Hot N Tot

[Ketchup]

I was at an auction and the sellers had probably 60 Hot N Tots, new in packages, as well as many that had been used. Were these things really a fish catcher back in the day? 

[fishinwrench]

Hot-n-tot's and Thin fin's were in every baitshop in the Midwest.  Anything you hang on the wall of a baitshop is gonna sell.  

Charles Spence was a marketing genius.  

[fishinwrench]

Every old tacklebox in the country has a Heddon Sonic in it, and it's probably the black & white speckled one. And in mint condition. 😅

How many fish do you reckon were ever caught on it ?   

I've paid my dues..... here's MINE 

 

Like trying to cast a potato chip 😵‍💫

[kjackson]

Yes, Hot N Tots work...good walleye lures.  The larger ones work well as divers to pull smaller lures--think smelled spinners--down to their running depth.  

Collectors will go after the ones in boxes and the Wiggle Warts.  The Sonic...not so much IMO.

[Al Agnew]

I never used Hot N Tots, but there are several lures in that photo that bring back memories.  The Hellbenders and Bombers, especially.  When I was a kid bass fishing with my dad on Wappapello Lake nearly every Sunday, Bombers and Hellbenders were our favorite lures for crankbaiting the stump fields on the lake.  Although I don't see our go-to colors represented in the photo.  With Hellbenders, we used the shad colored one in the largest size other than the Magnum Hellbender.  In Bombers, we used the Christmas Tree color, which was white with green back and lots of silver flecks, in the 400 and 500 series sizes.  I do see a coachdog Hellbender, which for some reason was Mom's favorite color.

Some of the other lures were ones we tried during those times and decided that they just weren't good enough.  The three bigger ones in the boxes are Bomber Company Water Dogs, and they should have been as good as the Hellbenders, but they just didn't catch fish for us.  I also see an Arbogast Mudbug, which was far inferior to the similar shaped Bomber.  And almost hidden among them is a South Bend Midge-oreno, which is the lure that I learned to add a skirt to the belly hook to make it one of the best river smallmouth lures ever conceived.

[Flysmallie]

I have no idea what it is called but I had one of those little fat ones in the lower right hand corner. Had a replaceable twister tail that fit in that groove. Caught the sheet out of farm pond bass in Oklahoma. 

[Mitch f]

4 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

I have no idea what it is called but I had one of those little fat ones in the lower right hand corner. Had a replaceable twister tail that fit in that groove. Caught the sheet out of farm pond bass in Oklahoma. 

Looks like a strange version of the Wee Wart. 
You’re right…that’s a heckuva bait. They have about the best side to side hunting action I’ve ever seen and you have to fish them slow to make up for it. I’ve added belly weights to them with success. If you get them down to 6-7 feet you could catch every darn fish in the river. 

[Ketchup]

5 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

I have no idea what it is called but I had one of those little fat ones in the lower right hand corner. Had a replaceable twister tail that fit in that groove. Caught the sheet out of farm pond bass in Oklahoma. 

I meant to ask the group about that one. I thought it may except a rubber body in that slot, but didn’t know.  

[Ketchup]

Anyone have any info on that pop-r type bait at the bottom? It’s got a wire leader with tassel tied to it. Did it come that way? It appears to be one piece. 

[kjackson]

19 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

I have no idea what it is called but I had one of those little fat ones in the lower right hand corner. Had a replaceable twister tail that fit in that groove. Caught the sheet out of farm pond bass in Oklahoma. 

Storm made those back before Rapala took over. I think that bait was the Tubby or Stubby or something like that.