Wow, great subject, great memories! My earliest was the last night of our family trip in the Michigan UP. Getting our last night of fishing before driving back to IL the next day. It's after dark, no need for nav lights with a full moon. Grandpa, Dad and Uncle Ray meat fishing for bullheads or anything else to take home and put in the freezer. Had a johnson century push button spincaster; mono was all there was back then. I tied on an all black jitterbug even though the elders said I wouldn't catch anything with that bait, that color. Well, seems I taught a few lessons that night. One, the black bug works just fine after dark, especially with the full moon. I slayed em that night (slay wasn't even a word back then) and my family was very impressed, enough to hit the bait shop on the way home to put a few in their boxes. The second lesson I learned is to pay attention to your knots and learn to tie them correctly. At the end of our fishing, they starting watching the silhouette of the bug in the water when a BIG bass jumped out of the water and landed on it, mouth wide open. Everybody saw it since the moon was so bright. Of course, as a young kid, I was always in a hurry and my knot was weak. At that point, we all decided it was time to go in. I still have one left, all black of course, with the old fashion hook hangers. I still throw it with a full moon, but I use braid to be safe. I like the new hook config and also the 2.0 versions that are out now. Surprised that no one has made a knock off it, at least as far as I'm aware of. And don't forget about the hula popper. Arbogast had/has a great lineup! (See if you can find a Hawaiian Wiggler - great old lure but I lost all mine). One last memory - I took my west coast fishing buddy (who is a fly fisherman primarily) on our annual trip to eagle lake Ontario a couple of times. Gave him one of my jitterbugs to throw on his ultralight spinning setup and he absolutely killed the smallies. That was until a muskie decided he wanted it. Sorry about the long story. In my late 60's but I can still remember a few things...
Fished the Jitterbug for over 50 years now. My favorite topwater bait of all time, always will be. I don't know how many of them things I have now, and sizes.
I'm 49 and jitterbugs, hula poppers have always been a go to lure if all else fails and they catch fish. We have always put bigger treble hooks on them because the ones stock aren't worth it. I love the action and ease of just retrieve on a jitter. I'll throw one of them or a scum frog if it's a full moon with little clouds at night. Best frog is a scum frog other than that a jitterbug is hard to beat
Jitterbugs work awesome for me and my family an fishing buddy's we own fishing spots in Colorado and Maine and in Montana and this lure brings in the big dogs do t believe what the other people are saying they don't know what there talking about
I didn't know it ever went away ! Ive been fishing it regularly since the early 70s. This off topic, but it's a killer bait on rivers in and around the Rockies for Big Brown Trout at night..Black 💪
Fished jitterbug for 40 years, always catch some good ones. Fish tornaments, younger guys will say, what is that thing, lol. But by time where done fishing, they usally got 1 tied on.
It's the 1st fishing lure I ever bought 50 years ago. I threw a black Jitterbug in the evenings for years and caught loads of smallmouth. It seemed to outfish the Crazy Crawler, The Storm Rattlin Chug Bug is no slouch either. Smallies will nail it sitting still.
The strikes you get when jitterbugging at night are hands down the best in bass fishing. I don't think the jitterbug has ever lost its place in American tackle boxes.
I know several guys who only fish for 8lb + sized bass. They use custom made magnum sized Jitterbugs cut from balsa and cedar. These baits are much larger than the factory produced Musky Jitterbugs you would buy off the store shelf. Four to five hours of non-stop casting a night for weeks at a time without catching a single fish. But when they do catch a fish it will break the 7 to 8 lb mark.
jitterbugs never stopped working they just got put aside for the new latest and greatest bait . but some of us are still using them regularly. great classic bait that catches fish to this day. don't sleep on the the old stuff . thanks for sharing
They should hold old-school-only tournaments, nothing newer than 30 years. The Heddon Crazy Crawler is still one of the best night fishing lures ever made.
Someone tried that last year at one of my local lakes but they still allowed livescope they just wanted to swap co angler’s so someone could teach them livescope because I put my two cents in and they said they just got livescope and they gonna learn how to use it that’s when I figured out what they were trying to do. Needless to say it never took off.
I have 4 of them in my tackle box now. I have used them since I was a kid and continue to use them now. I am 47 yrs old.. Thanks for the content Randy! Keep making those videos!
I have 3 of the old ones that are in awesome shape 1 small bullfrog color 1 small black one and a bigger black jointed one and I have found every one of them when I was fishing at different places
great lure. I still use them regularly. I agree, black, especially at dusk and dawn , and frog pattern during the day work great. Ontario small mouth smash the black JB at dusk.
COMEBACK?! I've been throwing a Jitterbug over 25 years and have had so so days and great days with it! I mainly use a black Jointed Jitterbug AKA Black Betty to me and my fishing buddies and always have at least 3 in my box. Best day I ever had I started fishing it on a local pond around 7am and the bite died around 1:30. Hauled in over 30 bass with 7 of them topping 5 lbs, and many in the 3-5lb range! My buddies hate seeing me tie one on, they know I'm going to haul em in!
My dad's two favorite lures were the hula popper and the jitter bug. I still have his lures. I watched my dad just slay big bass in farm ponds as a kid. Thanks for sharing this video. Brings back awesome memories of my dad.
Grew up in the ozarks and everyone i know never stopped using them. Over 40 years fishing and jitterbug is always with me. Only 2 lures have caught me as many fish- Mepps #2 and Rattletrap 1/4oz chrome
Jitterbug have always been a mainstay in my tacklebox. Largely forgotten and under use this thing has blasted big bass for me for 35 years. And something about big bass at night absolutely destroy the black one. I've cashed a lot of checks on Tuesday nighters with a jitterbug and a spinnerbait.
Great topic the ole jitterbug. I caught my first 6 pounder using the frog pattern on a lake in Tipton Missouri back in 1986 still have same baits frog pattern / black pattern.
at the age of 7 i climbed a overhanging tree and got a large couch dog jitter bug for my effort ..still have it!!!!have used that plug (new ones)for 60 years now ! great color for north east lakes ...it NEVER disappoints !!!! thank you sir ...for your informative video's and the TRUTH
Thanks for the video Randy! I used to use the jitterbug all the time, then about 10 years ago I started using the pompadour. I still have a jitterbug or 2 still in my tackle box.
It also catches fish when you fish it like a popper or chugger. Really does a good spit when jerked. I've also had some luck with the big jointed Jitterbug that I put a black Zoom finesse worm on the back hook hanger with a hitchhiker...looks like a mouse going across the water.
I remember seeing them in my grandpa's tackle box. I bought a black one when I got back into fishing but usually use poppers, choppos or walking baits.
One of the best bites I ever had was about 50 years ago on a lake in Vermont. At night, throwing a black jitterbug alongside a recent pine tree blow down. Hooked a 5 lb largemouth. Threw back along the left side and hooked a 5 lb smallmouth. Still remember it like it was yesterday!! Gonna have to try it again this spring at Grand Lake!
used to catch a bunch of bass on a black jitterbug as a kid at an old gravel pit my dad and i fished. still have it displayed with other old lures and rod and reels. might have to drag it out some morning just for old times sake.
I love the black double jointed at the end of the day. I sub out the hooks though. Have a double jointed frog pattern that I removed the front hook and added a skirt along with "frog hook" to make it pretty weedless. Fun to through through scattered pads. Thanks Randy, Fred Arbogast was a genius. Another one of his creations is the Buzz Plug, fish don't see that much and it's effective.
I have some old ones that are wood: & metal from my grandfather tackle box they had to be made between the 1940-1960s . I’ve always wanted to try & catch a bass on one of his lures
I’m 49 years old and it always puzzles me about lure “comebacks”. I’ve never stopped fishing a lure just because something else new comes along. I still catch plenty of fish on Champlain using spinnerbaits and Jitterbugs. I usually use them on low light calm early evenings. The one mod I made was making braid split rings to prevent the fish from throwing it off because of the old school hook hangers.
I have a bunch of newer ones and a few older ones. They work amazing on ponds, not so much on rivers but I might start using it more. I put split rings on mine to eliminate Leverage.
Roland Martin been throwing that black Jitterbug for the last year or so maybe 2 years now catching them big monster Bass with that in florida. People catch on quick.
Im 55 and my first Jitterbug was my Dads that I caught my two biggest smallmouth that to this day I have ever caught. That was 40 years ago. I have tried it many times at LOZ and have yet to catch a fish on it.
I am almost 60 years old. My dad started me on a jitterbug when I was probably 5 or 6 years old and I have caught a ton of fish on it. I have 3 or 4 in my tackle box right now
I caught my first five on one in 65,lake Isabella, Ca.I have painted them more like frogs,my favorite is a split pork rhine,like legs,great co angler bait,don't get hung up,gives you a lot of water to throw at.
The Creek Chub Injured Minnow is another one from that time. I have bought lots of them off eBay and use them in tournaments and have won many of them with it, it's my secret top water bait.
My Grandfather had them. So, I fished Them as a Child. Lazy Ikes, too. I've had them since I put together My Own Box. I've cleaned up with them at dark as the sun goes down into the dark. My Son's have them, too. My Oldest Son and I caught around 100 bass in 2 hrs. at dark. Threw a dozen 2 to 4 pounders in the Chest. Caught a released for a while longer. Just Crazy. Golf Course Pond with a lighted water fountain.
The new Jitterbugs (made in China) are a crap shoot when it comes to build quality. I find that a lot of them have the position of the front plate to be extremely crooked. In that case, I remove it and drill new mounting holes so that it can be attached straight. I seal the old screw holes and the whole contact surface of the plate with gasket cement to keep the lure body from possibly taking on water. It's a glue-style of gasket cement so while I'm at it, I secure the new screw connections with that material too. Another issue with the new Jitterbugs is that the style of eye (that you tie your line to) is not offset on its swivel shaft like the old ones were. As a result, when it's under line tension, it jams up at an angle in the hole it passes through, eliminating the ability of that eye to swivel back and forth and enhance the wobble of the lure. If you bend the little tab in the front plate where the eye passes through so it's almost vertical so that the shaft of the eye passes straight through instead of at a tight angle, the "wobble-enhancing" feature of that connection is restored.
Yes randy,those are tried & true lures,I still use them all torpedoes, jitterbugs,jointed jitterbugs, weedless jitterbugs,Zara spooks, it's hard to beat a heddon lure,they will. Always stand the test of time, also smithwick lures,there ain't no school like old school 🎣
I still catch Bass and BIG BASS on a Hula Popper just like my father did in the late 60s thru 70s and so on especially when they nose 👃 peck a buzz bait
Most bass will nail it when you stop it, not while its being retrieved. You have to be careful not to set the hook at the "splash" but wait until you actually feel the tug. Do that and you won't miss any.
As a kid growing up in Florida always fished a jitterbug. I had a better rig when I took a wooden top water lure and put a jitterbug front on it. That was deadly.
I'm 52 and never stop fishing it. The one issue I've had over time using it is when the barb on the eye shaft begins to ware off it completely loses its side to side action .
Wow, you've put some mileage on your Jitterbugs if you've worn out that eye connection! Related to that, the new Jitterbugs have an eye that is not offset on its shaft like the old ones were, and so when it's under tension it passes through that hole the front plate at a sharp angle and so it binds up. I haven't been able to tell for sure if it actually affects the action, though it seems like it could. I think the line is still pretty free to waver back and forth so the lure's action is mostly unaffected, but if the original design was for the eye to pivot freely to let the lure rock more easily, I figure it's best if it does just that. Here's what I do to make the new style of eye pivot freely. I bend that little "eye tab" on the front plate up to almost a vertical alignment so that the shaft of the eye passes straight through the metal instead of at a sharp angle. This modification will make the new-style eye pivot freely like it's supposed to.
Lol the only reason they're "coming back" is because they started doing better paint on the new ones. I love the good ol jitter bug. One of my favorite night time baits
Im 72 now . Mostly a spinnerbaits + crankbaits angler + spoons too . Through the 80s+ 90s used both jitterbugs + hula poppers on diff. Lakes + rivers with diff. Retrieves at morning + nights with little success. Hid them in the bottom of my tackle bag till today . There parked there now . For me nothing beats the SUPER ZARA SPOOK FOR BIG BASS + MONSTER WALLEYES THAT SMASH THE BAIT . EXCITING HITS. MY FAVORITE COLOR IS LIGHT BLUE BACK WITH LITTLE LIGHT BLUE BODY + ALL WHITE BODY + WHITE BELLY DEFINITELY WITH RATTLES . ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SUN ALMOST DISAPPEARS . I HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING BETTER YET . And that's the bottom line . Cuz the ROCK says so .😂😂😂😂😂.
I’ve been using a jitterbug since the mid 70’s that also includes the hula popper. But my question is who still uses a red devil or a Johnson’s spoon ? For some reason I stop using those spoons for bass like back in the mid 80’s , going to give them a try this spring. Live from R.I. 02961
Original jitterbugs are great and I have several. The new ones are terrible due to the worst hooks and the way they are attached, I've ever seen on a commercial lure.
Hey Randy, It's never left my arsenal, always have kept one around, but for me to fish it in a tournament, it has to have some Modifications, pm me later.
Love all of your videos Randy keep em coming we enjoy them all sir
Wow, great subject, great memories! My earliest was the last night of our family trip in the Michigan UP. Getting our last night of fishing before driving back to IL the next day. It's after dark, no need for nav lights with a full moon. Grandpa, Dad and Uncle Ray meat fishing for bullheads or anything else to take home and put in the freezer. Had a johnson century push button spincaster; mono was all there was back then.
I tied on an all black jitterbug even though the elders said I wouldn't catch anything with that bait, that color. Well, seems I taught a few lessons that night. One, the black bug works just fine after dark, especially with the full moon. I slayed em that night (slay wasn't even a word back then) and my family was very impressed, enough to hit the bait shop on the way home to put a few in their boxes. The second lesson I learned is to pay attention to your knots and learn to tie them correctly. At the end of our fishing, they starting watching the silhouette of the bug in the water when a BIG bass jumped out of the water and landed on it, mouth wide open. Everybody saw it since the moon was so bright. Of course, as a young kid, I was always in a hurry and my knot was weak. At that point, we all decided it was time to go in.
I still have one left, all black of course, with the old fashion hook hangers. I still throw it with a full moon, but I use braid to be safe. I like the new hook config and also the 2.0 versions that are out now. Surprised that no one has made a knock off it, at least as far as I'm aware of. And don't forget about the hula popper. Arbogast had/has a great lineup! (See if you can find a Hawaiian Wiggler - great old lure but I lost all mine).
One last memory - I took my west coast fishing buddy (who is a fly fisherman primarily) on our annual trip to eagle lake Ontario a couple of times. Gave him one of my jitterbugs to throw on his ultralight spinning setup and he absolutely killed the smallies. That was until a muskie decided he wanted it.
Sorry about the long story. In my late 60's but I can still remember a few things...
Fished the Jitterbug for over 50 years now. My favorite topwater bait of all time, always will be. I don't know how many of them things I have now, and sizes.
Fished for 50 years, always had a Jitterbug in my tackle box. The double jointed one is a blast for night fishing for Northern Pike and Muskies.
Hell yeah smashes big bass at night too! Amen
I fished it ky lake 40years
I night fish from my kayak for pike and bass. I love it, but treble hooks in the mouth of a thrashing pike at night makes me nervous lol
One of my favorite lures, I caught the biggest northern pike of my life a few weeks ago 38 in 14.6 lbs
I'm 49 and jitterbugs, hula poppers have always been a go to lure if all else fails and they catch fish. We have always put bigger treble hooks on them because the ones stock aren't worth it. I love the action and ease of just retrieve on a jitter. I'll throw one of them or a scum frog if it's a full moon with little clouds at night. Best frog is a scum frog other than that a jitterbug is hard to beat
Jitterbugs work awesome for me and my family an fishing buddy's we own fishing spots in Colorado and Maine and in Montana and this lure brings in the big dogs do t believe what the other people are saying they don't know what there talking about
Just got a good size bass just yesterday on an antique bullfrog pattern jitterbug. Now I'm on a mission to find more..
I didn't know it ever went away ! Ive been fishing it regularly since the early 70s. This off topic, but it's a killer bait on rivers in and around the Rockies for Big Brown Trout at night..Black 💪
Yes, sir Randy, I am definitely one of those. I keep a rod with a jitterbug tie on all the time and a lifelong favored of mine.
My first big bass as a kid was on a jitterbug. Propably a 5 pounder. Got it from my grandpa's tackle box after he passed.
Fished jitterbug for 40 years, always catch some good ones. Fish tornaments, younger guys will say, what is that thing, lol. But by time where done fishing, they usally got 1 tied on.
It's the 1st fishing lure I ever bought 50 years ago. I threw a black Jitterbug in the evenings for years and caught loads of smallmouth. It seemed to outfish the Crazy Crawler, The Storm Rattlin Chug Bug is no slouch either. Smallies will nail it sitting still.
Thanks for this, Randy. I've been using the bug for the past 54 years and still take big largemouths on it in tournaments.
The strikes you get when jitterbugging at night are hands down the best in bass fishing. I don't think the jitterbug has ever lost its place in American tackle boxes.
I know several guys who only fish for 8lb + sized bass. They use custom made magnum sized Jitterbugs cut from balsa and cedar. These baits are much larger than the factory produced Musky Jitterbugs you would buy off the store shelf. Four to five hours of non-stop casting a night for weeks at a time without catching a single fish. But when they do catch a fish it will break the 7 to 8 lb mark.
jitterbugs never stopped working they just got put aside for the new latest and greatest bait . but some of us are still using them regularly. great classic bait that catches fish to this day. don't sleep on the the old stuff . thanks for sharing
I have frog (for daytime) and black (for night) Jitterbugs, and they're one of my favorite topwaters.
Bass hit a bug harder than anything else. Been using them all my life.
Never stopped using it. Black at night unbeatable
They should hold old-school-only tournaments, nothing newer than 30 years. The Heddon Crazy Crawler is still one of the best night fishing lures ever made.
That’s be awesome ! , a totally old school tournament from boats to rods and reels …. I’d actually keep up a tournament trail like that
Someone tried that last year at one of my local lakes but they still allowed livescope they just wanted to swap co angler’s so someone could teach them livescope because I put my two cents in and they said they just got livescope and they gonna learn how to use it that’s when I figured out what they were trying to do. Needless to say it never took off.
Oldschool tournaments would be awesome!!!
Crazy crawler shhhhhh don’t tell people . Just kidding love that lure . The chaos is awesome .
Summer time jointed Jitterbug is tremendous ! Yup works great at the Champlain! Thanks Randy !
Don't listen to the negative folks randy. You're the man. They hate on you because you're honest and people don't like honest these days.
I have 4 of them in my tackle box now. I have used them since I was a kid and continue to use them now. I am 47 yrs old.. Thanks for the content Randy! Keep making those videos!
I have 3 of the old ones that are in awesome shape 1 small bullfrog color 1 small black one and a bigger black jointed one and I have found every one of them when I was fishing at different places
great lure. I still use them regularly. I agree, black, especially at dusk and dawn , and frog pattern during the day work great. Ontario small mouth smash the black JB at dusk.
COMEBACK?! I've been throwing a Jitterbug over 25 years and have had so so days and great days with it! I mainly use a black Jointed Jitterbug AKA Black Betty to me and my fishing buddies and always have at least 3 in my box. Best day I ever had I started fishing it on a local pond around 7am and the bite died around 1:30. Hauled in over 30 bass with 7 of them topping 5 lbs, and many in the 3-5lb range! My buddies hate seeing me tie one on, they know I'm going to haul em in!
My dad's two favorite lures were the hula popper and the jitter bug. I still have his lures. I watched my dad just slay big bass in farm ponds as a kid. Thanks for sharing this video. Brings back awesome memories of my dad.
Been in my arsenal for 30 years but ain't fished it in a decade. I'll tie one on.
Grew up in the ozarks and everyone i know never stopped using them. Over 40 years fishing and jitterbug is always with me. Only 2 lures have caught me as many fish- Mepps #2 and Rattletrap 1/4oz chrome
Jitterbug have always been a mainstay in my tacklebox. Largely forgotten and under use this thing has blasted big bass for me for 35 years. And something about big bass at night absolutely destroy the black one. I've cashed a lot of checks on Tuesday nighters with a jitterbug and a spinnerbait.
Great topic the ole jitterbug. I caught my first 6 pounder using the frog pattern on a lake in Tipton Missouri back in 1986 still have same baits frog pattern / black pattern.
at the age of 7 i climbed a overhanging tree and got a large couch dog jitter bug for my effort ..still have it!!!!have used that plug (new ones)for 60 years now ! great color for north east lakes ...it NEVER disappoints !!!! thank you sir ...for your informative video's and the TRUTH
Thanks for the video Randy! I used to use the jitterbug all the time, then about 10 years ago I started using the pompadour. I still have a jitterbug or 2 still in my tackle box.
The clasics still work and there fun to fish.
Catching bass on top water lures is heaven.
It also catches fish when you fish it like a popper or chugger. Really does a good spit when jerked. I've also had some luck with the big jointed Jitterbug that I put a black Zoom finesse worm on the back hook hanger with a hitchhiker...looks like a mouse going across the water.
Yes! I fish it more liek a hula popper but specificaly only at night.
I remember seeing them in my grandpa's tackle box. I bought a black one when I got back into fishing but usually use poppers, choppos or walking baits.
One of the best bites I ever had was about 50 years ago on a lake in Vermont. At night, throwing a black jitterbug alongside a recent pine tree blow down. Hooked a 5 lb largemouth. Threw back along the left side and hooked a 5 lb smallmouth. Still remember it like it was yesterday!! Gonna have to try it again this spring at Grand Lake!
Another oldie but goodie coming to light. The BOMBER has got to be next. My PB came from the standard green/white combo. Farm pond 8 pounder.
I got mine out and rehooked it,and the old hulla popper,and the tiny torpedo! Goin old school in florida 🤙✌️.
Thanks for the reminder, enjoy the stories.
The first 2 lures I bought back in the early 70s were the jitter bug and crazy crawler. I still have them. Wow love to see them come back.
I caught my first topwater largemouth with a yellow hornet Crazy Crawler. I still have it and it's over 30 years old!
Have used it regularly for over 50 years. Definitely has it's place. The black Jitterbug is very effective at night.
used to catch a bunch of bass on a black jitterbug as a kid at an old gravel pit my dad and i fished. still have it displayed with other old lures and rod and reels. might have to drag it out some morning just for old times sake.
I love the black double jointed at the end of the day. I sub out the hooks though. Have a double jointed frog pattern that I removed the front hook and added a skirt along with "frog hook" to make it pretty weedless. Fun to through through scattered pads. Thanks Randy, Fred Arbogast was a genius. Another one of his creations is the Buzz Plug, fish don't see that much and it's effective.
Always one in my topwater box. Yes, I'm of that age like you, Randy.
My personal favorite is the 5/8 Oz.black with the clicker.Great bait.Fished it for 50 years with great success.Another favorite is the Devils Horse.
I have some old ones that are wood: & metal from my grandfather tackle box they had to be made between the 1940-1960s . I’ve always wanted to try & catch a bass on one of his lures
The jointed jitterbug is my all time favorite top water lure..One of the best big bass killers of all time.
I’m 49 years old and it always puzzles me about lure “comebacks”. I’ve never stopped fishing a lure just because something else new comes along. I still catch plenty of fish on Champlain using spinnerbaits and Jitterbugs. I usually use them on low light calm early evenings. The one mod I made was making braid split rings to prevent the fish from throwing it off because of the old school hook hangers.
Jitter bugs at night in Florida catches bigguns
I have a bunch of newer ones and a few older ones. They work amazing on ponds, not so much on rivers but I might start using it more. I put split rings on mine to eliminate Leverage.
Roland Martin been throwing that black Jitterbug for the last year or so maybe 2 years now catching them big monster Bass with that in florida. People catch on quick.
Im 55 and my first Jitterbug was my Dads that I caught my two biggest smallmouth that to this day I have ever caught. That was 40 years ago. I have tried it many times at LOZ and have yet to catch a fish on it.
I am almost 60 years old. My dad started me on a jitterbug when I was probably 5 or 6 years old and I have caught a ton of fish on it. I have 3 or 4 in my tackle box right now
I caught my first five on one in 65,lake Isabella, Ca.I have painted them more like frogs,my favorite is a split pork rhine,like legs,great co angler bait,don't get hung up,gives you a lot of water to throw at.
Still gotem Both! Won a tournament with a devils horse..tuned deadly! And th chugger Jr! The OG of bass fishin still work!
I always have Jitterbugs with me , they are a fantastic bait , one of the first lures I ever threw
Jitterbug has been one of my favorite. I fish mostly smallmouth so the hulapoper is also another old standby!
The Creek Chub Injured Minnow is another one from that time. I have bought lots of them off eBay and use them in tournaments and have won many of them with it, it's my secret top water bait.
I've still gotta try a black, musky size jitterbug for bass at night..heard some stories!
I found one imbedded in the dirt at a local pond. Added it to the tackle box after I cleaned it up, but I haven't used it yet.
Always have a frog pattern, and try the black one in low light. Counted for many a bass for me👍
My Grandfather had them. So, I fished Them as a Child. Lazy Ikes, too. I've had them since I put together My Own Box. I've cleaned up with them at dark as the sun goes down into the dark. My Son's have them, too. My Oldest Son and I caught around 100 bass in 2 hrs. at dark. Threw a dozen 2 to 4 pounders in the Chest. Caught a released for a while longer. Just Crazy. Golf Course Pond with a lighted water fountain.
The new Jitterbugs (made in China) are a crap shoot when it comes to build quality. I find that a lot of them have the position of the front plate to be extremely crooked. In that case, I remove it and drill new mounting holes so that it can be attached straight. I seal the old screw holes and the whole contact surface of the plate with gasket cement to keep the lure body from possibly taking on water. It's a glue-style of gasket cement so while I'm at it, I secure the new screw connections with that material too. Another issue with the new Jitterbugs is that the style of eye (that you tie your line to) is not offset on its swivel shaft like the old ones were. As a result, when it's under line tension, it jams up at an angle in the hole it passes through, eliminating the ability of that eye to swivel back and forth and enhance the wobble of the lure. If you bend the little tab in the front plate where the eye passes through so it's almost vertical so that the shaft of the eye passes straight through instead of at a tight angle, the "wobble-enhancing" feature of that connection is restored.
always have one on hand and ready. what a great lure that has stood the test of time.
Have several but haven’t had them in my main topwater box. Will try them out again and definitely change the hooks. Lol
Yes randy,those are tried & true lures,I still use them all torpedoes, jitterbugs,jointed jitterbugs, weedless jitterbugs,Zara spooks, it's hard to beat a heddon lure,they will. Always stand the test of time, also smithwick lures,there ain't no school like old school 🎣
It’s amazing how fish are still fooled by jitterbug. I thought they would have evolved past that by now.
LOL...
I’ve kept a jitterbug in my tackle box since I was a kid. Buddy, it’s still the thing to throw at night.
Old lures don't work...? Ya had a video recently ?
I'm so confused 😂
Never let salesmen confuse you.
I still catch Bass and BIG BASS on a Hula Popper just like my father did in the late 60s thru 70s and so on especially when they nose 👃 peck a buzz bait
I still throw a Jitterbug and even throw a Hula Popper some mornings.
Good tournament idea. Old vintage lures and rods n reels and no electronics except a flasher . Maybe even a color selector..... lol
Do you still personally sell any lake breakdowns? I remember you guys used too.
I caught a 2lb bass last year in open water,but a 14 ft deep gravel pit
Most bass will nail it when you stop it, not while its being retrieved. You have to be careful not to set the hook at the "splash" but wait until you actually feel the tug. Do that and you won't miss any.
I still have two of the old ones i took from my pa paws box when i was a kid
As a kid growing up in Florida always fished a jitterbug. I had a better rig when I took a wooden top water lure and put a jitterbug front on it. That was deadly.
I didn't know it went away. I never stopped using .
I'm 52 and never stop fishing it. The one issue I've had over time using it is when the barb on the eye shaft begins to ware off it completely loses its side to side action .
Wow, you've put some mileage on your Jitterbugs if you've worn out that eye connection! Related to that, the new Jitterbugs have an eye that is not offset on its shaft like the old ones were, and so when it's under tension it passes through that hole the front plate at a sharp angle and so it binds up. I haven't been able to tell for sure if it actually affects the action, though it seems like it could. I think the line is still pretty free to waver back and forth so the lure's action is mostly unaffected, but if the original design was for the eye to pivot freely to let the lure rock more easily, I figure it's best if it does just that. Here's what I do to make the new style of eye pivot freely. I bend that little "eye tab" on the front plate up to almost a vertical alignment so that the shaft of the eye passes straight through the metal instead of at a sharp angle. This modification will make the new-style eye pivot freely like it's supposed to.
Lol the only reason they're "coming back" is because they started doing better paint on the new ones. I love the good ol jitter bug. One of my favorite night time baits
Im 72 now . Mostly a spinnerbaits + crankbaits angler + spoons too . Through the 80s+ 90s used both jitterbugs + hula poppers on diff. Lakes + rivers with diff. Retrieves at morning
+ nights with little success. Hid them in the bottom of my tackle bag till today . There parked there now . For me nothing beats the SUPER ZARA SPOOK FOR BIG BASS + MONSTER WALLEYES THAT SMASH THE BAIT . EXCITING HITS. MY FAVORITE COLOR IS LIGHT BLUE BACK WITH LITTLE LIGHT BLUE BODY + ALL WHITE BODY + WHITE BELLY DEFINITELY WITH RATTLES . ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SUN ALMOST DISAPPEARS . I HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING BETTER YET . And that's the bottom line . Cuz the ROCK says so .😂😂😂😂😂.
Always used a jitterbug they still sell them . I have one that’s old old it’s got weedless hooks on it like a frog but it’s wood .
I got a few megabass jitterbugs special editions pretty cool lure caught a few bass with it
used to love the jitterbug. im hooked on the pompadours now.
I always have a jointed Jitterbug tied on!
Got 2 in my reserve storage box. Will try.
Dont forget the Hulla Popper!
My largest bass caught on a artificial was on a black Jitterbug.
Some of the biggest bass me and friends have caught was on a jitterbug
I’ve been using a jitterbug since the mid 70’s that also includes the hula popper. But my question is who still uses a red devil or a Johnson’s spoon ? For some reason I stop using those spoons for bass like back in the mid 80’s , going to give them a try this spring. Live from R.I. 02961
Johnson silver minnow and a hollow body frog are the 2 best weed lures out there.
Always had one but never knew how to fish it
They need to bring back the weedless jitterbug.
Original jitterbugs are great and I have several. The new ones are terrible due to the worst hooks and the way they are attached, I've ever seen on a commercial lure.
I use jitterbugs a lot in the summer.
I ALWAYS have one with me. There is no better bait in the dark.
Going to share a little secret. The small black jitterbug crushes big brown trout at night.
Hey Randy, It's never left my arsenal, always have kept one around, but for me to fish it in a tournament, it has to have some Modifications, pm me later.