Your Favorite Hardbait Company

[MK49]

What's your favorite company?

To me, it's Heddon. Sure, newer cool Japanese lures like Mebabass, Evergreen, Duo Realis, Lucky Craft, OSP..... offer similar baits, and they usually catch more fish. But, there's something about Heddon. Maybe, it's nostalgia, goofy quality (comparing to today's Japanese baits), or something. I feel 10x better, when I catch with a 1970s Chugger Spook than a Megabass Pop Max. I still use these Heddon lures regularly, Zara Spook, Meadow Mouse, Chugger Spook, Tiger, Lucky 13, Torpedo.... I'm not really into newer Heddon, like Super Spook, Spit'n Image..., though. So, I guess it just makes me feel better, when I catch fish with older lures.

I should do a Heddon only fishing trip. I can use plenty of good old baits like, Zara Spook, Meadow Mouse, Tiger (1020 and 1030), Budweiser, Chugger Spook, Magnum and Baby Torpedo, Lucky 13 (and Baby), River Runt Spook..... It could be fun. The silly looking Budweiser can lure actually catches fish. It can do walk the dog and does wakebait thing pretty well with the sound no other lures produce.

[slipperybob]

I only started fishing in around the late 90's when I was old enough to buy my own tackle. Around then I'd say that Yo-Zuri was my favorite. For one thing those Pin Minnows were some really great finesse lures, especially the Altima suspending models. The sinking Emperor or Heavy L minnows were great for fast current scenarios. Then when they had the Bass Arms series of finesse hard baits, they totally nailed it on smaller fish. The Swisher is still one of my favorite prop baits. Those silly Snap Beans actually catch fish too. The Aile Goby and Killifish were also great micro lures too. The Snap Shad was just a tad bit larger but still a 1/8th oz. wonder.

[MK49]

I only started fishing in around the late 90's when I was old enough to buy my own tackle. Around then I'd say that Yo-Zuri was my favorite.

That's good for you. I started bass fishing in the late 70s, when I wasn't even 10yrs old. So, buying a Heddon (or anything) was kinda big deal. I could only afford 1 or 2 lures per month. My dad didn't fish, so I had to buy them. My dad was cool enough to take me to lakes, though. He's just sleeping, while I was fishing.

I have a few Yo-zuri lures, but I don't think I caught fish with them, mostly because I don't use them. Maybe, I should try to use them. I have a Yo-zuri walker that changes color, depending on the angle.

[slipperybob]

I only started fishing in around the late 90's when I was old enough to buy my own tackle. Around then I'd say that Yo-Zuri was my favorite.

That's good for you. I started bass fishing in the late 70s, when I wasn't even 10yrs old. So, buying a Heddon (or anything) was kinda big deal. I could only afford 1 or 2 lures per month. My dad didn't fish, so I had to buy them. My dad was cool enough to take me to lakes, though. He's just sleeping, while I was fishing.

I have a few Yo-zuri lures, but I don't think I caught fish with them, mostly because I don't use them. Maybe, I should try to use them. I have a Yo-zuri walker that changes color, depending on the angle.

Back then I was still a bottom rig or bobber rig with live bait mostly. It was really a lazy fishing style and curly tail grub plastics was still no. 1. When I started to just do short trips like one hour or so, I gave up on the live bait and started to move onto artificial lures. Started using feathered and marabou jigs. Inline spinners came next. Then spoons. Rapala lures were the rage and yeah they caught fish. Never like how lousy the floating minnow casted, tumbled and often deflected in the air. I was still sporting the Zebco 33 before I moved onto Ugly Stiks and Shakespeare spinning reels.

[MK49]

Rapala lures were the rage and yeah they caught fish. Never like how lousy the floating minnow casted, tumbled and often deflected in the air.

You know what? My PB, a 12 pounder was caught on a floating Rapala F11 in 1991. That's pretty much all I threw between 1990 and 1993. I've caught four more bass over 10lbs (not with Rapala), but none of them were over 11lbs.

BTW, did you know Yozuri means Night Fishing in Japanese? I've always thought that's a weird name for a company.

[slipperybob]

BTW, did you know Yozuri means Night Fishing in Japanese? I've always thought that's a weird name for a company.

So that's what it means. Awesome. I like night fishing especially under the bright moon.

[Hogsticker2]

Jackall with OSP as a very close 2nd.

[MK49]

Jackall with OSP as a very close 2nd.

Which Jackall baits do you like? Jackall hardbaits didn't do much for me. That's weird, because one of the co-founders of Jackall, a lure designer was a co-founder of Lucky Craft, who designed Sammy, Pointer and others. I liked those Lucky Craft lures in the late 90s. Only Jackall lure I liked was called Water Moccasin. It's a tiny (1/4oz) walker that was designed by the same dude. I didn't use it much, because it's a bit too small, but every time I used it, I caught fish.

I like two OSP lures, Yamato Jr and DaiBuzzin.

[godshippy]

If I could only pick one for the rest of my life it would be Lucky Craft.

The Gunfish 115 is my favorite topwater walking bait, the LV-500 is a no brainer, the BDS 3 is an amazing squarebill still, and the Pointer 100 never fails me.

That being said--the squarebill I throw the most is the Strike King KVD 1.5, the Paycheck Repoman is my second favorite walking bait, and the Jackall Rerange is a great jerkbait that I throw a lot.

[DarkShadow]

When I first started fishing in the 80s, my favorite hard baits were the ones that my local KMart stocked.

I guess my favorite was Rapala.

F3s and F5s were killer at my local pond.

Then, they started stocking Yo Zuri baits, which was the first taste I got of "JDM" bait, and I was hooked on Pins Minnows.

And then LuckyCraft became the mainstay and that was my favorite for a while, until I started procuring Megabass baits from overseas. All my Vision 110s that I own I still have the plastic case.

But then BassPro started carrying them.

I've stopped buying JDM tackle, but I've loved OSP and Evergreen stuff as of late. I don't fish Jackall's hardbaits much, as much as I fish their plastics.

I'm seeing a lot more JDM hard bait companies as of late when i visit the local websites, and I wonder how many sleepers were have there that I'll never be able to use.

[MK49]

the Paycheck Repoman is my second favorite walking bait.

Interesting. I just went through most of my topwater lures (probably 500+ lures, mostly poppers and walkers) last week, and found three Repo Man, one big one and two smaller ones. I kind of remember that I didn't like them, and I actually totally forgot about them. Lately, my favorite walker is the Evergreen SB. And, I realized the smaller Repo Man has three hooks like the Evergreen, and sound similar to the Evergreen. So, I took it for a quick fishing trip a few days ago. After having about 15 bites on the Evergreen SB, I tried the Repo Man. It worked much better than I thought it did. I didn't catch fish with it, but I'm sure I will.

I just checked, and I didn't see it on Tackle Warehouse. Do they still make those?

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

For me, I would say Jackson. They have a WIDE variety of lures. I do a lot of stream trout fishing as well as lake fishing for bass and panfish. I found there is a hardbait for every situation. Paint quality is good, good hooks/split rings, variety of sizes most times and, prices are pretty good for a JDM brand.

Another cool thing is that they have some unconventional lures. Those can look gimmicky sometimes but, they catch fish.

[godshippy]

the Paycheck Repoman is my second favorite walking bait.

Interesting. I just went through most of my topwater lures (probably 500+ lures, mostly poppers and walkers) last week, and found three Repo Man, one big one and two smaller ones. I kind of remember that I didn't like them, and I actually totally forgot about them. Lately, my favorite walker is the Evergreen SB. And, I realized the smaller Repo Man has three hooks like the Evergreen, and sound similar to the Evergreen. So, I took it for a quick fishing trip a few days ago. After having about 15 bites on the Evergreen SB, I tried the Repo Man. It worked much better than I thought it did. I didn't catch fish with it, but I'm sure I will.

I just checked, and I didn't see it on Tackle Warehouse. Do they still make those?

Not as a Paycheck Bait anymore, but as a Teckel Kicknocker.

[MK49]

Not as a Paycheck Bait anymore, but as a Teckel Kicknocker.

Thanks for the info.

[Hogsticker2]

For me, I would say Jackson. They have a WIDE variety of lures. I do a lot of stream trout fishing as well as lake fishing for bass and panfish. I found there is a hardbait for every situation. Paint quality is good, good hooks/split rings, variety of sizes most times and, prices are pretty good for a JDM brand.

Another cool thing is that they have some unconventional lures. Those can look gimmicky sometimes but, they catch fish.

Do they have a website? I can't seem to find it. Where do you typically order these from?