Old lures pros prefer

Ever wondered what old lures top bass pros carry in their boats? You know what, so do they.

When Mississippi Sportsman asked Cliff Pace, Paul Elias, Pete Ponds and Greg Hackney, they had to think about it.

The two questions posed were these:

• What is the oldest lure in your boat right now?

• What old lure you once had but no longer have would you most like to have again?

Here are their answers.

Cliff Pace, Petal

Of the three, he was quickest to answer.

“I guess the oldest would be an original Poe’s 400 Plus Crankbait,” said the 2013 Bassmaster Classic champion. “There are times that it simply outperforms other crankbaits. The older, original Poe’s 400s just seem to work better than the newer versions of it.”

And his most-missed bait?

“The lures I wish I had back would be some of the original Rebel P70 Pop-Rs,” Pace said. “I no longer have any of them. I can’t say they work better than the Pop-Rs or other poppers I have now, but I know back in their time, they sure did catch a lot of bass.”

Paul Elias, Laurel

Like Pace, Paul Elias is partial to original versions of lures still made today.

“The oldest lures I carry all the time are an assortment of Zara Spooks, but I’m not sure just how old they are,” said Elias, the 1982 Bassmaster Classic champ. “I know (Heddon) still makes Spooks today, but the ones I have, they just seem to work better.

“I’m guessing I’ve had some of these about 40 or more years.”

Spooks actually date back to the 1920s, when Heddon introduced a prototype in Florida, which led to its strange name.

When the lure was being walked zigzag across the surface, a Heddon worker remarked that it “wiggled its butt just like the hookers on Zaragoza Street in Panama City.”

“Zaragoza” was shortened to “Zara.”

“Spook” was added several years later when wood gave way to plastic and the translucent properties of the lure gave it a ghostly appearance.

Elias isn’t sure of the name of one lure he once owned and most wishes he could have again, but he’s pretty certain he never will have that opportunity. It wasn’t even that old a lure.

“I was pretty lucky to ever own one of them,” he said. “I was at (the International Convention of Allied Sportsfishing Trade show) one year in Vegas, and this Japanese man came up to me, bowed and handed me this lure. His interpreter told me he wanted me to try it.

“It was a wake bait with a special kind of lip, and I really caught the mess out of bass one year at Toledo Bend. The next tournament, I pulled the lip out of it.

“I tried to find it online and couldn’t, but eventually I found the same kind of lure just not in the same color. I look for the guy every year at ICAST and as far as I know he’s never been back. I wish he would. That lure would have come into play so many times since.”

Pete Ponds, Madison

This FLW pro is a lover of old lures, and carries many.

“The oldest I’d say is some of the original style of the Devil’s Horse,” Ponds said. “The oldest one of those would be one I have that is chrome with an orange belly. I’ve got several, but that color is my favorite. I use them all the time, but that color only comes out in tournaments.

“As far as which one I wish I could have again, I can’t say. I think I have about one of everything I’ve ever found that really catches fish, because if they work I buy them in bulk.

“There’s a few I’m getting short on, though, so ask me this again in a year and I might have a clear answer.”

Greg Hackney, Gonzales, La.

Reigning B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Greg Hackney takes a different approach to old gear.

He doesn’t see much future in the past.

“I’ve pretty much eliminated anything from my arsenal that I can’t purchase,” said Hackney, who said a couple of old Gilmore Jumpers (a lure still in production) are the oldest lures in his tackle box. “Using something that can’t be replaced is not very smart in my sport.”