10 crazy CRANKBAITS you never knew existed!

[@Stumpjack]

The Bug Plug, Psycho Scout and Hedd Hunter are/were so sick! Man, those ones had me checking online immediately, as the video was running! Coolest video I've seen in a while. You gotta do more of these unusual, discontinued lure vids, Chris. This was a real treat. The paint/decal jobs on several of those were unbelievable. I think we should form a large posse just for the purpose of hitting some of these companies with an avalanche of emails and letters begging them to rerelease some of these lures.

[@RetroBassin]

Ok, Dave, did you pick up any on the eBay in the last 24???

[@Stumpjack]

Not yet. Watching a few, hoping to get at least one before the end of the auction.

[@bassmatters1012]

Man this video makes me want to hit up some antique stores! Great video!

[@RetroBassin]

Better yet, visit an antique tackle show!

[@bayouburner281]

That Mudbug was sick! I bought a couple of smiling minnows back around 1985 for my annual summer vacation to my grandparents in Arkansas-Chunked a fire tiger pattern in a cold clear water creek and smacked a 6 lber on it and my Grandpa was shocked. I put that fish in his neighbors pond . I’ll never forget that moment 🤠

[@RetroBassin]

Heck of a tale, Bayou!

[@LowBrowFishing]

A Cotton Cordell old school favorite of mine has to be the Boy Howdy. A great topwater lure that was discontinued but brought back several years ago. It comes in 2 distinct flavors and man does it catch fish!

[@RetroBassin]

Ok, do you like blade or just weighted tail?

[@LowBrowFishing]

@@RetroBassin I like both. For more calm conditions, I generally go tail-weighted. If the bass are a bit more active or there's a bit of chop on the water, I'm using the prop version.

[@AlbertoLopezR79]

For sure it would be a joy to see a fishing trip with your ol’ pals giving it a go with this great cranks..!

[@RetroBassin]

They will be coming, Alberto!

[@NewOlSchoolFishin]

Thanks man! Great info and a walk down memory lane 🤠

[@robertstanisch3452]

Gotta see that Storm Bug Plug in action! Underwater footage of ALL of these would be pretty sweet. Keep up the awesome vids sir, hope the move is going well.

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks, good buddy! Safe travels to FLA.

[@bigmoemedina313]

What a Blast from the past you have put us thru Brother!!! Love every second of it!! I'm new in the fishing world at 61 years old but Thanks to your channel I can learn about the lures that once dominated the Bass World. Thanks so much for everything you do!!! Please don't ever stop it.

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks for tuning in, Big Moe!

[@DsTackleBox]

The hole in the lip of the hedd hunter was the model called 'magic hole' 😂 Created a trail. You know I collect the Cordell Huncho! We have some awesome colors on those. There's a few other rare models we're covering in one of our next videos to some of these companies. Great video Chris, thats legit! ✌️🤠

[@RetroBassin]

I definitely need to do a full Huncho video!

[@DsTackleBox]

@@RetroBassin just holler at me if you need some pics of some more colors n such!

[@chrishartleyjr.5523]

The tipsy would be good turned back up right which a hybrid hunter bill on it!!

[@The4blade]

That tan and brown Plano under your left shoulder was my all time favorite tackle box as a kid. I wish I would have taken better care of it and kept it. Served me well for probably 20 years.

[@The4blade]

I also still have the brown box over your right shoulder. Cooler is beat up but it’s complete.

[@Oldbasshole]

Great stuff as always !! Love those old school crankbaits !!

[@RetroBassin]

Me too, ol’ pal!

[@adwhite804]

Cool old skool baits Retro! Per usual

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks, good buddy!

[@bass1445]

Great video I might have to tie on a devil horse when the water warms up a little more here in northern Arkansas.

[@RetroBassin]

I had one on yesterday!

[@teijiosawa2230]

What a nice color of Racketshad !

[@RetroBassin]

I agree, Teiji!

[@joshuafeldman367]

I loved this video. I just went lure hunting today at a. Antique mall that is more like a consignment shop and i found an oldschool crankbait from heddon called the timber rattler wich is one i never heard before. Cant wait till next time.

[@samuelschult985]

Nice video, you had me going thru my RC series and Poes series 👍

[@RetroBassin]

I always had trouble tuning those. Any tips?

[@samuelschult985]

@@RetroBassin I always added weight to mine they are all suspending. Got more distance on the cast and they ran better.

[@chipyeahoo]

Love the idea. It’s always fun to showcase obscure lures wether they’re from well known companies or lesser known companies. Thanks to you I now know what that Poe’s lure is called. I’d seen it but couldn’t find the name. Thanks. Could more videos of obscure lures from both well known companies and possibly lesser known companies perhaps be released? If so I’ve got some suggestions for lures and companies to nominate if that comes to pass. Thanks for another great trip back in time.

[@RetroBassin]

Nominate away, Chip!!

[@chipyeahoo]

For some more obscure lures from well known companies or companies known for other baits there’s the Poe’s Blurpee and Loco-Motion. In fact their Ace in the Hole, Jackpot/Havana Jack and Awaker are lesser known versions of popular lure styles. I guess that would simply be a video about Poe’s lures, LOL. There’s the various Norman Flash series of lures of the 70’s such as the Mino-Flash, Flasher and FlashShad and Cut Throat. Maybe an entire Norman video too, LOL. Rebel Blackstar Minnow and Live N End Shad. Brunswick/Zebco Doll Vibrator and Doll-e-Pop. Luhr Jensen made Angler’s Pride Chowhound, Chow Puppy and Triple Deep. I remember you mentioned the Chowhound in a crankbait video. There’s the lesser known Whopper Stopper lures like the Scrambler, Shadrac and Rippin’ Rattler (another lure I remember you mentioning in the lipless cranks video). Mann’s Ghost, Goblin, Spittin’ Shad, George-N-Shad, Tom Cat, Top Cat, Auger frog and Auger grub spins, Fat Albert, Mann Dancer and Shad Mann. Tom Mann’s Fish World stuff like the Designer and Photofish products, the BB Shad, Kangaroo Shad and Backburner. Roger’s Vib-R-Fin and Craw Pap. South Bend Optic lures. Those were also featured briefly in your lipless cranks video. Those definitely have a retro vibe and certainly fall under oddball and obscure. The Mister Twister branded crankbaits made by Japanese company Moriyama and sold by Kmart stores under their Sportfisher brand. There’s the unmarked square bill and deep diver cranks that look almost exactly like Bandit cranks but seemingly predate them and the Rapala copies, most notably their Shad divers that are marked on the diving bills. You scored some of both I believe in a video where you bought a loaded two sided tackle box in an outdoor market. You inquired about them in that video. Then there’s obscure retro lures by lesser known companies. The Cotee Button Eye Minnow lines introduced in the 90’s are one.They featured a hard body frame that utilized removable soft plastic bodies that covered the baits. They offered the Fluke type lures that featured Bill Dance on the packaging. They also offered the topwater “Walker,” suspender/diver and slow sinker jerkbait in their line of removable soft plastic covered hard body lures. They’re a unique group and I actually fish some divers and slow sinkers I have and catch bass on them occasionally. The other obscure lures are actually two different companies that marketed the same lure made from the same blank at different times. The Lighted Lures Inc. “Lady-Glo-Diva” and LumaLure Inc. lure (no actual lure name is given) are crankbaits that utilize a small glow stick. They look similar to Mann’s Hackleback deep diver lures. Lighted Lures Inc. also made a lure remarkably similar to the Mann’s Stretch series called the “Glo-Daddy” but in place of the tail hook there’s a receptacle for the same glow stick that the other lure accepts. They called them “Fish Flares.” I have examples of all three but have not been able to find any information on either company beyond what little is on the packaging and have found company name registrations and dates of when those names were active online. Perhaps I’m going overboard on the suggestions here (sorry) but maybe it might help with some ideas for future content. Thanks again for the great content. It’s always fun seeing different lures from familiar companies or oddball retro lures.

[@JD.California_monkey_mackerel]

I'm a big fan of Cotton Cordell and Heddon and the classic old school Original Rooster Tails 🎣🫶🏼

[@RetroBassin]

How about old school Mepps?

[@rapalaangler]

I would love to see something about the Rapala line of lures.

[@RetroBassin]

Consider it done!

[@Cornelius798]

Love this !

[@garlawrence5070]

Yes it going to be a good day

[@RetroBassin]

Hope it was, good buddy!

[@joshwoodard6540]

Just got the exact bug plug from a friend yesterday, awesome old lure

[@RetroBassin]

Tuff bait!

[@rickhazzard8824]

Right there with you on the bomber smiling minnow, great old lure👍

[@RetroBassin]

Petty cool, right?

[@rickhazzard8824]

@@RetroBassin they were great,I didn't know about the salt water one though, so thanks for showing that one, really cool episode, I really enjoyed it That arbogast mud bug reminded me of the original bombers

[@TerryBattisti1]

Great baits Retro!!!

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks, Terry. Love the Huncho page in the Rebel Catalog on Bass Fishing Archives!

[@nunyabusiness102]

You need to do underwtaer footage of these so we can see how the run. Id like to see that Hedd Hunter under water. The body shape was interesting.

[@RetroBassin]

I think it will swim line a Wiggle Wart. What do you think?

[@madtownangler]

I have a friend that makes large musky baits and two of his personal topwaters are kinda cool. One of them is painted up like a white marker bouy white red lines The other is a beer can. It is a foot long and he uses it just for fun.

[@victorsimonsen921]

thanks for sharing your knowledge on the old school baits.

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks, Vic!

[@taichi8008]

Every lure is the best 😁😆👍✨✨

[@RetroBassin]

But if you could only pick one…LOL

[@upnorthoutdoors989]

The hole in the lip creates a bubble trail, an attractant feature.

[@RetroBassin]

I can’t wait to check that out!

[@NewOlSchoolFishin]

I've done really well over the years with the Tipsy 🤠

[@RetroBassin]

Ok, tell me how you fish it!

[@NewOlSchoolFishin]

@@RetroBassin just cast and real slow -stop and start or slow troll it behind the boat 🤠

[@NewOlSchoolFishin]

Lazy ike speed

[@NewOlSchoolFishin]

O ya . Through it in a hole in the cover and twitch it ! Ted l style 🤠

[@NewOlSchoolFishin]

Oops ! Looks like i put the fossil comment in the wrong place. Sorry! Senior moment. 🤠. But ya if your kiddos want Megs or any shark teeth or fossils in that up coming show let me know and I'll get them to ya ! Thanks for all the great content! Gotta Love it 🤠!!

[@tracekornegay3790]

DC!!!

[@JamesBondDZero7Mi6]

I love seeing these rare & vintage baits. With forward-facing sonar, I have a feeling crankbait manufacturers may start scraping some molds. I really wish they'd ban this tech for the Pros. It's not to anyone's advantage to use this tech, especially the fish. It's a really poor marketing issue for the tackle industry. I've always loved Heddon lures but boy they sure used the worst hook hardware in the industry. They are great fish catchers though. You'll have a goldmine of baits that just can't be reproduced today.

[@RetroBassin]

They are definitely discontinuing more that they are creating, unfortunately…

[@haknort]

Hey brother, love the vids. I don't believe you have a classic Heddon Big Bud there. Those are all-white body, with four label variants. You have the much rarer Big Bud Lite, which has a battery and light inside. One of the few Heddon US Buds (they also did Coors, Copenhagen, and Skoal) but there are hundreds of colors and variants in Japan, including Baby Buds. With Hedd Hunters, Heddon made many variants. Long lip and short lip in both 1/4oz and 3/8oz, Hedd Hunter Minnows (sort of Rapala shaped), and Popeye Hedd Hunters in a few sizes (which I believe were bought from Rabble Rouser).

[@RetroBassin]

I have about six Big Bud variations, including a cool one with two dice inside! You reminded me, I need to put out a Big Bud video…

[@haknort]

@@RetroBassin Let me know if you need help with the video. I wrote the article on Big Buds for the NFLCC for a Gazette, and I have over 200 colors.

[@ankiabekker58]

love the channel. please could you advise me on where i can buy some old school rapalas. thanks

[@80Smetalrox]

That Tipsy looks more like a wake bait to me

[@RetroBassin]

Or even a slow twitch topwater!

[@SLYFOXFISHIN]

Do you have any of the old Strike King Dancin Shad wooden Crankbaits??? I use to have some and lost them in a house fire back in 2017 and can't find any of the anywhere .

[@davidspirdione9561]

Hey retro any chance you can help me out with an order I placed a while back and never received? I've tried all other avenues with no response back. Hope all is well love the show.

[@RetroBassin]

Sorry about that, good buddy! I moved so that may be the issue. Can you PM me on Insta of FB? Also let me know what you need and where it’s going!

[@MrFishhook]

Off topic , how do you get ahold of Sam Vancamp . The Jitter bug guy . Did he have the cedar wood ones ?Not wanting to collect . Just fish them .

[@madmattfishing]

🔥🔥🔥

[@winstonrocco1981]

Mudbugs we’re great baits

[@RetroBassin]

What did you catch on them?

[@carlmchale8341]

Anything from fred arbogast

[@fishingafterdark]

Kool video

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks, good buddy!