Scrounger Jig Heads

[smalljaws]

Anyone ever hear of Scrounger jig heads? They apparently were real popular many years ago in the west. They're like normal ball head jigs but with a clear plastic collar that makes them wobble like a crankbait.

Apparenly Aaron Martens has a new head coming out like these that he calls the living bait head and he says they were killers in California way back when.

Anyone have any experience using "Scroungers"?

[JohNNy Utah]

Do your homework, and look hard enough, you'll find them.
Here's a hint. Scrounger went out of bussiness several years ago.

[kazk]

One of the tuna jig manufacturers bought the head and is producing them on the salt water scene. I can't remeber the name and I am not at home right now but I'll look it up and post it latert on.

Chris Koda

[smalljaws]

Thanks fellas'.

Are they worth tracking down or using? Any great advantages? I am wondering, if they were so good, why did they cease production?

[rangerz20]

the heads are now produced by leadmaster, and they are called "wiggle heads"
tight lines
Brad

[Rick G]

AAron Martens top secret new tackle company is all about the scrounger head. He is coming back out with a full line. Sounds like some other cool products also. Rick G.

[mark poulson]

Have you gotten the Leadmaster splitring pliers in yet?

[ash]

When I heard about his new fish head bait I just new it in my heart he was coming back with a scrounger head type bait that will improve upon some of the flaws the old scrounger had.

Ugh Arron I dont know to be happy for him or to break his knee caps for bringing these baits into the commercial scene?

[Rick G]

I dont think so, but I have a couple of pairs in my desk and you can have one of those. Rick G.

[DanWarme]

Another little history lesson.
this is where Aaron learned about scroungers.

Scrounger heads showed up hot for a couple of years when the tora tube hit the scene. Friends of mine, Randy, Joey, Carl, and a few others, were weighin big weight on it using the old sluggo, (anyone remember those anymore?) fished on a scrounger head. 6" sluggo, 1/4 -1/2 oz. scrounger head and normally a stinger hook in the tail.

They were using it like I was using the tora, on suspended fish in the summertime on Castaic. 1990-1992 was the heyday! Pre stripers. Both still work but the summer of '91 was pure magic.
They had water problems at a hatchery and they were dumping trout into the lake during the summer months. A few knew to throw to the boils and there really wasn't an area of the lake where you didn't have a shot at a double digit fish coming up and chasing trout.

I got to go now. Feeling very nostalgic and choked up... snifff....

[DeltaBound]

the summer of '91 was pure magic.

Now you tell us

You can get em at Charkbait.com

[DanWarme]

"Now you tell us "

Hey, they swore me to secrecy.
Takes time for the statute of limitations to kick in.

They were lucky. A lot easier to hid that bait and keep it quiet than it was that tube. Once you knew what it was, you could spot it being thrown 1/2 mile away.

For those of you who never had the pleasure of Lake Castaic before the stripers got in there...

[CHANDLER]

I don't think that Aaron ever knew anything about these until Randy told Aaron about Scroungers and the Roadrunner right before his Classic under the bridge. Actually, I know that he didnt know. Mike Hart, Joe Chandler and Mike Carpenter were weighing in 20-25lbs each Tourney while Aaron, and everyone else was out ice jigging or split shotting in 50-75ft for 12-13lbs. Thanks Dan for the memories!!

[Brian Linehan]

You are right, but I seem to remember Aaron weighing more than 12 lbs. in the winter. Come on now, lets not get carried away

[DanWarme]

Could swear I remember Randy talking about it to Aaron back then but hey, could be wrong. Mind is one of the next things due to go out on me. lol

And ya, I seem to remember Aaron weighing a bit more than 12# a couple of times.

But fact is, and what chandler was more talking about, is that the guys who had it figured out were fishing for suspended fish, fishing fast, and having a ton of action when you found them. Mind you these fish were usually from 0'-10' deep right out in the middle of the lake. Can't tell you the number of anglers we would see either worming the bank, or dragging out in deep water trying to scratch out a fish or two.

One of the classic mistakes we all make, when the bite gets tough for us, we go back to old reliables. In So Cal that usually means worming, slow and deep. Unfortunately, that wasn't what was going on, the fish were shallow, and very active. Just not where the fishermen expected them to be. It's tough to stop and think about what is happening and then select or develop a technique to suit the situation. Guess its human nature to pull out "ole reliable" and go with that.

In my own case, I am often a much better fisherman on away lakes than I am locally. Too much historical data trapped in the brain. I too often end up fishing history, rather than fishing the conditions and the fish. With new lakes, I don't have the history to fall back on and I am forced to think more about what is going on right now. Luckily, old age and alzheimers will fix that situation. Pretty soon everyday will be my first day on any lake. The good side of it is I always got new water! lol

[kazk]

They are or were being distributed by Sevenstrand Company.

Chris Koda

[smalljaws]

Dan - for the benefit of someone who has never fished a scrounger - back in the good old days that you talk about, when those fish were out in the middle of the lake - how did you catch them with the scrounger and sluggo?

Fast, slow or medium retrieve???????????

Appreciate your insights.

[DanWarme]

Like I said earlier, I had the tora tube thing going at the same time, that was the bait I was throwing, (the fish were usually better) But I knew about the scrounger from my friends.

We all were fishing suspended fish. In the summer, we all were fishing medium to fast retrieves, frequently jerking the bait as well. Ordinarily, the bait was fished no deeper than 10-15' and with that scrounger head, the sluggo would shimmy and wiggle without too much additional help. Some times if you weren't fishing fast and working up a sweat, you wouldn't get bit. We would sit on a point in maybe 50-100' of water, and cast out into deeper water. Let it sink a couple of seconds and bring it on back. Just chunkin' and windin'. With the tube, generally there was more rippin involved than the scrounger.

As the water got colder into the winter months, the slower retrieves worked better, often the scrounger rig was almost slow rolled. The one thing that was always consistant was that anytime you saw a fish rise or a trout running, you picked up the bait and threw it, trying to get in front of the fish.

I remember one time standing on my boat on the hump outside of birdsnest; I was just looking towards the dam when all of a sudden a 12" trout was at my eye level, suspended in mid air. Then it came down and i watched it tear across the surface of the water. Never did see the bass that scared the crap out of that guy! lol Generally if you had a single bass after a trout, you couldn't get it to bite, but if there was a wolf pack, you could get a bite if you made a good cast.

[smalljaws]

Thanks Dan

[buck1964]

Dan what does one of these scrounger heads look like ?

[DanWarme]

Deltabound posted photos of them earlier in this thread.

[buck1964]

lol thanks

[buck1964]

Dan you fishing the FLW series ?

[DanWarme]

I WISH!!!!!!!

Haven't been doing much fishing since 2000.
Amazing what a divorce can do to one's finances, health and direction.
lol

Only now trying to get back at it team wise. Figure the pro circuit is a few more years off even on a part time basis.