Scrounger Heads. What Do I Need To Know?

[TNBassin']

I picked up some Luck E Strike pre rigged scrounger jigs tonight at Wally world for $3 a pop. They are the 1/4oz heads with the skirts and pre rigged green flukes. I think they are the "long bills" if I'm not mistaking. Can these be fished deep even though they are only a 1/4oz since they have the long bill, or does bill size not have anything to do with depth? I've never tried these and know very little so if anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

[aceman387]

I just picked up some a couple days ago myself.I stumbled upon this video which has some good pictures and ideas on what to do with them.

 

 

[00 mod]

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.  

 

Jeff 

[TrapperJ]

They catch fish i know that for sure! This has become my current go to bait for searching, since you can cover alot of water.

 

I havnt been working mine very slow though, just chuck and reel at a medium pace. Been using the 1/4oz no skirt with fluke.

 

Thanks for tip gripnrip!

[bassin is addicting]

try a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad on one....and hold on!!

 

i like mine with no skirt (i like saying that) 

 

it is one of my go to baits.

[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. 

[Dwight Hottle]

A little tip I learned is that the bills can changed from one jig to the next, short bill substituted for a long bill & vice versa.

[TrapperJ]

I

 

try a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad on one....and hold on!!

 

i like mine with no skirt (i like saying that) 

 

it is one of my go to baits.

 

I just got some of these to try on my A-Rig... killer idea to put it on the scrounger Jig Head. You using 3.5? or the 4.5? The 4.5 are pretty good sized.

[bassin is addicting]

i use the 3.5" myself.

never tried the 4.5" they just seem too big for my lakes...  but then again i've caught 8" bass on a 5" senko..

[TNBassin']

So are my 1/4oz scroungers too small for bass?

[Shane J]

The Scrounger w/ Rage Craw catches fish like a BOSS! I just put this combo together for my wife, and that's exactly what I rigged up for her. She might just smoke me with that setup.

 

 

 

[gripnrip]

So are my 1/4oz scroungers too small for bass?

Ummmm no! The Grand Lake previous record, a 10.7 LM, was caught off a dock with a 1/4 oz scrounger with a baby bass fluke trailer.  It is a fish catching machine.  I have hooked 3 pound smallies and 4 pound LM with my 1/4's.  Nothing bigger yet.  It will be in my box for my 2 day tourny the 27th and 28th this month!

[TNBassin']

The Scrounger w/ Rage Craw catches fish like a BOSS! I just put this combo together for my wife, and that's exactly what I rigged up for her. She might just smoke me with that setup.

 

 

what size head?

[Shane J]

what size head?

1/4 oz is usually perfect. Sometimes a 3/8 for 20 foot or so water.

[WRB]

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.

Tom

[zip pow]

I determine what size by depth I'm fishing 1/4 3-7 foot 1/2 7-13 foot 3/4 anything deeper than 13 foot I use the 1/4 just like a rattle trap .1/2 just like a spinner bait and 3/4 just like a c-rig I fish them with a super salty fluke white in color only .Haven't change baits much because I always get bit with them.

[TNBassin']

I definitely need to get some 1/2oz or 3/4 heads, because our fish stay deep here on Douglas.

[gripnrip]

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.

Tom

Tom,  I enjoy your posts.  Thanks for the history of this bait.  I have read an article and Martens was quoted saying his idea was stolen.  What a classless person.  People think because they take something and modify it the came up with the original idea.  I have lost respect for him.