In your experience what has been the most productive size and color jitterbug?

3/8 ounce, Black or frog. On some evenings( Favorite time for me to fish em) the jointed seems to get more hits than the solid ones 8-)

I agree jointed black!!!

I agree jointed black!!!

ANY color

I might step up next summer and start throwing the 5/8 oz

I might step up next summer and start throwing the 5/8 oz

Hey Matt I have em, but haven't thrown them yet I got an old Arboghast Jitter Stick ( Longer version, with prop in back, discontinued) and I went to that when i wnated to go larger. Killed em this year, even though Zel kept poking fun at my use of OLD LURES 8-)

I might step up next summer and start throwing the 5/8 oz

BEAT IT,...find your own patterns   ;D 8-)

I might step up next summer and start throwing the 5/8 oz

BEAT IT,...find your own patterns ;D 8-)

IF I COULD FIND A FEW MORE JITTER STICKS I WOULD YOU MOOK ;D

I might step up next summer and start throwing the 5/8 oz

BEAT IT,...find your own patterns ;D 8-)

I remember someone busting my chops for pitching a Hula Popper this year..... If I see a guy in a red boat with a Hula Pooper next summer I'm gonna be suspicious  ;D

He probablly give it to Michelle to fish with so you can't rag him

I SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF A CHALLANGE NEXT YEAR LBH VS 2 MOOKS IN A BOAT :

In your experience what has been the most productive size and color jitterbug?

Yellow and frog, I have caught more fish on the 3/8 vs. the 5/8, but mostly becouse I have fished the 3/8 a lot more than the 5/8. Moving up to the 5/8 was new to me in the spring of '06, but I have been using the 3/8 for many, many years.

Wow that is incedible, Russ says color don't matter, black outfishes all others for me, and Pfluemis has most of his luck with yellow and frog, pretty amazing chasing the same fish and regioanlly different results 8-)

You're catching on black because that's what you are throwing.

I'm catching on whatever color was closest when it was time to tie on because that's what I'm throwing.

Wow that is incedible, Russ says color don't matter, black outfishes all others for me, and Pfluemis has most of his luck with yellow and frog, pretty amazing chasing the same fish and regioanlly different results 8-)

While I have no problem with the thought that color doesn't matter, I prefer to stick with white and yellow/gold becouse it is a natural color for the bottom of a lot of fish. My theory is, if a fish sees a white or yellow stripe active on the waters surface, it will think it's a fish topwater feeding and it will be easy pray as it has few choices for escape routes. Just a theory I have, becouse I don't really know what a Bass is actually thinking, I can't read it's mind.

One night a few years ago the bite was on and we threw every jitterbug I owned till we had no more. That night was a 50 plus night and once the jitterbugs were gone we went to hulla poppers till they were all gone.  Color  &  size made no differnece.

That next winter I found a EBAY auction of at least 20 of them for about $50.00 brand new.  Many times anglers on my boat use jitter bugs and have never seen a big differnce in color  to strike ratio.  

What i will tell you is that I'm a jitterbug freak ok therapy hasnt worked. There are some wild color jitterbugs out there called STRONG version. I also own a rare glow in the dark one that you put near a light and the name explains the rest.  One time I threw it out and it never landed matter of fact it just keep going and upwards. Tin2Win and I after a bit of OH S__T'S  we figured a bat must of latched on to it and took it a few hundred feet.  Being out on a deseted lake around midnight I do recall replacing the CALVINS once home.

LBH those jitterbugs in your pictures look just like my missing collection from a certain empty  PLANO BOX in my boat.

In your experience what has been the most productive size and color jitterbug?

I can't say. For years I used the 3/8 oz. but switched mostly to 5/8 oz. a couple of years ago, but I can't say one is more productive than the other. Nor can I see a difference between regular and jointed models.

The only color I use is black. Again, I can't say if that color is any better or worse than others, but I have confidence that owning and using an assortment of colors wouldn't net me any more fish.

I truly believe if a fish is willing to respond to the Jitterbug's type of action, it won't be that fussy.

I didn't see anyone say they had any success with the white/red head Jitterbug.  Anyone?

I have an old one from about the early seventies.  I honestly don't know if I've ever caught

anything on it.  For many years though I didn't fish. I put some red trebles on it this year

and I'll try it more next season.  Black at night has been my best producer.

LBH those jitterbugs in your pictures look just like my missing collection from a certain empty  PLANO BOX in my boat.  

BUSTED  

I use 3/8 and 5/8, and they both work pretty well. The 5/8 seems to shine most during prespawn. As for colors I really haven't noticed a increase/decrease in hits by the color of the jitterbug, I use black, Frog, white with black spots, and bluegill and they all get bit. Although I have rules I follow to determine what color im going to throw, if this makes a difference I couldn't say, but its a confidence thing. I use the frog pattern during daylight in seasons where the temperature is warm, and frogs are about. I use bluegill anytime around spawn during the daylight. Just because bass seem to feed alot on bluegills during this time due to the fact that they eat their eggs, Ive caught many bass during spawn with bluegills half way down their throat, so I feel most confident with this color anytime around/during spawn. Once it gets dark I'll use black, only because I believe black is the most visible at night. I'll throw the white during early fall because I believe the fish are feeding more on baitfish so can't go wrong with white if your trying to imitiate baitfish. I'll also throw frog patterns during early fall too. But like I said I don't really notice a increase of hits or anything due to color, the rule I follow is all confidence related, but confidence is one of the most important things in fishing so im going to stick with my color selection rule  .

By the way, you guys saying you mainly use black jitterbugs, do you mean you fish it even during daylight? I always thought black was a unnatural color so I mainly stay away from it for hard lures during daylight. (disregarding muddy water conditions with softbaits), I fish it at night only because I feel everything is going to look black anyhow, so might as well use a solid black for the best shiluette effect.

I'm inexperience to at least say on topwater lures...how do you guys work the jitterbug? A slow steady retrieve?

Absolutely black during the day.  They are hitting the action/sound, track-ability, vulnerability, etc.  They don't care if it's black, purple or tie dyed lol  plenty of food in their world is black, even the colored things when light is low.

I just feel color is over thought 85% of the time.

Black is the only one I've ever thrown but only in low-light conditions or at night. I've used jointed (which I prefer) and the solid bodied ones in the 3/8oz size, the jointed seem to work better for me.

HOWEVER, am I the only one that has had bad experiences with them lately?????? The last couple I've bought (5/8oz jointed) haven't even lasted an outing! No, they weren't taken by a bass (or any other fish for that matter), I've lost the back ends of them. The quality of them over the past couple of years is no where near what it once was (IMO)!!!! Unfortunately, they're off my list of baits to buy and not even the Bait Monkey can talk me into that purchase.  :'(

i use the black jitterbug in the medium size, or the huge one if i'm goin fer a hawg

Basser, are you "tuning" the clicker?  If it doesn't work right, it's usually because it HAS worked right and the clicker in the front can get bent from a Hawg chompin' down on it.  You can also tweak them by shutting them in a box that just isn't deep enough.  Bend the cup in or out till it gets the right sound again.

Sorry LBH! Should have been a little clearer. I bought two a while back and on an outing, I tied one on (first time with the clicker style). Made several casts with it (with no luck which was NBD), made another cast and realized it wasn't running right. When I pulled it in, the back half of the bait was missing. I thought it was a fluke so I tied the other one and the same thing happened.    With the success I had in the past, I bought a new standard jointed one to regain some confidence in them. After every cast I would inspect the bait. After a period of time (in that outing), I noticed the back half was "unscrewing" itself from the front half. I had never tried to tune it before hand. When I tried to resecure it to the front half, it just made it worse. Sadly, I haven't used one since.  :'(