 The
Revival of Old Lures
Tim Horton
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bass wise-up to lures the more
frequently they see them. When anglers buy old lures
and fish them, they quickly discover that the old lures
are catching as many, if not more, bass than they did
when they were new. The reason is that these older lures
are ones that the bass haven’t seen before. Anglers
fishing these old lures have new confidence in the old
ones that win big-money tournaments. We’ll talk
this week with some of the nation’s top pros to
learn what old lures they’re still using and why.
 Tim
Horton of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, has fished in the
Bassmaster Professional Division the past 8 years and
has guided for about 20 years. He’s won three
Bassmaster events, besides qualifying for the Bassmaster
Classics 2001 through 2006 and winning the Angler-of-the-Year
title.
Horton fishes several old lures for both smallmouth
and largemouth bass because he says, “Certain
lures that were made many years ago were good lures,
and no one ever has made better lures to replace them.
That’s why I fish a lot of old lures, including
one of my favorites, the Smithwick Devil's Horse - the
best top-water bait for stained water – that I
think is more subtle than a  Pop-R
or a Zara Spook. The big propellers on this lure cause
bass to come up even from deep water to take the bait.
I’m convinced that bass think the Devil's Horse
is some type of bait that’s being attacked or
flopping on the surface and presenting an easy meal
to them. When the water’s stained, or the wind’s
creating a chop on the surface of the water, this old
lure is hard to beat. Not many other anglers have been
fishing this lure, but the word’s out on the Devil's
Horse. I’m starting to see tournaments being won
on this bait in Florida, Alabama and Texas. I really
hate to talk about this secret bait because as long
as other people aren’t using it, it’s highly
productive for me. I like the frog-colored or the black-back
silver-sided orange-belly colored Devil's Horse. I cast
this lure around visible targets, pop it hard to  cause
the blades to turn and churn the water when it hits
the water, allow the lure to sit still for 2 or 3 seconds
and then pop it again and let it sit still again all
the way back to the boat. Most of the time, the strike
will come when the lure’s sitting still or just
as I start to pop the lure. I fished this old lure successfully
at the 2006 Bassmaster Classic in Florida and caught
plenty of bass. I also know that Aaron Martens is starting
to fish this lure.”
Tomorrow: More with Tim Horton
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