When my father asked me to fetch the tackle box, I knew a fishing trip was nearby. In the late sixties and early seventies, tackle boxes were usually metal, one-tray models held over from the early days. My dad’s tackle box held very few lures, mostly topwaters. However, the assortment of plugs fooled plenty of river bass, which made every trip an educational and exciting outing.

Louisiana offers an angler many choices in fishing adventures. My father preferred to bass fish in the spring and early summer then chase speckle trout in the late summer and fall. The tackle box held the springtime weapon of choice, topwater lures. Nip-I-Diddee, Devil’s Horse, and other floating lures found their way into my dad’s box. The shad spawned in the bushes along the shoreline, in the lily pads, and in fallen pine trees of the local river.  A well-placed cast next to a drift or against a fallen tree brought one reply from my dad.

How big is he going to be!

Prop baits, like the South Bend Nip-I-Diddee, produce by Luhr-Jensen today, or the Smithwick Devil’s Horse, were top producers. As a young boy, I remember my father making the lures dance in place. He would tell me that a bass needed an easy meal. After my cast landed a few feet short of the target, he exclaimed the bass would not strike in the middle of the river. He could twitch a prop bait in place for days. It appeared to move backwards on some occasions.

A few tips passed down from my father help me today to catch fish on prop baits. First, bend the propellers out to make the bait travel less when jerked. Next, use enough slack in your line to jerk the lure and cause a side-to-side movement. Finally, after the strike, the angler must wait until the lure disappears and the line moves before setting the hook. The last suggestion is the hardest but is worth learning.

Another amazing lure was the Heddon Lucky 13. For over 75 years, the loud chug of the Lucky 13 is still music to the fish’s ears. After several chugs, the bait dove underneath the surface, wigging and shaking like a fleeing shad. This was a great way to entice strikes from bass holding at the end of a lay down or bush. This lure placed in front of bass chasing a shad received vicious strikes. The lure brings back warmhearted memories of my youth.

Another old lure from the past is the Zara Spook. With a seductive action, the Spook splashes attract fish. It catches fish of all size but is great for big fish on my local river. Although it first saw production more than 75 years ago, it works today as it did in my youth. The Spook catches fish across the country. When shad become romantic in the bushes, nothing catches fish like this topwater monster. The lure is not an easy one to master. However, it is well worth the effect. Be sure to eat your spinach because a few hours working a Spook gives you arms like Popeye. After a few hard strikes, it is a hard bait to put down.

My father taught me how to catch fish on topwater baits. He amazed me day in and day out with the fish he caught. Luckily, the baits of the past are still available today. I use them often and with confidence. The lessons my father gave me help on every trip.

He passed on the love of fishing.

About the author: Jeff Bruhl is a member of the Louisiana Outdoors Writer Association, pro angler, and a pharmacist. His website, www.marshbass.com, covers freshwater fishing across Louisiana and the gulf coast. Each Saturday morning between 5-7 am CST, a bass fishing report can be heard on the Outdoors with Don Dubuc Radio Show (www.dontheoutdoorsguy.com) on 870 AM from the New Orleans station. Jeff has made numerous television and radio appearances on shows like Paradise Louisiana, The Big Fish, and ABC26.com. From tips on youtube.com to weekly reports on his website, his articles and reports provide tips and tactics for bass anglers in the sportsman paradise. Jeff’s sponsors include Abu Garcia, Xpoint hooks, Bud Light, Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Power Pole, Stanley Jigs and Spinnerbaits, Skeeter, Dockside Marine, Rat-L-Trap, and Berkley. For more information about fishing in Louisiana, drop Jeff an email at jeff@marshbass.com.