Few lures transcends the times like an Arbogast Jitterbug. As evening approaches, such a lure can be as productive today as they were way back when. Of course, you’ll have to slow down some. These aren’t the fast-paced baits that dominate much of our fishing today. And perhaps, that’s the point. (Illustration: Darren Maurer)
July 07, 2026
By Charley Waterman
Somewhere around 1930, I stood in a leaking rowboat and, using a jointed Heddon Gamefisher, caught a 5-pound largemouth bass from a railroad tank pond in Kansas.
The Gamefisher had a durable “rainbow” finish and a snaky look when retrieved; and I thought the lure makers had progressed about as far as they could go. Well, the Gamefisher continued to catch fish and still does. Several years after that, the Helin Flatfish was designed. It did pretty well, selling more than 50 million by 1980, not counting endless imitations. Anyway, artificial lure merchandising isn’t really new.
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