If you are keeping up with the latest trends in bass fishing, you have likely seen a switch to baits designed for fishing with your electronics, namely for forward-facing sonar. It’s been a hot topic for bass fishing, and companies have created all sorts of baits that work better for targeting suspended bass out in the abyss. This way of fishing works, but there are still many tried-and-true ways to catch a bass, and some of the long-forgotten lures still catch plenty of fish for anglers fishing them.
Of course, what an angler considers an old-school bait will vary significantly compared to someone else, and it mainly comes down to that person's age and how long they have been fishing. For this article, we'll stick with baits that have been catching fish for the past several decades and none of the genuine antique lures, even though they would still catch plenty of fish if you tied them on your line.
Jerkbaits, Minnow Baits, and Topwaters
One quantum leap in fishing over the past decade or so has been the jerkbaits. The current generation of jerkbaits is highly efficient for diving to different depths and suspends perfectly at rest without any modifications. The days of wrapping your treble hooks with wire or adding lead strips are over unless you are using jerkbaits of the past. Those older jerkbaits still work, and one of the trailblazers of the modern era was the Rapala Husky Jerk. They will suspend and were among the first in class to do this, but they have often been replaced by the newer generation of jerkbaits like the Megabass Vision 110 and several others.
Three other minnow-style baits that don’t get the attention anymore are the Bomber Long A, Rapala Original Floating Minnow, and Smithwick Rogue. Many anglers still use them, and they work.
The original Bomber Long A is a sought-after bait for anglers who use it as a wake bait, especially in clear water for lakes with spotted and smallmouth bass. Each spring, during the pre-spawn, they catch fish. The original Rapala Minnow is also an excellent cross-over bait between a topwater, wake bait, and jerkbait and works exceptionally well in some situations. The Rogue changed how many bass anglers fished jerkbaits, and they are still sold in several versions, from floating, suspended, and the refreshed Perfect 10 version.
Another 1990s staple that still works well is the Heddon Spit ‘N Image, a unique splashing topwater style many have forgotten. It's still a tremendous topwater bait. Two other classics that many anglers have forgotten about are the Hula Popper and Jitter Bug. These two topwaters have been made for years under the Arbogast brand name and are still produced. The Hula Popper has a new version, the Hula Popper 2.0, released a few years ago with a feathered treble hook instead of a rubber skirt, better hooks and hook hangers, and modern paint finishes. If you have any of these three baits, tie them on your next trip and show this generation of bass something they likely don't often see.
Sought-After Discontinued Baits
Fishermen are often a fickle bunch and often say things like “they don’t make them like they used to,” and that is why a handful of out-of-production baits fetch high prices on eBay. Some of the most notable are the original Pre-Rapala Storm Wiggle Wart, Luhr Jensen Speed Trap, Mann’s Baby 1 Minus, Reaction Innovations Vixen, and the similar Paycheck Baits Repo Man.
All three of these baits have a cult following, but you will spend a pretty penny to get an original. The original Wiggle Wart is said to have a different rattling sound, and the Baby 1—Minus, Repo Man, and Vixen are also said to have changed.
There are still newer versions of the Storm Wiggle Wart and Speed Trap under the Storm brand name. The Baby 1—Minus can still be found, and the Teckel Kicknocker is the same mold from the designer who made the original Vixen and Repo Man. But all of the original versions of these old-school baits still catch plenty of fish, or they wouldn’t be in such demand.
Three Soft Plastics
One issue with older soft plastics is that they tend to lose some pliability and action if they are very old, but some “old-school” styles of baits are still made and not often talked about.
One of these is the proven ribbon tail worm. They still have a time and place and work great when fishing offshore with a standard Texas rig. For many anglers, these baits never left the boat, but another segment of anglers has switched gears to finesse rigs like the drop-shot and Neko rig in the same situations that a ribbon tail worm shines. If you haven’t fished one in a while, tie up a big Berkley Power Worm or Zoom Ol’ Monster and catch some fish.
Many anglers have forgotten two other styles: lizards and grubs, baits that have been in bass fishing for a long time. These two baits have been staples for years, and now, you hardly ever hear about them even though they absolutely still work. These baits were likely cannibalized by other baits that can be used in similar situations, where creature baits have replaced some use of the lizard and small swimbaits have taken some of the same fishing time as swimming a grub.
Fishing with older lures can be a nice throwback to past fishing memories, but they can still fool a bass. With so much attention on new fishing trends and the latest fads, it can be nice sometimes to go old-school and break out some older lures.
