I think of it as a lipped crank. I only use the long-billed version. Super fluke trailer. (Xtreme Custom tackle, long shank hook version)
I'll defer to the experts. Maybe it'll help someone else too.
Jeff:
Caught a bunch of nice bass with rage lobsters on them. 1/2 oz long bill. We were fishing deep. Slow rolling them like a spinnerbait and also burning them like a lipless. Just had to find the mood of the bass. Also a hop off the bottom and then let them fall. Also like to use Keiteich fat impacts and big hammers.
Slow roll them and hang on. I prefer them without skirts. Flukes are very good on the back of them. My personal favorite size is 3/8 and 1/2 oz. Long bill makes for a wider wobble and deeper depth.
Fluke, rage lobster, slug-o or a lake fork live magic shad
bassin is addicting:
try a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad on one....and hold on!!
bocabasser:
no skirt for sure. i use a fluke, not the super fluke, but the regular fluke. i use the short bill scrounger when i want a faster retrieve, and the long billed scrounger when i fish slower and deeper. like the others said, just reel them in and hold on.
Tom:
Scrounger lures have a long history, invented by John Waters back in the early 60's to fish SoCals surf fish with light tackle, the original Scrounger came rigged with a spear shaped worm. Like most lures it took a back seat after about a decade. In the late 70's a new lure was introduced called a Sluggo and for whatever reason I received the trout colored 6" Sluggo to test. The Sluggo was ugly, fat and stiff, so the package got put away in my salt water lures. Long story, the short version is I put a Sluggo on a Scrounger jig for Calico bass fishing and it worked great, except the hook was too small.
I modified the original Scrounger by Jogn Waters, by cutting off the hook at the bend, straightened it out and tied a 5/0 straight shank worm hook on by wrapping with line and super gluing it. The rest is history, I caught a lot of DD LMB using the modified Scrounger, the word got out after a few years and Aaron Martins along with a few others copied the modified Scroungers. Since the original Scroungers were out of production and hard to find, a local mold shop started making a Wiggle head jig, the name Scrounger was a trade name, and the lure had another 10 year run, then died out again.
Aaron Martens decided to make the Scroungers and used the name, was sued for trade name infringement by the Waters family and Aaron sold it.
The original Scroungers had a shorter bill, the Wiggle head version a longer bill, both were popular and Aaron decided to offer both.
I prefer the shorter bill with straight shaped trailers to create a very tight wiggle, like the original Rapala lures. Big bass seem to prefer straight trailers with tight wiggle over trailers with tails or appendages that tend to kill the wiggle action. The long bill is very good in cover as it tends to become a weed gaurd.
I don't like the long molded lead collar design, it is about 1/4" too long and should be removed for better hook sets.
A 4" Sluggo shaped soft plastic type straight trailer like a Fluke is ideal for the 1/4 oz Scrounger, 6" for the heavier Scroungers.
I like to present Scroungers parallel to point side walls and bump the structure.
Jeff, the key with Scroungers is a little change is pace using reel cadence, not rod action and to increase speed when you feel bumps. What happens sometimes is the baitfish follow the Scrounger, when a big bass shows the bait scatter and the bass chases the Scrounger down that is trying to escape. If you stop the retrieve, everything stops and turns away.
Good luck with your trip and looking for a teener!
I don't use the snap because prefer a tighter wiggle, the snap gives the Scrounger a wider wiggle.
The long bill tends to be move snag resistant and a little slower wiggle action. As long as you keep the Scrounger moving forward it will go through brush, don't kill your retreive let it sink down into the brush.
You can cast a Scrounger and let it sink, then retreive it up and over a brush pile.
Quanjig:
I have to disagree with the guys that put boot tail style baits on the scrounger. I feel that it almost negates the action imparted by the scrounger itself. Super fluke. Disco green or disco violet.
A-Jay:
I will not profess to be an expert with the bait but I've been fishing it a bit more lately and I'm really liking the versatility & success.
As for trailers, Flukes, Trick Worms, and Slug-Go's have worked. I'm betting there are a ton of other baits that would work as well or perhaps even better.
A couple of things to watch for; if the trailer is too big as compared to the weight and/or the size of the Scrounger & bill size, it may over power the action of the Scrounger head to where most if not all of the vibrating action is gone. The Long bill versions seen to work best for me.
Also, boot tail type swim baits sometimes don't work that well. They have a specific action of their own which is not enhanced or improved by this type of head. They seem to fight each other more than anything else.
And the single most effective retrieve for me (regardless of depth or conditions) has been a Slow Steady one; sometimes it seems almost too slow. Your reels gear ratio plays a role here.
when I first started fishing them I was using too heavy a weight and fishing them too fast - at least for my areas. the long bill 3/8's bait is most versatile and the best trailers for it seem to be thinner profile and between 5-6 inches.
Dwight:
Short bill is for shallow & long bill is for deep.
From Kalin's Scrounger description
"The short bill is perfect for fishing shallow and working fast, while the medium bill can be worked at a range of speeds, and the long bill can be fished deeper. Whether you are new to fishing or an old hat, the Kalin’s Scrounger is a great choice that works on all species of gamefish."
