Tiny Torpedo, worked at an erratic pace. all on my old Mitchell "open face" reel.
RoLo reply :
Deps 7" Deathadder Grub - scuppernong (Discontinued)
Roger
blckshirt98 reply :
When I was a kid (11-14 years old) and looking at tackle aisles I was always in awe of Rooster Tail spinners and Mister Twister plastics (anything chartreuse in particular). When someone I knew showed up at the local lake with a Rooster Tail, that was a big-time bait that I always watched them fish with envy. When I started fishing again 25 years later, Rooster Tails, Mister Twister, and any chartreuse plastics never caught my attention the same way because of the other options available.
Stuckinthetrees reply :
I used snagless sallys up until just a few years ago. caught plenty of fish on them for years. the bandit 100 and the culprit 7.5s both still catch tons of fish but i dont use them much anymore. replaced the bandit with a good square bill
Choporoz reply :
hula grubs...not sure why....for no good reason, they've slipped from my consciousness last couple years
scaleface reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 2:49 AM, Stuckinthetrees said:I used snagless sallys up until just a few years ago.
That is one lure I never had but planned on getting one .
N Florida Mike reply :
The first one was Creme worms.The polka dotted black/ white ones were deadly in the home lake in the 70s.Then I moved on to manns' Jelly worms.Caught lots of fish, and my PB on them.Then, I moved on to culprits and fished them mostly in the 80 and 90s.Producto tournament worms also.
The Cremes are long gone.
Ive still got maybe 2 dozen old jelly worms from the day,and a whole side of a box with culprits,a nd a few tournament worms.
I decided to try nothing but these worms in the lake one day a couple weeks ago.
Very strange,but I got skunked.
All I could think of is that all the scent is long gone,but that shouldnt matter that much? I got one follow on a tournament worm thats all.
Going to try them again though.
the reel ess reply :
On 1/12/2017 at 12:17 PM, WRB said:A-Jay, Put the Chigger craws in the flea market!
Tom
Fish won't drop the Chigger Craw even when you let them know you're on the other end.
Yeah, we tend to build our arsenal around what works at a particular place and ignore the rest. But everything works somewhere, sometime. I like to mix it up and learn new baits. I get a kick out of catching a fish for the first time on a bait.
fishwizzard reply :
I haven't been fishing long enough to have forgotten anything, but man I am taking notes, especially about the beloved worms of yesteryear. I am going to give the t-rigged worm a good go this season and already have some Productos, Jelly Worms, and Culprits, so I feel like I am on the right track.
crypt reply :
Mister Twister phenom worms,grubs etc.
the reel ess reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 3:57 AM, Bunnielab said:I haven't been fishing long enough to have forgotten anything, but man I am taking notes, especially about the beloved worms of yesteryear. I am going to give the t-rigged worm a good go this season and already have some Productos, Jelly Worms, and Culprits, so I feel like I am on the right track.
Most likely, you'll catch fish the first day. I doubt a better bass bait has been invented.
Fishin' Fool reply :
Hula popper and jitterbugs for top water with the invention of Zara spooks and whopper ploopers lol
mrmacwvu1 reply :
I was just getting ready to post hula popper and jitterbug
one that I have not seen mentioned is the rooster tail spinners
used to kill the smallies
RoLo reply :
"Gone, but not forgotten"
Humph! That harkens to my youth 
Roger
the reel ess reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 4:14 AM, Fishin' Fool said:Hula popper and jitterbugs for top water with the invention of Zara spooks and whopper ploopers lol
I bought one of each last summer to get back to basics. Caught one on the Hula Popper. Nothing on the J Bug yet.
Fishin' Fool reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 5:57 AM, mrmacwvu1 said:I was just getting ready to post hula popper and jitterbug
one that I have not seen mentioned is the rooster tail spinners
used to kill the smallies
Beat ya to it 
whitwolf reply :
Mann's Augertail worms. Black.....It was my go to when Rebel quit making the ringworms. I use mostly Zoom plastics now and think all the time about throwing an Augertail.
Bomber crankbaits. I have a ton of these baits and they have sat Idle for many years. They caught so many fish, It was unreal.
Great thread!
RoLo reply :
"Gone But Not Forgotten"
Pretty much describes my youth.
Roger
wdp reply :
I used to love to throw a Tiny Torpedo back in my high school days.
The problem with a lot of these old skool baits like the jitterbug, hula popper, tiny torpedo, etc. is that they're made with some really sub par components by today's standards. Cheap, terrible hooks, crummy hook hangers, etc. It's like these companies been making these baits the same way for 40+ yrs. I mean c'mon mayne, join the 21st century and make some improvements to your lures & use some higher quality components. You might sell more of your lures. ?
IndianaFinesse reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 11:38 AM, wdp said:I used to love to throw a Tiny Torpedo back in my high school days.
The problem with a lot of these old skool baits like the jitterbug, hula popper, tiny torpedo, etc. is that they're made with some really sub par components by today's standards. Cheap, terrible hooks, crummy hook hangers, etc. It's like these companies been making these baits the same way for 40+ yrs. I mean c'mon mayne, join the 21st century and make some improvements to your lures & use some higher quality components. You might sell more of your lures. ?
True, but I bet that's what rapala said when they "fixed" the wiggle warts.
riverbasser reply :
I could name brands but pretty much any ribbon tail worms. I have many, but trick worms and all the new designs like the ultravibe have taken there place.
Zara spook used to be the only walking bait I threw. The sexy dawg just works so effortlessly and has much better hardware. I still have some spooks but they don't get wet.
wdp reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 11:41 AM, IndianaFinesse said:True, but I bet that's what rapala said when they "fixed" the wiggle warts.
Lol. Fair point. I was just reading that wiggle wart thread earlier. But that appears to be more of a mold change issue that reduced the hunting action of the bait.
My beef is the cheap hook hangers & poor quality hooks. Don't think putting some decent split rings & maybe some Gammy hooks on a Jitterbug is gonna change the action of the bait. ?
IndianaFinesse reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 12:18 PM, wdp said:Lol. Fair point. I was just reading that wiggle wart thread earlier. But that appears to be more of a mold change issue that reduced the hunting action of the bait.
My beef is the cheap hook hangers & poor quality hooks. Don't think putting some decent split rings & maybe some Gammy hooks on a Jitterbug is gonna change the action of the bait. ?
I agree with the hooks and hook hangers, I change them out on jitterbugs to. I tried using the stock hooks and hangers, but it seemed I only landed every other fish because of them. I just found it ironic thinking that people were probably saying that storm should clean up the edges of the wiggle warts mold, but when rapala did clean it up, they ended up ruining them.
wdp reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 12:36 PM, IndianaFinesse said:I agree with the hooks and hook hangers, I change them out on jitterbugs to. I tried using the stock hooks and hangers, but it seemed I only landed every other fish because of them. I just found it ironic thinking that people were probably saying that storm should clean up the edges of the wiggle warts mold, but when rapala did clean it up, they ended up ruining them.
Funny thing is, after reading that wiggle wart thread I started thinking I maybe still got a few old ones somewhere. I might have to go see if I can dig em out & go fish em. Ha ha.
smalljaw67 reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 9:29 AM, whitwolf said:Mann's Augertail worms. Black.....It was my go to when Rebel quit making the ringworms. I use mostly Zoom plastics now and think all the time about throwing an Augertail.
Bomber crankbaits. I have a ton of these baits and they have sat Idle for many years. They caught so many fish, It was unreal.
Great thread!
I still use a lot of Bomber cranks, in fact they make up most of my mid depth cranks. The Bomber 6A and 7A along with the Deep Flat A and Fat Free Shad Fingerling make up the bulk of my 8' to 10' cranks with the rest being Rapala DTs and a few Wiggle Warts. And you are 100% correct, they still catch a lot of fish!
scaleface reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 9:29 AM, whitwolf said:Mann's Augertail worms. Black.....It was my go to when Rebel quit making the ringworms. I use mostly Zoom plastics now and think all the time about throwing an Augertail.
Bomber crankbaits. I have a ton of these baits and they have sat Idle for many years. They caught so many fish, It was unreal.
Great thread!
I have an unopen pack of Auger-Tail snakes .
Same with me on the Bomber Model a's . They are not getting much playing time but they sure catch fish .
On 1/13/2017 at 12:18 PM, wdp said:Lol. Fair point. I was just reading that wiggle wart thread earlier. But that appears to be more of a mold change issue that reduced the hunting action of the bait.
My beef is the cheap hook hangers & poor quality hooks. Don't think putting some decent split rings & maybe some Gammy hooks on a Jitterbug is gonna change the action of the bait. ?
The Arbogast Mudbug is a great lure with terrible hooks and no simple way to change them out .
the reel ess reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 12:53 PM, wdp said:Funny thing is, after reading that wiggle wart thread I started thinking I maybe still got a few old ones somewhere. I might have to go see if I can dig em out & go fish em. Ha ha.
I've got one several years old, but probably not the real deal because I haven't caught a thing on it. I also don't fish rocks much so it doesn't get wet much.
There is something completely different about Bomber A's. They just react differently. When they strike a rock or limb, they careen off of it rather than dig in and continue the same action against the object. I think it's more natural looking because shad don't run into rocks and bang their heads against them. Bandit 100 is similar, but less, if that makes sense. Rebel Deep Wee R. This was my fisrt crankbait. Silver with blue back. As deep cranks got deeper and deeper, this one became less attractive. You could buy one brand's line of cranks that went from 3' to 20' deep.
I don't use cranks much anymore because I mostly fish weedy places so I've switched it to lipless cranks, which reminds me...Bayou Boogie. I wore fish out with that and a Mepps Mino Comet as a kid. They even caught crappie when they were around. Those really cheap inline spinners I used to see on cards of 20 in the local stores tackle section. My dad used to call them Shysters. They caught everything that swims, but really mopped up on white bass.
Snipe Hunter reply :
I still throw a firetiger 3A Bomber in tidal water and still catch fish on it. I still like the action, casting ability of a "Sluggo" over just about any other soft jerk bait and I've consistently caught bigger fish on them. I still think the Hank Parker Classic spinnerbait with the gold Indiana blade is the best spinnerbait I've ever used and I don't have any now. The two best days I ever had with a crankbait was with a Poes (Silver/ blue back) coffin bill. Best tournament I ever had was with a Chrome and Blue rattle trap. I still like throwing a rattle trap to find active fish. I've probably caught more fish on 4 and 7" pumpkinseed power worms than any other worm.
roadwarrior reply :
Original Rapala
Rapala Husky Jerk
Rapala X-Rap
Lazy Ike
Devil's Horse
Zara Spook
Sluggo
Mizmo Tubes
Larew Ringworm
Roboworms
I'm going to put these all in a separate tackle box and fish them this spring!
Fishin' Fool reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 8:58 PM, the reel ess said:I've got one several years old, but probably not the real deal because I haven't caught a thing on it. I also don't fish rocks much so it doesn't get wet much.
There is something completely different about Bomber A's. They just react differently. When they strike a rock or limb, they careen off of it rather than dig in and continue the same action against the object. I think it's more natural looking because shad don't run into rocks and bang their heads against them. Bandit 100 is similar, but less, if that makes sense. Rebel Deep Wee R. This was my fisrt crankbait. Silver with blue back. As deep cranks got deeper and deeper, this one became less attractive. You could buy one brand's line of cranks that went from 3' to 20' deep.
I don't use cranks much anymore because I mostly fish weedy places so I've switched it to lipless cranks, which reminds me...Bayou Boogie. I wore fish out with that and a Mepps Mino Comet as a kid. They even caught crappie when they were around. Those really cheap inline spinners I used to see on cards of 20 in the local stores tackle section. My dad used to call them Shysters. They caught everything that swims, but really mopped up on white bass.
When I catch fish on a lipless on St Clair my dad always asks me if it was a Bayou Boogie. I think he still thinks it's 1984.
tholmes reply :
Johnson's Silver Minnow spoons. I've caught a lot of bass on these in the past, but haven't tied one on for a long time. I don't really know why. I think I'll dig 'em out this spring and give 'em a try.
Tom
scaleface reply :
On 1/13/2017 at 10:48 PM, tholmes said:Johnson's Silver Minnow spoons. I've caught a lot of bass on these in the past, but haven't tied one on for a long time. I don't really know why. I think I'll dig 'em out this spring and give 'em a try.
Tom
Thats another one I forgot to mention .
Columbia Craw reply :
Spence Scout
Johnson Silver Minnow
OG Rapala Minnow
Ring Worm
Zipper Worm
A pain old Zoom Lizard. When I found the Brush Hog, Lizards just went away.
Lake Fork Craw Tube.
YUM Wooly Bugger.
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