by Terry Robertson
It was just after sunset on a warm September evening when I first learned what a Jitterbug could do. I was barely twelve years old, standing barefoot on the bank of Toledo Bend in east Texas. The fireflies were just starting to dance above the grass, the air smelled of damp earth and sweet clover, and the surface of the water was so still it looked like polished glass. My uncle, Jimmy Robertson, handed me a short fiberglass casting rod with a well-worn Zebco and a black, bug-eyed lure with a wide metal lip. “Tie this on,” he said, grinning like he was letting me in on some kind of secret.
I had never seen a lure like it. The front lip was bent down like a scoop, and the body was fat, round, and shiny. It had scratches in the paint and a chip missing from the lip — proof that it had been around the block a few times. Uncle Jimmy told me, “It’s called a Jitterbug. Just throw it out and crank it slow. Let it talk to you.”
I cast into the fading light along the edge of a patch of lily-pads and began a slow retrieve. The lure wobbled back with a hollow glug-glug-glug, sounding like something alive struggling across the surface. On my third cast, the water erupted like a dropped cinder block. A largemouth bass inhaled that Jitterbug with a violence that startled me. The fight was over in seconds, but my hands shook for several minutes. I remember my uncle chuckling and saying, “That, boy, is why we fish the ‘Bug.”
That was my introduction to a lure that had been catching fish for decades before I was even born — and one that still works as well as it did the day it was invented.
The Jitterbug was developed by Fred Arbogast, a fishing pioneer and lure maker from Akron, Ohio. Before becoming a tackle innovator, Arbogast had been a champion fisherman in the 1920s, a man who understood both fish and fishermen. In 1930, he left his job at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant to pursue his passion for making fishing lures full-time.
By the mid-1930s, Arbogast had already made waves in the fishing industry with the Hawaiian Wiggler and the Hula Popper. But in 1937, he introduced something entirely different — a topwater lure that didn’t just splash or twitch, but walked across the surface in a deliberate, noisy march.
The secret was in the metal lip — a wide, downturned scoop riveted to the lure’s nose that caught water and forced the lure to roll from side to side, sending out both a wobbling silhouette and a rhythmic surface gurgle. It was unlike anything else at the time, and its ability to mimic a struggling frog, injured baitfish, or even a small rodent trying to cross a lake was deadly.
When Arbogast first demonstrated the Jitterbug, old-time anglers were skeptical. It seemed too simple but the results spoke for themselves. Within a few years, it became one of the most trusted lures in America. Anglers used it for bass, pike, and musky among other species.
For decades, the Jitterbug was as common in a tackle box as hooks and sinkers. Most serious fishermen had at least two — a black one for night fishing and a frog-pattern for daylight. It was considered a “confidence lure,” something you could tie on when nothing else was working.
But starting in the late 1980s, fishing culture began to shift. Tournament bass fishing exploded in popularity, and with it came a wave of high-speed, high-tech lures — spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, jerkbaits, and eventually soft plastic swimbaits and chatterbaits. Fishing shows and glossy catalogs pushed these “must-have” new baits, and the humble Jitterbug began to seem old-fashioned.
By the 2000s, you could fish an entire day on some lakes and never see anyone throw one. It wasn’t that they stopped working — fish don’t read catalogs — it was that fishermen stopped believing in them.
Despite the lure industry’s obsession with new designs, the Jitterbug continues to excel because it taps into something primal in predatory fish. It’s slow, deliberate, and noisy — traits that trigger instinctive strikes.
Bass, in particular, are opportunistic feeders. In the fall, as water temperatures drop and days shorten, they enter a feeding frenzy to pack on weight for the winter. They’ll smash fast-moving baits during the day, but in the low-light hours, when their prey is less active, they zero in on slower targets.
That’s where the Jitterbug’s rolling, rhythmic action shines. The glug-glug sound carries through the water, drawing fish from a distance. The steady silhouette convinces them it’s an easy meal. And because it moves predictably, bass often hit it hard and clean, leading to solid hooksets.
Fishing a Jitterbug in autumn isn’t just effective — it’s pure fun.
Here’s how to make the most of it during the fall season:
The Jitterbug is best in dawn, dusk, and nighttime conditions. In fall, those cool evenings bring bass shallow, often to the very edges of lakes and ponds. Black or dark-colored Jitterbugs are most visible to fish at night, creating a strong silhouette against the moonlit surface. Fall bass follow shad migrations into shallow creeks and coves. A black 5/8-ounce Jitterbug worked parallel to shorelines after sunset can produce explosive strikes. In small farm ponds, bass often patrol the edges at night — cast along the bank and retrieve slowly.
The biggest mistake newcomers make is reeling too fast. The Jitterbug’s lip is designed for a slow, steady retrieve. You want that glug-glug to sound like a frog struggling across the water, not a speedboat racing past. If you think you’re going slow, slow down a little more.
In autumn, look for points, shallow flats, weed edges, and shoreline cover where baitfish gather. Farm ponds, coves, and backwater sloughs can be goldmines for Jitterbug action.
While the classic retrieve is steady, adding the occasional pause can trigger strikes from fish following but hesitant to commit. Let the ripples settle, then start the retrieve again — sometimes that’s all it takes.
For true excitement, fish the Jitterbug after dark. There’s nothing like hearing that hollow gurgle echo across still water, followed by the sudden, violent WHOOOSH of a bass breaking the surface.
Even though the Jitterbug’s design has remained largely unchanged for 80+ years, modern anglers can improve its performance with a few updates:• Replace factory trebles with sharper, high-carbon hooks to increase hookup rates.
• Add a feathered treble to the rear hook for extra flash
and movement.
• Use braided line for better casting distance and hook-
setting power at night.
• Try jointed Jitterbug models for an exaggerated
swimming motion that can trigger more strikes in choppy water.
Fishing a Jitterbug is about more than catching fish. It’s a sensory experience — the weight of the cast, the sound of the lure working, the anticipation in every turn of the handle. It forces you to slow down, to connect with the water in a way fast-moving lures don’t allow.
It’s also about heritage. When you throw a Jitterbug, you’re fishing with the same bait your grandfather used. You’re part of a long tradition of anglers who trusted simple, proven designs over flashy trends.
My uncle passed away a few years back, but I still have one of his old black Jitterbugs. The paint is worn, the lip is nicked, but it still runs true. Every fall, I tie it on and make a few casts in that same spot on Toledo Bend and almost without fail, a bass will rise up and remind me why this lure has lasted nearly a century.
As my uncle told me that night long ago, “They might make them fancier, but they don’t make them gooder.”
Your go-to reference for putting the old-school classic to work when the leaves start turning.
Best Times to Fish
• Evening & Night: Cool fall evenings bring baitfish shallow. The Jitterbug’s slow, noisy crawl is irresistible to bass.
• Dawn: A close second — fish often feed hard in the first light.
Best Colors
• Black: Top pick for night fishing — creates a strong silhouette.
• Frog Pattern: Daytime or overcast conditions.
Retrieve Style
• Slow & Steady: Let the lure “talk” with its natural glug-glug rhythm.
• Occasional Pause: Stop for 2–3 seconds mid-retrieve,
then continue.
Ideal Spots
• Ponds & Lakes: Work parallel to shorelines and weed edges.
• Creeks and Rivers: Along timber and calm eddies.
Gear Tips
• Rod: Medium or medium-heavy with a moderate action.
• Line: 30–40 lb braid for night fishing, or 12–17 lb mono for a little stretch.
• Hooks: Upgrade to sharper trebles; consider a feathered rear hook for extra flair.
On calm nights, listen for the strike before you feel it. Resist setting the hook until you feel the weight of the fish — many Jitterbug hookups are lost to over-eager hooksets.
