Old School Hard Jerk Bait : Smithwick Rogue Users ?

[thediscochef]

I love my rogues, they are absolutely a different animal from the modern 110 styles. The pro rogue suspending moves so well side to side, a near 180 degree dart is so easy to attain. They are lighter than other similarly sized lures like 110s and they are an adjustment on a baitcaster. If I'm taking a rod out specifically for them it's a 7'6" shimano clarus spinning mhf with braid to leader. The floating braid helps limit the diving just a tiny bit. 

[smalljaw67]

I have approximately 115 to 125 rogues. Now most of them are the original floating rogues but I have 40 suspending rogues exact. My best color is clown and another that actually went by two different names. Log perch and tiger minnow but it seems they changed it up now in a new color called lerch. The floating rogues are killers in the summer, rip them over top of submerged grass and watch out. I have some discontinued colors and then as the floating rogue was being phased out KVD won the 2005 classic, the last time it was a summer event and he won it on a rogue. Not just any rogue but a discontinued model that became in demand and Smithwick brought it back. It was the ARB 1200 series but now they updated the color patterns and use a different numbering system so I don't know what it is in the newer ones. 

[Munkin]

Still use them all the time in both floating and suspending.

 

Allen

[bowhunter63]

Still buy them Still throw em. Still use the orginal floater by Rapala too. Sometimes old school is the best school 

[doctorV]

This topic is so close to my heart these days lol.

To my disappointment, I found out that my most preferred Smithwick pattern - tiger minnow, floating deep rattlin' variant - was discontinued. As it was stated above, they call it now "lerch" and I will have to try it this season. I was scavenging the net, including used gear on ebay, trying to get all available. Can't forget myself for not stocking up a few years back. What is interesting, other patterns didn't work as well compared to the tiger minnow.

It was the first lure my daughter got her first "real" bass, and it was trolling. Ten years fast forward, she still insist we troll and who am I to resist? We got some while casting as well. We use 7 foot medium/light fast St Croix spinning rod, 10 pound mono. 

So, that would be my favorite old school jerkbait, hands down. If anybody knows of any "secret" source for those - much obliged.