Our memories using lures

[Steelhead]

Mudbug and Hawaiian Wiggler put a smile upon my face this morning.

 

I had a paper route when I was a kid from 10-13 years old and once a month I would collect money from the customers and alot of the times I'd write to Fred Arbogast and order a couple of lures from the mini catalog that was in the package. I would go to the bank and get an international money order and then to post office to grab a US stamp... then wait impatiently, which I still do to this day waiting for mail orders.

 

Jitterbug, Hula Poppers, Mudbugs, Sputterbuzz, Hula Dancer, Arbogaster and the Hawaiian Wiggler. The luminous Jitterbug and the Mudbug were excellent at night.

 

My other two favorites were the Heddon Hellbender and the Cotton Cordell Big O. I use to troll the Hellbender out my rubber dingy when I wanted to get deep. The Big O in bone/orange belly caught my biggest Smallie back in that time.

 

I see that Pradco has brought back alot of the old classics here of late. I'm hoping the Mudbug is next. 

[Big Swimbait]

My Great Aunt and Uncle taught me to bass fish when I was about 10 years old on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs. I remember the first bass I ever caught was on a fluorescent orange worm they had bought from the back of a Field and Stream magazine. That worm was money in the super clear water. When I moved to Texas in 1969 they gave me all they had left - about 50 as the ad was no longer in the magazine. They didn't last very long in Texas either. I don't know what was so special about that worm other than they were very soft and bagged in anise oil. The Zoom Merthiolate was just not the right shade but it is still in my rotation, especially early Spring.

[Str8BraidPowa]

I have never really been the type to hold on to stuff for memory sake, however this started about a month ago for me. Me and my fishing partner (my brother for lack of a better term, we are actually much closer than my real brother and I) were out at a local lake and I decided to try a Mega bass blade bait having bought one and never used it. I proceeded to catch 25 or 30 fish in a couple hours,after several hours he had only caught one (this is our norm on this lake we both usually catch 1-5 fish). I proceeded to hand off the "lucky setup" in which he caught a good dozen before we went in for the day. We caught so many fish they knocked the paint off the blue gill painted blade bait! He has since picked up a combo and every color blade bait Mega bass makes. I have hung this up in the garage as a retired bait with a fond memory. 

 

Side note have have since returned and slayed them about three times!

[whitwolf]

I have a few I've retired. They are hung up with some pictures of the bass.

 

At some point seven years ago I went to buy some deep wee r's off the Rebel website and couldn't find any. After several emails I was informed that they and the wee r were being discontinued. I couldn't believe it. I cut my bass fishing teeth on Rebel baits in the 70's.

 

To make a long story short I went to ebay and bought several deep wee's and wee's to fish with. While searching for them I ran across so many Rebels that I fished with for years that were no longer being made. Nostalgia took over and I made durn sure I would never run out of Rebel baits. Whenever it's my time they will live on with my boy.