Discontinued Lure Colors And Hard To Find Lures & Colors

[bigbill]

I been looking for my favorite senko colors and BPS stik o worms in the color that works for me. I've said this before and I got a message that I may have to make them. Luckily I checked my box of them and maybe I'll have enough till the supply gets replenished.

But now it's my favorite bomber FAT A crankbait crankbaits 05 in all the colors. These have been one of my go to lures that I can depend on. I found these colors are discontinued too. I bought up what I could find in any bomber crank in any size and any depthjust to have them. I just hate to see the older colors that still produce. I just dropped a lot of $$ to stock up on them.

I just find it hard to change when something catches fish so well. I personally emailed bomber and they responded the sales are low on these so there being fazed out. My response was that fisherman don't present them right.

I can take the bomber FAT A crank and reel it slow over submerged weeds, twitch it still on top(it floats), I can adjust the speed to make it run at any depth. I stop it and twitch it over open pickets in the weeds. I can rip it along side channel and seedlings too.

For me being a shore fisherman for a lure to be that productive it's got to be good.

Then there was the BPS Topnocker it's the hottest topwater lure I have ever used. I have a few extra but with no more insite it's tough using them. The only ones I lose are to big bass taking them down into the weeds. You can quick twitch this lure and it will pop in one spot if we snap it quickly. We can walk the dog, or twitch it with a 1,2,3 and pause then repeat. It's an easy lure to use. Or it was.

When I go fishing I throw a ritual of lures.

1.BPS Topnocker color #25 chartruese

2.Rebel BIG Claw crawfish crank in chartruese green back.

3.Bomber FAT A in redapplecraw size 05.

4.Rapala Orginal Floater #7 in blue.

5.Mepps Anglia #3 silver blade, Brown tail

6.Joe's Fly 1/4oz bass size in blackgnat.

7.Panther Martin silver spinner, yellow fly.

8.Joe's fly 1/4oz bass size firetiger apache.

9.Spinner bait 1/8oz silver blade, blue glimmer skirt with a split double tail grub trailer with trailer hook.

10.Strike King inline spinner, silver blade, black cocktail.

11.Spinner bait 1/8oz gold blade, characterise skirt with a split double tail grub Trailer with a trailer hook.

12. Plastics next

Don't forget the scents too.

If I don't get any action I change the colors of my cranks. This list gives me a constant starting point.

My point is I usually land fish when going by this list. I know what usually works but colors do change too, along with patterns and presentations. But it's not rocket science. I guess I'm set in my ways. But what works at one place seems to work at other places too.

I wonder how the pros handle discontinued lures and colors?

Maybe I'm too old school with old school colors and lures too. Maybe it's time to try the new colors?? Any thoughts about moving forward?

[martintheduck]

It hurts...bad...when you can't find "that one lure I NEED, I MUST HAVE TO CATCH FISH!" If they discontinued blue flake power worms I'd be heart broken! 

 

I imagine pros handle the discontinuance's a lot better than us... since they are usually sponsored and don't take a hit in the pocketbook every time they need new bait. They probably aren't as afraid to try something new when they get it for free. I'm hesitant to spend $5 on a package of plastics I've never used before or $15 on a crank bait I'm not confident in. 

 

I've had good success with talking to other fisherman in the area, find out what they have had success on, and force myself to buy that lure and USE it - not just let it sit in my bag.

 

Maybe you can start trying hand painting hard plastics? I know it's a bit of a long shot to make this comparison, but - I hand painted my duck decoys this past hunting season and I got a LOT more looks after I hand painted them. I imagine hand paint lures would go the same way - give them something they haven't seen before and they will give it a look.

[Bankbeater]

Try checking on ebay, or at local garage sales.  Sometimes people are getting rid of a gold mine and they don't even know it.

[bigbill]

I did buy lures clearance and send them to Terry Clark who repainted them in all the bass colors for me too. I even sent him northern pike and Muskie lures to repaint

Them in bass colors too. I'm thinking big bait bigger fish.

I don't see any of my favorite worm colors too. The electric blue is a very hot color here. Everyone seems to be discontinuing everything. Or there sold out because others found them to be hot color too. It could be the lure manufacturer not being able to keep up with the demand with certain colors too.

From now on when I find a new lure that's hot I'll buy cases of them. I have boxes of bomber cranks and Norman lures too. As well as plastic worms and senko type baits too in all my hotter colors.

[Comfortably Numb]

For stick baits, small bait companys can match whatever color you need.

[Marty]

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Personally, color isn't that big a deal to me so discontinued colors don't bother me. I'm a believer in that old bit about there being only three colors, dark, light and something in between.

[06June1944]

Don’t mean to bump and old thread, but I had been out of the game of fishing for the last couple years (college & moved to the city for work). The whole covid nightmare brought me back to the hobby I loved so much. To the topic at hand - my pops always taught me if something works - buy a ton, cause the company only cares about money, not if a reduction production cost product works or not... learned the hard lesson last fall & this spring. I fish the 4a A LOT and ended up having one of my most productive 4a colors bit off by what I assume was an alligator snapper (clean slice thru 50lb braid). Since I had a few extras, I didn’t worry at the time, but This spring, crankbait fishing has been off the charts productive. So I decided to order a few of the color I like from cabelas as back ups and to my horror - they are no where even close to the old paint job that bomber used to put on the plug (pre2014). I’m not even joking. The hues are way off, the pattern is weak at best, and they don’t pull half the fish as the 2005-2014 4A plugs do. I’m not sure if this is because bomber moved their production from China to Guatemala, or if it’s a cost cutting measure, but oh mylanta, I’ve had to spend a zillion on stocking up with NOS of the ones I like so much. It really stinks. As an aside, I’ve also noticed they don’t have the B04F as an option anywhere either. Only ones I was able to find were in Walmart’s box of assorted cranks. Ended up buying a ton of those too @3.43 a pc. I figure even if the ugly colors don’t work, I’ll paint em. 
 
I guess my question is what the heck happened to bomber? Are they losing market share that bad to all the idiot brands like googan squid? If so, they need to fire their marketing director and bring in someone competent. I’m may be a millennial, but if something works, I stick with it. I’m a bomber loyalist. I feel like most other fishermen are that way as well. If bomber is tanking, they need to right the ship before it’s too late. 

[Deleted account]

I call your 8 year old thread,  and raise you a 50+ year old lawsuit. What happened to Bomber is what happened to most other PRADCO brands. I feel your pain though, there are several lures, where I'll only go with the old ones. Try fishing shows and flea markets, that's where I find most of the ones I'm looking for.

 

https://law.justia.com/cases/arkansas/supreme-court/1967/5-4308-0.html

[AManWearingAHat]

Kailin’s Fishy :( RIP

[Jaderose]

NetBait BK Tube in "Lou's Special".  I'm not that big of a "specific color" kind of guy but man did that tube catch fish

[fishingtx]

zooom centipede watermelon blue flake