For me I was nine years old and It was a Riverside ribbon tail worm in what I remember being a tequila sunrise color worm. I know for a fact that I did not tie it in the proper manner for the technique but I was determined no one was going to help me do this as I was grown enough to handle it. Third or fourth cast and I had my first bass with a straight retrieve on a zebco 33. I felt like I had taken a huge step towards fishing stardom in that moment lol 

 

My love for riverside plastics was confirmed that day and I bought a lot of their lures and plastics with my own money starting that very day!

For plastics it was some purple Zoom curly tail worm and for hard baits a bone colored Heddon Spook. Best part about the spook and it was a total accident.  I had no idea how to walk them as kid and was just reeling it in straight retrieve. 

Rebel Jointed Minnow ~

 

 

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

red-head Bomber,

but my first big bass, 6-1/2-lbs, was on a black-and-gold Jitterbug.  

She took it at rest.  

I think it was a red Cream worm . The one with the two hooks and little propeller . I bought it at the corner grocery store .

Abu Reflex in-line spinner. June, 1965

 

A weightless Cream worm. My dad used to run line through them with a needle and tie 2 or 3 hooks in them.  My reel was a Mitchel 300

 

Mine also was during the Johnson administration.  

Red and white, red devil spoon. As far as I knew about 58 yrs ago the only lures that existed were the red devil, mooselook warbler and a black jitterbug. Oh, and worms. We had a big worm rich garden.

You also had to use 6-8 lb mono or a nylon braided line because anything larger was the size of clothesline rope and stiff. So, playing the fish was always a given. No rapid reeling them in and hoisting them into the boat without a net.

Nightcrawler 

21 minutes ago, MGF said:

A weightless Cream worm. My dad used to run line through them with a needle and tie 2 or 3 hooks in them.  My reel was a Mitchel 300.

 

Inline spinner. I was little and My grandad took me fishing. 

Happened just about a month ago. Went from catching zero bass ever to 34 in one weekend. All were caught on Zoom trick worms. Biggest was on a bed, about 3-4lbs, and caught with Candy Bug color.

 

I've heard some monsters break the water in that same lake, so now I'm jumping up to 10-1/2 and 12" worms, see if I can't catch the bigguns.

15 minutes ago, Capriceragtop said:

Happened just about a month ago. Went from catching zero bass ever to 34 in one weekend. All were caught on Zoom trick worms. Biggest was on a bed, about 3-4lbs, and caught with Candy Bug color.

 

I've heard some monsters break the water in that same lake, so now I'm jumping up to 10-1/2 and 12" worms, see if I can't catch the bigguns.

Candy bug has been a recent produced for me as well.

I worked Candy Bug, Watermelon Red, and Bourbon Blaze, depending on weather. All were working. I went on a bit of a spree and got a ton of other colors too: merthiolate, pink, black, red, etc.

 

Catching 1lbers like crazy. Last time I was out there, it sounded like someone was chucking bowling balls in the water. Gonna try some dusk fishing, see if I can get some customers.

Green pumpkin Zoom trick worm. I was probably under 7 years old.

Mine was on a Red and white spoon when I was 14. I made a great cast under a dock , and as soon as I started the retrieve, he clobbered it. I dont know that I ever caught another one on it though, because I learned about soft plastics soon after that.

Pre rigged crawler harness, just beat my childhood fish the other day lol. That took me way too long lol.

First "lure" one was on a hook wrapped with aluminum foil with a couple of beads threaded on the line (mom had a side hustle in the late 60s making Keith Partridge puka bead necklaces, ahead of her time  ). First real lure one was on a #9 (silver/blue back) original Rap that I found in a tree. 

First bass was on a Gulp panfish worm under a bobber:

 

 

 

Arbogast Hula Popper, black.

Purple Bass Stopper worm with white dots.  I was probably about 7 or 8.  The Bass Stopper is made by a company relatively local to me that enjoyed immense popularity prior to widespread internet use.  I don't see them much at the bigger chain sporting goods stores but all of the mom and pops around me carry them.

I mentioned my first  lure that caught a bass but I believe my first bass was with a live night crawler , bobber and cane pole .

Mann’s augertail worm in purple caught me a lot of fish in the early 80’s!!!

It’s been nearly thirty years but my best guess is a trick worm or ribbon tail worm.  Pink trick worm and purple ribbon tail 

My first largemouth bass was probably caught on a night crawler, smallmouth on a softshell crab. My first bass on a lure was definitely caught on a Beno.