It would be tough to find an Old Time bass fisherman who didn't swear by the Jitterbug. When I think of classic lures the first one that comes to mind is the Jitterbug.

What is it?:
It is a top water lure made of wood and metal. The design is quite simple. The body is made of a buoyant wood, most likely balsa, carved into an elongated football shape. Then it gets a little funny looking. Perpendicular to the direction the body is going and on the front of the lure is a metal lip. This looks like a spoon. I have had people who don't fish ask me if you can really catch fish on such an ugly lure.

How to Work It:
It is really quite simple how to work it, just cast it out and slowly reel it in. No need to twitch it or pull it, and don't reel it in too quickly or the side to side action won't work. You will know what speed to reel it in at after half of a cast, whatever speed gets the most side to side action is the right speed. The fish will let you know that.

Why it wobbles is simple too. As you are pulling on the lure, one side builds up a resistance on the water. This side is pulled until there is very little resistance because the spoon lip is cutting through the water. By now, the other side of the spoon lip has built up a stronger resistance and the lure changes direction. This happens over and over again causing a wobble until a fish nails it, or if you are unlucky, you reel it all the way in and have to cast it again.

Since it floats, I have found it to work very well around weeds and lilly pads. These happen to be some of the best hiding and ambush spots for bass. If you are in to trolling then you want to a Jitterbug. I can still remember the time my Old Man was trolling a jitterbug behind the boat while we were making casts to the side. We both just happened to look back in time to see a Smallmouth Bass come up from underneath it, grab it, and leap about 5 feet high in the air. That smallmouth happened to weigh 6lbs, 2 ounces. It leaped about a dozen times just as high as the Old Man fought it into the boat.
If the fish are hitting it really close to the boat they are most likely following it for most of the distance of your cast. If you don't like the close strikes because sometimes a big fish will handcuff you that close to the boat, then I recommend giving the lure a short pause every ten feet or so. This will usually trigger a strike if a fish is interested. Otherwise just keep giving it that steady slow retrieve.

If I fish at night, after the sun has gone down and the lake is dark, I have a Jitterbug tied on. It is my favorite night time lure. You hear it chugging slowly on the surface and then splash, you have got one! Few lures can drive fish as crazy at night as the Jitterbug can.

Collectors Item:
The Jitterbug has been inducted into the Fishing Lure Hall of Fame in a way by the interest collectors have in this item. There are web-sites out there devoted to just the Jitterbug. You could probably find just one on E-Bay right now for over $40 and collections for over $100. So if you have any in the old barn or tackle box you could turn them in for some cold hard cash. I believe the originals were made in the early 1950's.

Todays Jitterbugs:
Todays Jitterbugs are built to the same standards as they were 50 years ago. The only thing that has changed is the price and variety of colors. Now they make them in Black, Perch, Frog, CoachDog/Orange Belly, White w/ Red head, Bass colored, and Herringbone. You can find them at Cabela's for $4.69, Bass Pro Shops for the same price, a little more at Wal-Mart, around $5, and a lot more at tackle shops, $6.50, and a whole lot more at antique shops, upwards of $40.

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