What "old time" lure do you still routinely throw and why?

[MOsmallies]

Rebel Craws. I do occasionally use something else for stream smallmouth, but it's pretty rare.

I do this partially because I haven't found anything that works better. But I mostly do it because everyone looks at me like I've never fished before, and tells me that it's what "my Grandpa used 30 years ago." (Actual OAF gold on that last quote.)

When you are consistently catching fish while annoying people at the same time, you've really found a sweet spot.

Just curious... But what's the biggest smallie you have caught on the Rebel Craw and what is the average size?

[Old plug]

Joe D ----- Young teen how old I wonder. As a young teen I had a friend whos mother owned a bar. I and her son used to go over there and stock the beer boxes and tap the kegs for her. Seemed to have a lot of women coming in there in need of help bringing things up from the basement etc. That started when I was 14 and went on till I left for the Navy at 17. In later life I was grateful for their guidance.

[Jordan Craig]

Live "bleeding shiner" minnows. Not a smallmouth in the river that can or will resist these.

[Norm M]

mud bugs, original bombers and hellbenders because they catch fish

[ozark trout fisher]

Just curious... But what's the biggest smallie you have caught on the Rebel Craw and what is the average size?

I would guess the largest smallie I've ever caught on a rebel craw is in the 17-19 inch range. As for average size? That's a pretty tough question, seeing that I don't have an Excel spreadsheet recording the length of every smallie I've ever caught.

It's clearly not a "trophy" lure, at least for smallies. It's a numbers/variety (ie, picking up the occasional longear, rock bass, drum, gar, bluegill, catfish along the way) lure. I feel like I'm expected to apologize for approaching stream smallie fishing from that perspective, but it's how I go about things and I always seem to have a good time on the water.

My point being: unless you are a real trophy hunter (and admittedly, there are a few people on here that are good enough to make that claim) smallmouth fishing is simply not that hard or complicated. It's my belief that we generally tend to over-think it.

[slab slinger]

Great topic. I like all the input on old baits still catching fish. Pull some that where mentioned outta my collection for a pic. Figured some would like to see what y'all were talking about.

Left side

Heddon tiny runt

Lazy ike 2

Hellbender small

Heddon baby lucky 13

South bend midge-oreno

Right side

Devils horse

Heddon zarra spook (wood sway back)

Swinning minnow

Bomber

Jitterbug (wood glass eyes)

Thanks for the memories and old stories!

[Al Agnew]

Nice picture...the one you called a Hellbender is actually a Bomber Water Dog. Hellbenders had a heart-shaped bill and the body had only two segments. The Water Dog went a little deeper than the Hellbender, but I never caught many fish on it, while for a while the Hellbender was absolutely deadly on Wappapello Lake.

[Tarheel2288]

This is a great topic. While I'm not a third as old as some on here I still remember my dad teaching me to catch fish on a beetle spin, and a small brown rattle trap that I've climbed countless trees and gone on impromptu dive trips to retrieve.

Having said that I'm surprised that I'm the first to mention hand-caught nightcrawlers under a float. Still use them, and it means more to me now that I have tiny hands to help me catch them.

[slab slinger]

Al Agnew...Thanks for correcting me. Never knew it was a water dog. I have about 20 or so Hellbenders NIB i got at from my dad and 15 or so used ones. I always thought this was just a smaller hellbender. Started out collecting old plugs when my grandpa gave me a South Bend Bass-Oreno thet was NIB and ment. I have around 250 plugs now some NIB and some wore pretty good. I dont know what they are worth and dont care just think its neat to look at them and wonder all the stories they have with them. Thanks for teaching me something on a plug.

[timinmo]

Can not tell you how many thousands of casts I made with a black and white #3 Lazy Ike. My Dad had alot of faith it that lure and as a kid it was what I used often. Another that he loved and that has produced many good smallie for me was a Heddon Tiny Tad, not the Tad Polly which is larger. Yellow was the chosen color. It was a frustrating lure to use as it screwed up about half the time but when it didn't it would sure catch fish. The biggest Missouri smallmouth I every caught was on a Arbo-gaster, and that is the correct spelling as I just went out and checked my tackle box. Yellow and Black coach dog pattern.

You can still get the Hellbenders, but the color selection is limited.

Great topic.