Oldhams cantaloupe spinnerbait????

I know it's a long shot; but....

Have you ever seen one, do you have one?

http://www.oldhamjigs.com/

Go here and see if he still makes them. I know he makes his jigs, because I still buy them from him. I know he makes some of his SBs, but do not know if the cantaloupe is one of them. Since he is the original guy to make them, he might still make them or might do it for a special order. Don't know. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

Yes sir, I've been to his website. I was hoping someone had some laying around that they weren't using, I really want to see the actual color of these things since I read an old article about them and they peaked my interest. I guess I'll have to call and bug him though.

PM sent

Looks good. I'd like to try one

This is as good as I could capture of the Oldham's Cantelope SB

I'm guessing that it is supposed to mimic a carp, I'll try to call him on Monday and see if he still makes them. I was hoping someone here had some to sell.

That hurts my eyes to look at Robert

Ok, I called. They no longer make this color.

Man I would've bought some, like the color.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! It was a beautiful 13 pound 9 oz bass that Mark Menendez caught at Richland Chambers during the 1997 Megabass event that made it such a special spinnerbait.

Tx for bringing this up. I looked into it a bit -- worked pretty dang well back in the day, which means it could do the same today. Hope someone makes one and tries it.

Take an off the shelf Hildebrandt go-getter, change the blades and the skirt color and you're set

It want be long until I have her made. Just really busy with mapping and trying to find time. Picked up about 50 bucks of stuff to do it with yesterday. There will be a jig to go with it also. I am sure grout-scout will post pics. as soon as I get them to him.

Not hard to do. 033 is the color if you want it in a rubber skirt

http://lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Rubber-Material/Bulk-Regular-Round-Rubber-1lb-5ft.html

And 172 if you want silicone

http://lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Silicone-Material/Standard-Silicone-Material.html

O33 is Floro. Orange. It is 022 the Yellow that I have then put the red dye to it in all the right places.

Sure, I'll post pics when Mr. Harper gets them done. I have a feeling that the brown blades have a lot to do with the lures appeal.

If it worked good why did They stop making it?

Who knows, maybe it doesn't work everywheres. I know it must work at the lake I fish at though. To be honest, it's so ugly that I would've never thought a fish would hit it; but it does resemble one little swimmer in the water though.

Elroy Kruger (Texas Bass Fishing Legend) is the man originally behind this color scheme. According to another legend in the sport - Elroy was a master at fishing a spinner bait.

Yep Neal, that article is what started my want.

When something gets attention it sells a lot, then the interest and sales fade as the next new hot thing comes along. The suppliers probably make a lot more revenue selling everyone the new something they don't have yet vs. more of what they already bought. Some who bought it didn't like it, so they don't want any more, but they will try that other new hot thing. Get it? It's all about sales!

Strike king made one similar with painted double willow blades. Orange everything and it was killer in stained dirty water

Update: I asked in the lure building section if anybody knew anything about these. I didn't get much of a response, until Donald Harper said that he would try to take on the challenge of building me some.
I told him to mix it up best he could, they didn't have to be clones. He could make any color variations that he chose, just try to make something as close as he could with the bad and only Internet pic we could find. I also asked if he could put a strand or 2 of red in them. He went a notch better and added an optional removable red twin curI tail swimming skirt. I also wanted him to make a couple jigs up for me because I like to swim them real slowly and they are a bit more subtle than a spinnerbait.

Here's the original pic, zoomed in as close as I could get it so he could see the colors of the original cantaloupe.




Well, here's Donald's creations. We'll call them chunkin pumpkin, , in case anybody would like Donald Harper to make them some or some with any variation that they'd like. Some of the strands have ripples (fingers) that ought to really wiggle while moving through the water.








Well done Mr. Harper! Sadly the first day I'll be able to try them out on will be April 30th.

Ok... That's a good job mr Harper!

Word on the forum is that Mr. Harper is the king of spinnerbaits.

Strike King has something very close to it. Found it yesterday at Dick's sporting goods and bought a couple.

yep...Elroy's neon gold is a close fit. Came real close to attending his funeral with that very skirt pinned on my lapel.

Thanks for all the comments guys. I really enjoy building baits that you cannot find. Most baits like the Chunkin Punkin has a time and place as most do. When you build a bait just be sure it holds all the senses that big fish are looking for in that time and place. It will be tested against my other tried and true baits when I get back to Mexico at the end of May.

This is definitely a heavily stained water bait with the dark blades being the key. It is going to be hard pressed to beat my Black Diamond Dusted Colorado blades that has caught so many big Bass in muddy water over the years. There is no question about the Punkin Skirt; it has already proven itself by one of the best fisherman on Choke Canyon. The Kruger Golden Boys are hard to beat.

Does anyone know how to get the Elroy Kruger spinner bait and or the skirts and or the blades?
I live in Indiana and use to use that spinner bait when I lived in Texas back in the 80’s-90’s. I stopped in Elroy’s bait shop and he showed me his bait and told me the history about it. I bought several but have either lost or misplaced them.

Thanks
Jack Wright
TSGT USAF Retired

Doubtful, Elroy has been dead for years and any rubber skirts in existence would be dry rot by now.

Grout, you ever catch any fish on those Harper spinners?

That happens with all kinds of stuff. Many stupid people out there. Usually management people in a company that have no idea what they are doing. I see it all the time.

No, but I can’t get them to bite any spinnerbaits. Maybe I need to put the skirt on a Jhammer and give it a go. Hell, who am I kidding, I don’t get bites on any baits. I did have a bass around 5lbs hit one of his jigs, but it got tangled up in some brush and pulled off before I could lip it.

The bait resembles a copper nose bream and they work well late winter / early spring at few east Texas lakes

Jersey Dan has tons of Oldham Spinnerbaits is those fancy colors. I bet he has a few laying around

He might want Lunker Punker prices for them though.

Cantelope colored spinnerbait thread rose from the dead after six years?!!!! Caught my eye when I opened it and read the 2nd post by ol’ “Tight Lines” Thad Rains!

Good news is, if you can't find that skirt color, you can always mimic the same weight and blade combination and use a White and Chartreuse skirt and probably rewrite history.

I have a few of these left. Oldham's Trailer Hitch is the best & most durable spinnerbait I've ever thrown. I still use them today- in fact. Thanks. ( I'll take some Elroy if anyone finds some ) ask Rick Clunn about them- they'll still catchem.

Back in the 90's Elroy and I was fishing against each other on Amistad. He lost his only Golden Boy as he called it, to a big fish during practice. He knew that I always took my suplies in a huge tackle box to build baits if I needed something. We stayed up until after midnight dying Gold Living Rubber to get the colors right.
- He took Big Bass on the Willow Blades with Golden Boy Skirts.
- I took second place overall on the Indiana Bladed Golden Boy.

And you have the skirt accessory too.
Do you know where to find the small rattles. I only have 4 left after twenty years of being discontinued

Can't get the Stanley Pro Rattles; unless they have some left over in the Warehouse. The secretary is very helpful and will send you some if they have any.
Hale Lure, LLC. dba Stanley Jigs

P.O. Box 1327

107 North Main St.

Huntington, TX 75949

Phone: 936 876-5713

They did not have any last year.

Proud to say I probably own more Oldham Spinnerbaits than anyone on the planet next to Oldham

Oldham's Spinnerbaits and jigs are the best on the planet for giant bass not to mention a work of art.

Try reaching out to Mike Bates, guide at choke. He used to fish with Elroy some and he has a guy that makes him something really close.