I love finding old fishing lures.  Some are to collect.  Some are to fish.  Some are both.  This latest find fits in the last category.  We are thrilled to share this last find and I bet it's a bait you've never heard of, much less ever fished, but you should.  It's called the Worth Hairy Berry.  These came out around 1983 shortly after their acquisition of a company on the West Coast.  The Hairy Berry is a 5/8 oz bait with a berry shaped body just below the jig type head and full of whiskers.  Moves through the water in a weed-less manner.  Pa ..read more

As you may or may not know we are always searching high and low for more Bagley Baits.  We are Bagley fanatics!  We are proud to be Bagley dealers and offer the largest selection anywhere online of new, used and vintage Bagley Baits (see here).  Well recently we just found a sweet batch of recent discontinued baits I wanted to share with all of you. Bagley Rattlin' Diving Kill'r B - Citrus Shad Color:  This bait is discontinued but is in high demand by bass fisherman.  Made with Bagley's ABS resin this lure is tough and gets down to the fish.  Casts easy and has ..read more

One of the things I really like about collecting fishing lures is the history.  Researching, compiling data and writing pages for my website.  I've had so much fun writing some of my past articles that I have decided to keep going.  I started my series first with "25 Vintage Fishing Lures Worth A Fortune".  This was fun to do as it encompassed all lures and manufactures.  After a short break I decided to keep going but start to break down the lures by manufacturer.  I started with the "Big Daddy" of them all and wrote "20 Vintage Heddon Fishing Lures Worth A Fort ..read more

(Written by John Holtz) Well, well, well… the thrill of victory, and the agony of… well this weekend! Nah, honestly it wasn’t horrible. We caught fish, just not the size we needed. Let’s put some perspective on this last weekend. This is the second tournament of the year for me. It was on legendary Lake of the Ozarks. I took an awesome guy who had never fished a tournament before and now has. I just couldn’t find the right fish. Had some awesome 14 3/4 inchers, problem is they gotta be 15” to weigh in! People certainly overcame a horrid cold front (snowed on Friday of course) to bring in good ..read more

(Written by John Holtz) Oh my goodness is it ever good to be back derb’n again! Keith asked me to write some random thoughts, so we are just gonna let this one flow. People laugh at me about how I describe fishing tournaments. They are like, “you fish all the time… why are you making a big deal outta it this time?” Well, to the outsiders they won’t get it until they fish a tournament. It is a different mindset, style, heck it is a different sport! When I go chunk around my favorite My Bait Shop lures on a fun evening, weekend, or even practice day it is not the same. When you know that the mo ..read more

I guess we aren't allowed to play with other fish. First let me say, this is not normally me.  I am a turn the cheek kind of guy especially as I have gotten older.  I am a man of my word and believe in good old fashioned hand shake values.  That being said there is only so much a person can take before having had enough.  I guess I've reached that point so forgive me my rant. I grew up fishing Mepps lures.  Being a kid from Wisconsin it was a home state lure based out of Antigo.  I caught lots of fish on them.  Heck, I've ever toured their factory several ti ..read more

In Episode 3 of My Bait Shop Minutes we review the Creek Chub Mitie Mouse fishing lure.  We take a look at the standard colors that they came in and a little bit of the history behind them.  Made from 1963-1968 these were small but "Mitie" little lures that were fun to fish and are now fun to collect.  Check out the video below. See all episodes of My Bait Shop Minutes here ..read more

Did you know My Bait Shop has it's own Fish Weight Calculator?  Well we do.  I've always loved these tools and I'm somewhat of a numbers geek besides being a fishing geek.  I've used lots of different tools in the past and always wanted to create one myself.  Even as a kid I remember those paper ones that you would get at tackle shops that you would line up with a ruler to compare length and girth to estimate pounds. Now, first let me disclaimer.  I know none of these are perfect and I guarantee mine is NOT perfect.  Not by any means.  It is however kind of ..read more

AR-BE Reel Brake Ah, the good old days when an angler knew he had become a true fisherman by successfully unsnarling his first backlash in the dark! For many today, the experience of a backlashed reel will never be known since advanced technology in casting reel design, not to mention the use of spin casters has pretty much eliminated this once-common problem. Back in the days of the early casters, however, the backlash could put an end to an evening of fishing, particularly for the younger novice fisherman whose casting techniques were not as polished as that of a more experienced angler. S ..read more

In this episode of My Bait Shop Minutes we discuss the the L & S Bait Company and take a look at some of their Bass Master lures.  We review the what painted or opaque eyes, as collectors call them, are and when they were transitioned out.  We compare opaque to the new life-like eyes that appeared starting in 1950 and show you how to tell the difference.  Check out the video below. See all episodes of My Bait Shop Minutes here ..read more