Best Bass Fishing Lures for 2024

It's that time of year again when all of your favorite fishing magazines are chock full of articles about the best new bass baits on the market and best lures for 2024.  They are always fun to read and see what is new in the market.  However I'm here to tell you that despite all the new lures and inventions out there, it's tough to beat what's already been done.  After all American fishing lures have been around for over a hundred years, and in that time a lot of ideas have been tried.  Now some of those ideas didn't pan out (actually a lot of them).  Some of them though are all-time classics.  Despite the original companies maybe not being around anymore or the bait not being as flashy as all the new stuff, these all-time baits still produce.  So with that in mind, while all of the other guys on the lake are throwing the "latest and greatest" lures past the fish over and over again, here are some time tested baits these fish probably haven't seen to activate that strike. 

In no particular order I give you Ten All-Time Classics to Catch Bass in 2024:

 

Heddon Tadpolly Spook:

One of the all-time classics from Heddon, the original American angling giant.  The Tadpolly Spook came in hundreds of colors (see our mega color chart here) and a few different sizes.  I personally find the original 3" size the best, but all are effective.  This bait dives and generates strikes.  Known for it's prowess on all-game fish and legendary days chasing salmon, I challenge you to try one of these bad boys out.  One of our best selling vintage lures heading out to fishermen every year. 

In fact, last year a Frog Colored Tadpolly Spook like the one pictured was my personal best lure of the year.  It outproduced every other bait I threw on everything from largemouth and smallmouth to northern pike.  Check out our current selection of Tapolly's for sale here.

 

Bomber (Original):

You've heard of and fished Bomber's.  The Model A series is a great bass bait in it's own right.  Have you kicked it true "old school" though and fished the original Bombers?  The football shaped ones that put Bomber Baits of Gainesville, Texas on the map?  That's what I'm taking about.  These baits were first developed in the 1940's and really took off in the 50's and 60's.  They dive deep, tend to not hang up and just slay the bass.  As a northern kid growing up, I'll admit I didn't fish these baits until I was older and someone tipped me off on them.  You must try these out.  The old wooden ones or plastic (with or without rattles) can change your whole day out on the lake.  If you are fishing deeper water, you better have some of these in the boat.  They don't look flashy (probably why they aren't made anymore) but the fish sure do love them.  Check out our massive selection of these baits we have for sale here.  If you have a down day not out on the water and want to read up on the history of the great company, check out our Bomber Bait history page.

 

Rebel Wee-R Series:

Now here's a bait that literally changed my season two years ago.  It was a strange weather year for us (seems like every year is lately).  The traditional weed beds were late or non-existent.  Fish weren't where they had been in our flowage for years and patterns of past years were just dead.  It seemed like no matter what we did, fishing was lousy.

Well I dug deep into my tackle boxes and began experimenting.  For whatever reason a Rebel Wee-R squarebill no matter the color would generate almost instanteous hits when we'd put one on.  We'd catch a few fish as fast as we could cast and then they would shut off.  Move on to the next place and repeat.  They wouldn't hit any other lure but inhaled these Wee-R's.  This pattern went on for over a month and saved our season on that body of water.  

While the pattern was shocking, the lure really isn't.  The Wee-R series by Rebel is one of the classic southern bass bait mainstays since the 1970's.  It comes a variety of colors, sizes and lips.  Best of all, these are still quite affordable on the used marketplace.  Your tacklebox needs to have an assortment of these along with a few other Rebels.  See our Rebel selection here.

 

Bagley Small Fry Series:

I know I am going to hear from some people on this one.  Why the Small Fry Series, why not the Bagley B1/B2 Series or the Diving DB1/DB2 Series?  Both of those would have been great choices and are dynamite on bass.  It was a close call but the tie breaker is personal for me.  The Small Fry Series is the Bagley bait that started it all for me as a kid.  I fished and wore out a Baby Bass colored one on anything and everything that would hit it.  It was one of my favorite baits and still is.  Honestly it's tough to go wrong on any Bagley bait.  All of them just light up the bass.  The biggest challenge I have fishing these is which color or size on which day so I need a couple of trays in my boat just devoted to these baits.  If you fish for bass, you better have some Bagley's in the boat.  We have the biggest selection of Bagley's available online for sale.  From Winter Haven to Dominican to current brand new.  We have fished, and collect all.  See them here.

 

Arbogast Jitterbug:

I get more stories emailed to me about big bass caught on the Jitterbug than any other lure out there.  Story after story about top water explosions, night fishing, favorite memories, personal bests and so on.  What does that tell you... it's probably a pretty good lure.  Add to that the Jitterbug has been around for what seems like forever and you have a classic.  It's steady topwater "plop, plop, plop" action might lull some of you to sleep but it's just that action that triggers vicious strikes.

The Jitterbug comes in a variety of sizes and tons of different colors.  Collectors have spent their lives trying to get all of them.  Fortunately bass just want to eat the one in front of them.  Catch a big bass on a Jitterbug and it will probably be one of the most memorable catches of your lifetime.  See our selection of vintage Jitterbugs here. 

 

Heddon River Runt:

Here's another listing from Heddon and another of their top all-time sellers.  The River Runt is a classic that should be in your tackle box already.  If it's not, you need to fix that.  If it is, you probably need a few different colors or variations.  More fish have probably been caught on this bait than just about any other bait out there.  Yet, ask a 25 year old what a River Runt is and they probably have no idea.  One of my most enjoyable days bass fishing was out on the lake while a local tournament was going on.  They were all throwing the same dozen or so baits.  I let them all pass through and then followed up with a River Runt and just cleaned up.  It was a blast knowing these fish had probably never seen one of these!

Depending what model you use, they dive shallow or deep and you can work them as you need to.  A very versatile lure and it doesn't need to be in pristine condition.  These old "warrior" baits just catch fish.  See our selection of them here.

 

Creek Chub Pikie:

Now here is a classic if there ever was one.  The Famous Pikie by Creek Chub originally out of Garrett, Indiana.  First introduced in 1920, it would go on to become of the America's most famous fishing lures.  The original is about 4 1/2" long.  Lots of variations in different sizes but tough to go wrong with any of them.  One of my favorite lures to still tie on.  The original 700 Pikie gives a nice side to side action that delivers consistent results.  Don't be afraid to fish a vintage one with some wear and teeth marks to them, the fish don't mind, trust me.  My tackle box is full of these old warriors and they still produce season after season.  See our selection of vintage Creek Chub baits here.

 

Cordell Big-O:

The Cordell Big-O, or Cotton Cordell, is a big bass dream.  Originally these were all hand carved wooden baits.  Those are tough to find and if you do find one, probably numbered, please don't fish it.  However there are millions of them out there produced in plastic and some re-issued in wood.  They all fish great.  The most famous is the original 3" size, the #8000.  It came in a ton of different colors and I've had success with just about all.  They still make Big-O's today but there's something about the vintage molds that seem to produce.  Other sizes and diving variations were available as well and all do well.  This should be a staple in your tackle box.  Check out our current selection for sale here. 

 

Helin Flatfish:

This lure is a story all about success, maybe too much of it for collectors value, for a little somewhat "boring looking" bait as some may call it.  However if you do a little research you will find that the Helin Flatfish is one of the all-time greatest selling baits ever!  In fact check out some of it's history here to see some of the sales numbers.  Started in 1933 by Charles Helin in Detroit, Michigan they had sold over 43 million Flatfish by 1973.  That is a staggering amount of lures.  After Charles died the company would go on to be sold and today it is in limited production.

The good news is there are tens of millions of these vintage Flatfish floating around for you to grab up and fish.  They are not too expensive or collectible as there were just so many of them made.  In fact, every vintage tackle box I buy has at least a half dozen in them.  Why, they flat out catch fish!  If you have never fished one, spend a little on a small variety of them and take them on your next trip.  You won't be disappointed.  They come in a variety of sizes, from fly-rod, to casting and spinning to trolling and musky.  What might seem like a simple design is ultra-effective.  Check out our stock of them here.  We sell more of these than just about any other vintage lure we carry.

 

Lazy Ike:

Not to be confused with the aforementioned Helin Flatfish.  They are not related nor did one officially copy the other.  Think about it, they are both roughly "banana" shaped lures, nothing too revolutionary there.  What is revolutionary though is the way these Ikes catch fish.  This lure is one of my personal favorites.  Also voted one of  Popular Mechanic's "Deadly Dozen" in 1962. (see more Lazy Ike history here).  

Originating from Fort Dodge, Iowa by Joseph Kautzky, Lazy Ikes became a staple for fisherman in the 1950's up through the 1980's.  They are now owned by PRADCO and not currently marketed.  They came in a variety of sizes and colors and are deadly on everything from panfish to bass up to musky.  Some of my first fish were on versions of Ike's and I still fish them today.  Wooden Ike's behave a little differently than plastic ones but both have their place in your boat.  See our large selecton of Lazy Ikes we have for sale here.

 

Well, there you have it.  TEN all-time classic lures to put fish in your boat this year.  I probably could have added another ten or twenty but these are clearly some of the best and some of my favorites that adorn my personal tackle box.

If you don't have these in your tackle box, be sure to add them.  The next time fishing is rough or you are on a heavily pressured body of water try a lure the fish might not have seen.  Fish like your Dad and Grandpa did and keep those lines tight.

Good fishing and Happy Lure Hunting.

Keith