# Why Stop Using Old Lures that Worked??



## steve grossman (Feb 1, 2008)

How about a discussion, from the older dudes, that can tell us stories of the lures that worked 20-30 years ago, that no one uses anymore.

Why stop using them?? What caused the stoppage. The Manns Stingray Grub was a trout killer at the beach.

Stories please...


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## inshoreangler95 (Jun 15, 2008)

Im guessing its becouse people get carried away and think that just couse theres new technology its better than the oldschool stuff! Which is sometimes not true, the old lures worked and they were way simpler and alot easier to make i just guess people think that becouse the new one has a rattle and a a holographic flash its better which can sometimes be true but alot of times it can be missleading! Some old salts will come in and i believe alot will agree, this happens alot with video games and all of that stuff!


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

I still use sting ray grubs, mostly in fresh water. My go to lure in saltwater is still a white bucktail. But I really like some of the new stuff too. It seems the boaters in the Bay are going retro and they think they are using the latest and greatest: surgical hose eels, bass assasines, hopkins, zara spooks etc.

You should run a desert island poll: if you could only have one lure...what would it be.


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## SALTSHAKER (Dec 5, 2002)

Bucktail, hands down


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

Agreed on the bucktail for salt - white with red head usually. I always toss them in my bag, even if I think I'm only going to be bottom fishing. That would be my "old reliable."

For freshwater, I still throw a Lucky 13 - same one I threw as a kid. I don't know if they make them anymore or not. Also for freshwater, I still keep some "Shyster" spinners in my trout bag.


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## Charlie2 (May 2, 2007)

*Old Lures*

I would vote for the old(and new) Zara Spook. I have both and they are deadly in both fresh and saltwater. Some are wood and some are plastic.

The poster mentions the Lucky 13. I also fished these things as a kid and still have many.

The original Rapala. This plug was and is still deadly.

There was this plug, white with a blue eye that was deadly when trolled for crappie(speckled perch). I just thought of the name; it was the Pico Perch.

I could go on and on. I have 5 tackle boxes loaded with plugs. I never throw one away. I may give one to a deserving kid or a fish takes one, but the one taken by a fish is replaced.

I have to go along with the jig in saltwater. White is my favorite color. C2


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

I have a place on the Chickahominy Lake and often night fish for LMB during the summer. My favorite lures are the black Fred Argobast Jitterbugs (1938) and Hula Poppers (1941).


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

I still use Jitterbugs and Hula Poppers for largemouth bass fishing down here in Florida. You can't beat those plugs. I still throw a Devil's Horse too. LOL I believe they were made by Smithwick?

I caught my first bass on a Jitterbug when I was about nine back in the early seventies. That's how I got hooked on topwater plug tossing for bass and snook.


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

When my mom and dad go over to the beach, he still throws a Dalton Special (that he's replaced hooks on probably 50 times since the 60's or 70's) in the lake there at the campground. He still catches largemouth on those. That was a good lure, too.



SnookMook said:


> I still use Jitterbugs and Hula Poppers for largemouth bass fishing down here in Florida. You can't beat those plugs. I still throw a Devil's Horse too. LOL I believe they were made by Smithwick? . . . .


A lot of people around here in the TVA lakes still throw Jitterbugs. I haven't thrown a Hula Popper in years, but I have some in one of my boxes. Yes, I do believe Smithwick made the Devil's Horse, SM. I think Evans made the Shysters I referred to in an earlier post.


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## jimmy z (Nov 5, 2006)

I still use Atom 40's, some have been repainted, a few times. I still use the older Rebel's. The old 'Cheater's, and some older Redfin's. I used these for years, and when I see some on E bay, i try to grab 'em.
I still use tin squids, as my metal's. I used bucktails back in the 70's, in the surf, and still do.


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

You know I was just looking through an old tackle box. I found a classic MirrOlure 7M 18 plug that's gotta be from the late 70's early 80's. Not much difference from the new plugs today except for the reflective foil inserts they used to use back then and the hook mounts are a little different. 

Other than that it's basically the same plug as the ones they make today. I still prefer the 7M 18 and 21 for big speckled trout down here in Florida. They make a bunch of others now and I've used them all, but the 7M is tried and true.


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

still like a hopkins or kastmaster for stripers and trout. Plastics have there place and I use them when needed.


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## wolfva (Nov 17, 2006)

Good question. When I moved into my current house I found a small box from the previous owner which had a hand made bucktail lure on a hand line. Looks like he used leather for the fringes. I've been wanting to try it out, but would hate to lose it. Can't help but wonder how many fish he caught with it though.


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## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

Used to use the "Lazy Ikes", older Rapalas, "Hula Poppers", "Jitterbugs", and two of my favorites but not quite so old...Tom Mann's "Li'l George" and "Big George".


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

There's an old joke in the tackle industry that goes like this: "To catch the fish, first you have to catch the fisherman." Sometimes products are great at catching fish but just aren't marketed well and so disappear.

The Cisco Kid comes to mind.


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## Bassbandit (Apr 28, 2008)

*Old lures.....*

Its hard to beat the Hopkins spoons. I use these in fresh and salt water. These things will catch almost anything that swims. Many years ago me and a friend were on Kerr Lake (NC) and we both fished a 1/2 oz & 3/4 oz. Hopkins. We were in 20-30ft of water. We dropped the lure to bottom, reeled up about 2-3 ft. and started jigging it up and letting it flutter down. We caught Bass, stripers, catfish, crappie, bream, white bass and even a fresh water drum. I have several in the 6oz that I throw from the beach for stripers and drum in salt water.


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

steve grossman said:


> How about a discussion, from the older dudes, that can tell us stories of the lures that worked 20-30 years ago, that no one uses anymore.
> 
> Why stop using them?? What caused the stoppage. The Manns Stingray Grub was a trout killer at the beach.
> 
> Stories please...


I remember the stingray Grub I caught my first Speckled trout on a white grub.



rattler said:


> still like a hopkins or kastmaster for stripers and trout. Plastics have there place and I use them when needed.


I like these also but my favorite id the Sting Silver



sand flea said:


> There's an old joke in the tackle industry that goes like this: "To catch the fish, first you have to catch the fisherman." Sometimes products are great at catching fish but just aren't marketed well and so disappear.
> 
> The Cisco Kid comes to mind.


How true

All these lure are and were great lures in there time. Some are still being made and some have been discontinued its to bad but that is just the way it is.


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## notso (Jul 18, 2005)

sand flea said:


> There's an old joke in the tackle industry that goes like this: "To catch the fish, first you have to catch the fisherman." Sometimes products are great at catching fish but just aren't marketed well and so disappear.
> 
> The Cisco Kid comes to mind.


I heard a slightly different version of that joke. 

Most lures are designed to catch fishermen not fish...


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

The Cisco Kid, a huge plug that I have trolled with success...I'll dig it up.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

I still use some old Point Jude popperes that I have makes for great weakfishin.


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## Charlie2 (May 2, 2007)

*Old Lures*

The original question was about inshore saltwater plugs.

The replies, including mine, have been originally designed for use in freshwater but were soon adapted to salt water.

I found in less affluent times of my life when I could afford only one plug, that it had to work both ways. I found early that any lure, including spinnerbaits would catch saltwater species as well, and sometimes better, than the original target. I learned luremaking at an early age and made some that worked and some...well, not so well.

I've enjoyed this thread. I own just about every plug mentioned in the posts. They are like old friends.

How about a thread on plugs that you've known that didn't work(for you). JMHO C2


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Charlie brigs up a good point at the end of his post. What about ones that didn't work. Most of my lures I have caught fish on except one. The crippled herring. I have a boat lod of them and used every color I have and Nada. I keep them because I know guys on here have caught fish with them so it keeps my hopes up.


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## Charlie2 (May 2, 2007)

*Old Plugs*

RuddeDog makes an interesting point also. There are plugs/lures that some people will swear by; others swear at. I don't know why it is. Just another perplexing fishing question. Curious minds want to know. C2


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

I think alot of these lures are "niche lures", they are/were popular in very select areas and relatively unknown anywhere else.

For example, the stingray grub. It's used alot here in the Panama City area as the old standby for flounder.

Another one is the Windcheater. I rarely see it used down here except in the Sebastian Inlet area. I swear by them for snook, jacks, spanish, kings and I have even caught a cobia on one.


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

emanuel said:


> I think alot of these lures are "niche lures", they are/were popular in very select areas and relatively unknown anywhere else. . . .


I think this is true, also. Most of my saltwater fishing has been in SC, and I am a tackle "junkie." I had never seen, or even heard of, those pompano jigs that SnookMook (I think it was him) put on a thread here. That was an excellent thread.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Pompano jigs are pretty much a Florida thing because we have them in targettable numbers here pretty much year-round. I know a guy who makes them with Owner hooks and does such a beautiful job of making them, you hate to throw them in the water. I'll have to take some pictures.


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

BubbaHoTep said:


> I think this is true, also. Most of my saltwater fishing has been in SC, and I am a tackle "junkie." I had never seen, or even heard of, those pompano jigs that SnookMook (I think it was him) put on a thread here. That was an excellent thread.


BubbaHoTep--Thanks, that was a thread I put up about the Doc's Goofy Jigs we use down here for pompano. 

EM--I'd like to see some of those hand tied pompano jigs with Owner hooks you're talking about though.


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

remember...WHAT WAS OLD IS NEW AGAIN!!! lures that don't work(for me) lazy ike.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Snook, I'll try to get some good pictures. The guy who makes them is local here. They go for $3.50 apiece in the store but the craftmanship is unbelievable.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

*One ole lure that comes to mind...*

Seahawk... They used to have a picture of a guy in Frisco Pier,NC holding an 18lb flounder caught on one... They were great in thier day,caught anything a gotcha would.. I think they quit making them because the gotcha and jerkjigger had better action,that or as another poster said,they didn't market it agressivly enough...


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

emanuel said:


> Snook, I'll try to get some good pictures. The guy who makes them is local here. They go for $3.50 apiece in the store but the craftmanship is unbelievable.


Heck, pass that info along to me, please. I might give some a go when we go over to SC! 

OK, now this thread actually got me digging around in some old tackle boxes in the garage after work today and I found two items of interest: old Rebel "ringworms" and a Heddon River Runt Spook Floater. Has anyone here ever used that Heddon lure in the saltwater? I have used larger jointed pikie lures over there and caught small blues when I didn't have anything else to toss.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

The jointed Windcheater is murder on blues, kings, snook and such.

Bubba, I'll try to get some pictures up of the pomp jigs. I imagine they would work quite well on the big whiting also. I see the guy who makes them just about every time I'm out at the pier.


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## Charlie2 (May 2, 2007)

BubbaHoTep said:


> Heck, pass that info along to me, please. I might give some a go when we go over to SC!
> 
> OK, now this thread actually got me digging around in some old tackle boxes in the garage after work today and I found two items of interest: old Rebel "ringworms" and a Heddon River Runt Spook Floater. Has anyone here ever used that Heddon lure in the saltwater? I have used larger jointed pikie lures over there and caught small blues when I didn't have anything else to toss.



I have found through actual fishing experience that most, if not all, freshwater lures will work as well or sometimes better, in saltwater.

A Speckled Trout and Redfish feed almost like a Largemouth Bass and will hit the same lures. C2


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

rattler said:


> remember...WHAT WAS OLD IS NEW AGAIN!!! lures that don't work(for me) lazy ike.



oh man I caught a ton of fish on a Lazy Ike over the years... prolly more then I caught on flatfish...


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

BubbaHoTep said:


> ... Has anyone here ever used that Heddon lure in the saltwater? I have used larger jointed pikie lures over there and caught small blues when I didn't have anything else to toss.


Heddon makes a 2 oz JUMBO Zara Spook. The black color works great for topwater stripers at IRI in the Summer...

Sandcrab


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## jcreamer (Mar 6, 2001)

Charlie2 said:


> I would vote for the old(and new) Zara Spook. I have both and they are deadly in both fresh and saltwater. Some are wood and some are plastic.
> 
> The poster mentions the Lucky 13. I also fished these things as a kid and still have many.
> 
> ...


Good choices..I had the hardest time as a kid learning to walk the zara spook through the water.


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## parkstreet1234 (Nov 24, 2006)

Many of the "new" lures we see today are really based on the old architecture, very little has changed from what I can see. Maybe there are more Rattles and glossy stickers. 

I think it is good to use a varity of lures. Tins, bucktails, poppers are all good. 

Whatever works for you. Sometimes I see those lures that have lights inside of them. It may just be a gimmic (or not?), but sometimes we buy things just because they are neat looking to us, not the fish.... The good thing is that everyone has their own line and pole at the surf, so we can all use whatever we like!


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## jcreamer (Mar 6, 2001)

Somebody once said "80% of the lures are to catch the fisherman and 20% are to catch the fish."


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Charlie2 said:


> I have found through actual fishing experience that most, if not all, freshwater lures will work as well or sometimes better, in saltwater.
> 
> A Speckled Trout and Redfish feed almost like a Largemouth Bass and will hit the same lures. C2


A prime example of an old fresh/salt crossover lure you mentioned is the Johnson Silver Minnow (pat. 1926). They were originally designed for, and used in, freshwater but are deadly on red drum as well, especially the gold ones.


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

Oyster said:


> A prime example of an old fresh/salt crossover lure you mentioned is the Johnson Silver Minnow (pat. 1926). They were originally designed for, and used in, freshwater but are deadly on red drum as well, especially the gold ones.


Yes, Oyster, agreed. When my dad and I used to wade out in the surf, we used those old Silver Minnows and they are good for the smaller "snapper" blues that are often caught down in South Carolina. 

That's true, C2 (the part Oyster quoted you on). I have had some success with Thundersticks that we used to use for walleyes here over in the salt as well. Since I only get a chance to saltwater fish a couple of weeks a year, I don't sink a lot of money into saltwater lures, so I depend on freshwater lures a good bit the time (although I did pick up some Mirrolure 52MR here a month or so ago for next year and I keep a few Gotchas and spoons in my saltwater arsenal).


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## Al Kai (Jan 8, 2007)

I use black/silver and blue/silver floating Rapalas alot. I just swap out the freswater treble hooks and use single saltwater style hooks.


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