Here are my top ten.  I chose these lures based on their ability to catch bass and their groundbreaking influence on the sport of bass fishing.  They are not in any order.   These lures created an entire class of lures based on their design.  I did not include jigs.  

 

1. Creme Worm 

2. Zorro Aggravator Spinnerbait 

3. Rapala Floating Minnow

4. Johnson Spoon  

5. Smithwick Devil's Horse

6. Arbogast Jitterbug

7. Rattle Trap

8. Rebel Deep and Wee R

9. Rebel Pop R

10. Heddon Zara Spook

 

 

 

A Senko has gotta be on the list somewhere.  

That's a very good list. They're all classics and they all still work.   If I'm not mistaken,  the Johnson Spoon is more than 60 years old.

d**n good list!

A top 10 list without the Senko is wrong.

 

 

I have an order of Zorro long arms coming in. They work

Soft plastics in general and the senko, grub, worm, and sluggo in particular. 

Great list! I remember when Rapala Shad Raps first hit the scene back in the early/mid 80's. Bought every one I could get my hands on. Was more of a topwater and soft plastics guy but man those Shad Raps sure caught em good!

Great list! Makes me wanna put together a Plano box with just those and have at it occasionally. My Captain Phil box. I’d need a suggested color for each lure…

Senko is on the list. The original Creme worm was highlighted in a 1956 Sports Afield magazine to be used for a Wacky Worm. 
Unfortunately I didn’t read the article until 1980 but I’ve been using them ever since 

The Creme worm was the first soft plastic bait I can remember.  I include all soft plastic baits in that same category.  Senkos, flukes, lizards and all the rest are great baits, but the worm came first. 

Because of its sinking characteristics, I consider a Senko different bait. I’d also include on the list the Rapala Husky Jerk. Again, it is very much like the Original floating minnow, but it’s ability to suspend sets it apart. Another plastic I’d include would be the Mister Twister grub. 

1 hour ago, MarkG52 said:

Great list! I remember when Rapala Shad Raps first hit the scene back in the early/mid 80's. Bought every one I could get my hands on. Was more of a topwater and soft plastics guy but man those Shad Raps sure caught em good!

We caught schooling LMB, white bass and stripers off those things. I remember the first ones being difficult to cast with my old baitcaster. I found an old, larger gold one in my dad's stuff and used it with success this past winter.

1. Soft plastic worms including Senko’s, Flukes.

2. Bass jigs, hair, rubber, silicone skirted.

3. Spinner bait, safety pin design.

4. Buzz baits, including Whopper Ploppers.

5. Soft plastic creature baits, lizards, hogs, beavers etc,

6. Hollow body frogs.

7 Swimbaits both wooden joint jointed and soft body.

8. Dog walking Spook type lures.

9. Deep diving crank baits, Bombers, Mud Bugs, Bagley B’s,, Norman etc.

10, lipless Crankbaits, Rattle Traps style.

Honorable mentions, structure and weedless spoons, tail and under spins, jerk baits.

 

2 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I have an order of Zorro long arms coming in. They work

Theyre about the perfect size IMO

I'll say overall good list. I think there's too many baits that are similar or a spin off of one design. As far as soft plastic baits go, I view the Creme Scoundrel as the big daddy. Without that one, we'd never have Senkos, grubs, tubes, lizards, or any other soft plastic baits that we have now.

2 hours ago, MarkG52 said:

Great list! I remember when Rapala Shad Raps first hit the scene back in the early/mid 80's. Bought every one I could get my hands on. Was more of a topwater and soft plastics guy but man those Shad Raps sure caught em good!

I read somewhere people were renting them out per day at a crazy price especially for the 80's. 

1 minute ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

I read somewhere people were renting them out per day at a crazy price especially for the 80's. 

Fred Young’s wooden hand carved Big O were rented out during the 80’s.

Tom

2 minutes ago, WRB said:

Fred Young’s wooden hand carved Big O were rented out during the 80’s.

Tom

This particular article was specifically about the early Rapalas.  It mentioned a particular lake in the South, I want to say it was Florida or Alabama but I'm not certain.   

Early Rapala haven’t been out of production since they were introduced in the USA. I don’t recall anything about Rapala being scarice unless it was the shallow Fat Rap?

The original Big O’s were selling in egg creates for $100 each and being rented to tournament anglers in the early 80’s.  

Tom

Buzz baits have been around since a rod and reel was used to catch bass. I have a Buel arrowhead spinner in my collection with an 1852 patient date stamped on it.  Al Foss started making buzzbaits in 1915.  When I was introduced to bass fishing as a kid, my fishing hero used a Johnson Spoon with a Arobogast Hawaiian Wiggler spinner on the front.  Before flipping went mainstream, anglers used feathered buzzbaits on long poles to reach back into the cover and pull bass out overhead.  I once watched an old timer troll down a canal pulling a buzz bait with the boat and he caught a boatload of fish.

 

An Al Foss Shimmy Wiggler was one of my grandfathers favorite baits. As a kid I also used an Arbogast #2 1/2 Hawaiian Wiggler (also know as a Sputterfuss) quite a bit.

Bobby Garland Gitzit.  Aka: a tube.