Old School to New School/New School to Old School

[Spankey]

Guys I guess I’m a bit older than the majority here. By what I see of some pics posted here. 
 

I fish a bit on the old school side with some of my baits. Rapala fan boy since I was a kid in the 60,s, Bombers, Rebel TW & Craws, Hedons, Bill Lewis, fished Bandits before the state of PA ever got their first shipment, Hula, Mepps and many others. I’ll just keep it to hard baits for now. 
 

But over the last handful of years I’ve gotten on board with new stuff (new to me) from Megabass, Strike King, Lucky Craft, Spro, Googan (booo), 6th sense maybe 1 or 2 more. All very productive. I believe there is not one thing that did not catch a fish. I have no connection to Spro or Lucky Craft but I do like their baits. 
 

The same can be said about my soft plastics.  Old mfg. and new mfg. of them. 
 

I gravitate back to a lot of my old crankbaits. I’ve had days this season where everything I threw were 80’s baits. 
 

Was curious if you young guy reach to tie on some of those older school crankbaits. There certainly is no push to sell anything like that. Sort of like they have been written off. Most have been sold off to Schlock jobs companies that ran them to the ground. Companies that are down to nothing in the market but the names are still out there. 
 

I was touching up some hooks on Rebel Deep WeeCraws and some WeeCraws and thought many guys on here probably ever threw one or had the desire to throw one. 
 

Sorry for being so long winded, good fishing. 

[TnRiver46]

I like the bomber long A quite a bit 

[BrianMDTX]

Good post Spankey (especially as I fall in your category lol). Unlike rods and reels from the 60's and 70's, lures from that age can and do work just as well as many modern baits. Whether crankbaits or soft plastics. Mann's Jelly Worm has been around since 1967 (when I was still playing cowboys and Indians and cops and robbers), but it is still in my tackle box and is one of my favorite baits to work on a Texas rig. Old floating Rapalas, Heddon Tiny Torpedoes and a Arbogast Jitterbug as well. 

 

You just gave me an idea. I think I will do a Throwback Thursday next week and fish the afternoon/evening with nothing but baits from my youth. I need to replace the trebles on one jointed Jitterbug but the rest are good to go. I'll use nothing but old school baits and see how it goes. 

 

Now, I have several rigs that date to the 60's, 70's and early 80's. I'll part with them only when I depart this vale of tears, but I have no real desire to fish with them any more. Modern rods and reels are so much better. Lures? Not really convinced about that!  

[GaryH]

1 hour ago, Spankey said:

Guys I guess I’m a bit older than the majority here. By what I see of some pics posted here. 
 

I fish a bit on the old school side with some of my baits. Rapala fan boy since I was a kid in the 60,s, Bombers, Rebel TW & Craws, Hedons, Bill Lewis, fished Bandits before the state of PA ever got their first shipment, Hula, Mepps and many others. I’ll just keep it to hard baits for now. 
 

But over the last handful of years I’ve gotten on board with new stuff (new to me) from Megabass, Strike King, Lucky Craft, Spro, Googan (booo), 6th sense maybe 1 or 2 more. All very productive. I believe there is not one thing that did not catch a fish. I have no connection to Spro or Lucky Craft but I do like their baits. 
 

The same can be said about my soft plastics.  Old mfg. and new mfg. of them. 
 

I gravitate back to a lot of my old crankbaits. I’ve had days this season where everything I threw were 80’s baits. 
 

Was curious if you young guy reach to tie on some of those older school crankbaits. There certainly is no push to sell anything like that. Sort of like they have been written off. Most have been sold off to Schlock jobs companies that ran them to the ground. Companies that are down to nothing in the market but the names are still out there. 
 

I was touching up some hooks on Rebel Deep WeeCraws and some WeeCraws and thought many guys on here probably ever threw one or had the desire to throw one. 
 

Sorry for being so long winded, good fishing. 

Still throw Wee craws all the time when wading in the river. Still the my go to whenever fishing the Junieta for SM.

 

 

[FishinBuck07]

I have always thrown the weecraw since I was a kid, still have some in my wading boxes.  Throw hula poppers, jitter bugs, and torpedoes!  So yeah I guess I still throw some of the older baits, even though I am maybe considered on the younger side!

[Mobasser]

I'm 63, and still throw some older baits too. The thing is, most of the best designs in bass lures were created decades ago. It would be hard if not impossible to come up with a totally new unique bass lure. And, the older baits, cast into the right location, will still catch fish as they always did.

[desmobob]

I'm 60 and throw a mix of old and new.  It's all good!   My Heddon Hula poppers sit in a box next to my Megabass PopMax baits.   Rebel and Rapala minnows share a box with Lucky Craft Pointers.  Etc.

 

I'm guessing the old stuff that's still around is still around for a reason... it still works so it still sells.

[Spankey]

10 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I'm 63, and still throw some older baits too. The thing is, most of the best designs in bass lures were created decades ago. It would be hard if not impossible to come up with a totally new unique bass lure. And, the older baits, cast into the right location, will still catch fish as they always did.

You and I are the same age and I pick up we do a lot of the same style of fishing. Just being done many miles apart. Thanks. 

[scaleface]

I still throw old baits a lot .   Rapala Fat Raps , Rebel Deep Wee R's , Bomber Models A's and Long A's , Storm Wiggle Warts  and Norman Deep Little N's all get playing time . Top waters like a big  Rebel Popper,   Pico Pop ,Dalton Special and Spooks  see occasional use. I kind of have gotten away from top water plugs just because the local lakes have changed .

[Spankey]

5 minutes ago, desmobob said:

I'm 60 and throw a mix of old and new.  It's all good!   My Heddon Hula poppers sit in a box next to my Megabass PopMax baits.   Rebel and Rapala minnows share a box with Lucky Craft Pointers.  Etc.

 

I'm guessing the old stuff that's still around is still around for a reason... it still works so it still sells.

I think Bomber is about down the toilet. Real shame. Barely anything out there. Old great patterns don’t even exist. 

2 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I still throw old baits a lot .   Rapala Fat Raps , Rebel Deep Wee R's , Bomber Models A's and Long A's , Storm Wiggle Warts  and Norman Deep Little N's all get playing time . Top waters like a big  Rebel Popper,   Pico Pop ,Dalton Special and Spooks  see occasional use. I kind of have gotten away from top water plugs just because the local lakes have changed .

Love it. I’ve always picked that up by your posts. Ok we are talking reactionary baits but still. Tying on something that maybe you have not touched in 6 or 8 years, maybe more and nail a fish in your first or second cast. I love that. 

[king fisher]

I have some old Bagley's that I only use on slow days, they have saved the day many times.  Problem is I have a complete breakdown when I loose one.  A River Runt waked slow on the surface catches as many as my Spro Rat does.  I still think an orange and black original Bomber imitates a panicked crawdad as well as any modern crankbait.  Rebel Deep WeeR gets lots of playing time and would get more if the hooks didn't always tangle.  I don't think I will ever stop fishing a Jitterbug, the sound is like an old song I never get tired of.  I do fish modern baits most of the time.  Love the hooks on 6th. Sense.

[desmobob]

Just now, king fisher said:

I don't think I will ever stop fishing a Jitterbug, the sound is like an old song I never get tired of. 

 

Nicely put...

[Spankey]

Sure the newer manufacturers have not truly reinvented the wheel. Have a bit of a new twist on things. 
 

I’ve be fishing squarebill more and more. I realize a squarebill is nothing new by any stretch. Rapala original bluegill pattern is one of my all time favorites (Not the real image/live image they put out). I won’t buy another live image bait again. Just can’t do anything with them. But for a bit of an old timer I’m into the Lucky Craft and 6th Sense squarebill in the bluegill patterns. They put out some nice stuff that works. 
 

And the Spros I bought them as a Bomber A Comparison. They are great lures. 
 

But I realize we are talking reaction baits and the will get it. 

[Jigfishn10]

I know this is more of a crankbait type type thread, but this year the bucktail jig has been my top producer.

[fishballer06]

I'm still big on the old Wiggle Warts and Risto Raps. I also like the old Mann's 1- before they cheapened them up. Those old one's run so well. 

[Dwight Hottle]

Good post. I still fish some of my oldies and they are still effective.

[DaubsNU1]

I will be 54 here in September...never really fished cranks much. Many of the lakes in my area are clogged with grass/moss/etc...so it's mainly soft-plastics for me.

 

I do, however, love me a Jitterbug!!!

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

Rebel Deep WeeR gets lots of playing time and would get more if the hooks didn't always tangle. 

Thats a problem all right . I would like to see them move that front hanger forward and reintroduce it .

[Spankey]

24 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Thats a problem all right . I would like to see them move that front hanger forward and reintroduce it .

I agree. If that company is meant to be, give us a little something and modify that a bit. 
 

I no nothing about Pradco, but what I see overall is a cheap poor job. 

1 hour ago, fishballer06 said:

I'm still big on the old Wiggle Warts and Risto Raps. I also like the old Mann's 1- before they cheapened them up. Those old one's run so well. 

? 100% with you on that. My old Wiggle Warts are pretty much old standard patterns. They have everything and anything going on now days. 
 

I have a small hand full of the old Risto Raps. As much of a Rapala fan boy I am I  should of jumped on the bandwagon years ago and bought more up. Honestly it was like they were there and then they were gone. And I certainly missed out that they were going to be replaced. Just missed out, wasn’t paying attention. 

[DitchPanda]

Well I'm only 38 but I've always used old design lures right along side of the new ones. I still throw hula poppers, jitter bugs and rebel Pop r. In colder water I throw a size 5 rapala shad rap. For plastics I use the Mr twister phenom worm alot which is for sure an old bait. I recently started throwing the 9in jelly worm and am impressed. My favorite bait is a spinner bait...yeah maybe the components are better but that's an old bait.

[Spankey]

The Shad Rap I use it from when I start off my season until I pull the plug. Cold water bait? Maybe true. But 84 deg. surface water temp. bait also. I use a # 7  the majority of the time but I’ll use a #5 & 8. 

[king fisher]

1 hour ago, Spankey said:

The Shad Rap I use it from when I start off my season until I pull the plug. Cold water bait? Maybe true. But 84 deg. surface water temp. bait also. I use a # 7  the majority of the time but I’ll use a #5 & 8. 

You are making me feel old.  Up until now, I considered the Shad Rap a modern bait.  I remember when it came out, fished it then and fish it now.  Great lure any where, any time, for any species.

[Spankey]

46 minutes ago, king fisher said:

You are making me feel old.  Up until now, I considered the Shad Rap a modern bait.  I remember when it came out, fished it then and fish it now.  Great lure any where, any time, for any species.

Don’t feel bad, that to me is not considered old school. I do remember somewhat of first fishing it. Maybe mid 90’s.

 

Do you know when it came out? I don’t remember. Maybe earlier in the 90’s ?

Late 80’s

[king fisher]

1 hour ago, Spankey said:

Don’t feel bad, that to me is not considered old school. I do remember somewhat of first fishing it. Maybe mid 90’s.

 

Do you know when it came out? I don’t remember. Maybe earlier in the 90’s ?

Late 80’s

I'm not sure when they came out.  I bought my first one in 87.  They were the hot lure that year, so I'm thinking they probably came out 85-86.  Now that I think about it, that has been more than a couple moons ago.

[Jigfishn10]

@Spankey, you really had to open up this can of worms? I went home and started an oldies but goodies search! I hope my dinner doesn't get cold. I just may pull that welcome mat back! ?

 

Great thread bud!