Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

What's the consensus between you all here on these Scrounger heads ?

Something innovative and worth the money, or just a new gimmick to get the angler to bite ?

Please clue me in.
Thanks !!

Can't afford mistakes...

Been using them for a couple years. Very cool bait.

Not new by a long ahot but a revivial of an old bait. The scounger head used to be a saltwater gig, that back inthe 60's made its way to southern california...and has recently been broughtback by aaron martens.

I've had the most luck on the smallest sizes. And they don't do alot for paddletail baits..but a staight worm or fluke...and you in business.

I'd say they are at least as effective as dart heads and situationaly more so.

What happened to Charlie the Tuna?

Both Bassmaster and In-Fisherman magazines did feature artilces on the Scrounger jig in 2009, generating interst outside of the west. The Scrounger was invented by the late local San Clemete CA angler John Waters back in the late 60's.
When Sluggo fisrt hit the market in the early 80's, the first soft jerk bait, local bass fisherman discovered the Scrounger jig Sluggo combination was very effective and could be fished anywhere in the water column. This lure won a lot of local tournaments for nearly a decade without being disclosed.
The Scrounger was also one of the best kept secrets amoung the trophy fisherman, it caught a lot of big bass.
Tom,

The Scrounger with tied deer hair was killer. Don't know if it's still aviable, but we used it in the 80s. Trouble was they didn't have a real good hook then, had to sharpen the pi$$ out of them.
After the deer hair was gone we rigged it with a Little Killer body.

THAT LURE AINT NO JOKE----X

I have been tying them with maribou.

I've had good success on the Delta for stripers with the 1/8 oz Scrounger head and a fluke.

John.

acm95301 wrote:Not new by a long ahot but a revivial of an old bait. The scounger head used to be a saltwater gig, that back inthe 60's made its way to southern california...and has recently been broughtback by aaron martens.

I've had the most luck on the smallest sizes. And they don't do alot for paddletail baits..but a staight worm or fluke...and you in business.

I'd say they are at least as effective as dart heads and situationaly more so.

Yep dont ever use these with a paddle tail

I used them 28 years ago. They were the best surfperch lure ever made. I thought anyway. Great for walleye perch, barred perch, corbina and hallibut in the surf. Light tackle. I used them for bass about 25 years ago and just got hung up to much on the bottom.
They go better through sand or open water

What is the suggested way to work them ?

Cast and steady retrieve?
Yoyo-ing them ?
Retrieve with pauses ?

I would be using them for LMs and SMs and the occaisional Nothern Pike/Pickerel that may be in the same waters as the Bass.

I have heard Super Flukes, Flukes, and Super Fluke Jrs work well when fished on these heads.

Other suggestions and helpful tips also greatly appreciated.
Thanks, guys....

reel em in slow and steady, the action is that subtle action the head gives them.

Been using them for thiry plus years, slow and steady is the key....working on timing to the right depth as any othr bait and you'll have a winner... Bucktail yeah it works... Magic Shad are great choices for this bait as well...

is magic shad the Lake fork bait?

acm95301 wrote:is magic shad the Lake fork bait?

Yes they are.

There are several Scroungers on the market today, they are not all equal. The original Scroungers had undersize saltwater zinc plated hooks that were OK for what they were deisign for; coastal surf fishing.
Using a Scrounger with fat bodied soft plastic trailers requires an over sized sharp premium hook and we had to modify the original Scroungers.
To say Scroungers can't be worked through cover or fished at crankbait speeds is simply misleading. The collar helps to make this lure fairly snagless in brush and around wood or rocks, but not in weeds.
Aaron Martins Scroungers; trim some of the lead back or core out the trailer and it will run a lot better.
Tom

They are freakin junk..Send them to me and I will thrash them for you.

acm95301 wrote:is magic shad the Lake fork bait?

If you have not tried this bait, try it. They have killer action with just a lead head. I'm sure the scrouger head would give it even better action. Only thing about this bait is it is not durable at all. Between sections it's very thin.

Oldschool wrote:Aaron Martins Scroungers; trim some of the lead back or core out the trailer and it will run a lot better.
Tom

Can you expand on these modifications? What do you mean about the trailer..what am I supposed to see happen when these changes are made...is it a weight issue or flexability of the trailer...etc?

acm95301 wrote:

Oldschool wrote:Aaron Martins Scroungers; trim some of the lead back or core out the trailer and it will run a lot better.
Tom

Can you expand on these modifications? What do you mean about the trailer..what am I supposed to see happen when these changes are made...is it a weight issue or flexability of the trailer...etc?

The skirt collar (tubular lead on the hook shank) extends too far back and needs to be trimmed shorter. When you push the soft plastic trailer onto the skirt collar area it exspands the plastic, bulging it out. You can core out the front of the soft plastic with a metal tube the same diameter as the collar and this has the same affect as trimming the lead back. You want the soft plastic trailer as close to the jig head as possible.
The best swimming action for a Scrounger is a tight wiggle, like a Rapala minnow, will trigger more strikes.
Tom

Thanks for all the tips, OldSchool !