A lot of the ozark guys are throwing rock crawlers now. 6th sense curve 55 is another option.

Azuma has a Brian Snowden WW imitator that looks very good, also.

Funny about those old Wiggle Warts. I'm 73 years old, and still have a few of mine and my dad's. Been throwing them all my life.

I think they are more cult mystic than real. Some days they will out perform the new baits. Some days they won't. Just like any other lure.

I like to throw Warts. Part of my main arsenal. At the end of the year, I will have caught more on the new WW in Phantom Green Craw than any other.

I do sand all the orange off the Phantom Greens. Don't know why. Just don't like the orange.

Not a real fan of the Rock Crawlers. Have a few. Just prefer the warts.

Those Azumabaits look good. Timmy Horton did a show on them.

Another one to look at Steez is the Majorcraft Zoner Hunter. I have NOT thrown a single one of them but it's a Don Iovino endorsed bait that is/was based on the wiggle wart. I have a few of them someone gave me and they have some incredible looking paint jobs. This thread reminded me I need to give them a shot.

I looked on the Dave’s custom baits website and it doesn’t show these baits. Any secret how to get them?

From what I have read, the reason the old wiggle wart is soo good is there was an imperfection in the mold of all things that would cause it to be really erratic in its hunting action. there is a company that sells blanks for older discontinued baits and the old wiggle wart is one of them. i think its called predator baits? you will have to get someone to paint them for you but i hear good things about them. You wont find any decent color on ebay, but you could buy one and have it repainted. Thats what i would suggest. i have a few curve 55 and like them. the rock crawler looks good but i havn't tried it.

Brad's Wiggler is as close as i've found to my original Wiggle Wart's. They are in WA and are mainly sold as a Salmon bait but they offer some of the old standby colors. They have the same hunting characteristics as the originals.

Caught 3 this size on Palestine last Sunday on the new WW. First time I've ever thrown one.

After a lot of research....I’m gonna try some Spro rock crawlers and some of the MC Zoner Hunters. Reason being, the reviews I have been able to watch/read say they cast better and are 90% as good at the random hunting action. And they are easily available.

I certainly have not given up the hint for the Pre Rapala stuff....just gotta stock up and then find a painter. That ain’t happening by next weekend.

I was throwing the newer warts thinking there can't be much of a difference. Then I bought an original. Only had the guts to throw it once ($30 for something with trebbles digging into rocks is nerve wrecking) and wow did it have a lot more crazy action. I think Dave is up and running again, his house and shop got flooded this year so he was no doing much for a while. He uses the blanks from unpaintedcrankbaits.com which are a direct copy of an old wart( plastic is different I believe because the original is illegal to use).

Were you eatin' Cheetos the day you fished with those?

I've had good luck with the Spro Rock Crawler... Lucky Strike also has an imitator, I've bought a couple but haven't used them much... Dan

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Luck-E-Strike_American_Originals_G5_Crankbait/descpage-LEAMG5.html

Rock Crawler is Great bait. Seem to get alot of fish on back hook, Change it to next bigger size.I used to throw the wiggle wart alot more than I do now. Spro little john md has taken it's place for most times.

Brad's is considered genuine, the owner was 1/2 of the original ownership prior to the buyout and retained the rights to produce and certain paint schemes. We used them in Oregon for backbouncing salmon and steelhead, a technique that with some modification can be used for bass.

During a straight line retrieve, without any rod action, the pre-Rapala wiggle warts hunted more erratically and rose slower during reel pause compared to the post-Rapala wiggle warts. The pre-Rapala wiggle warts have two main characteristics that made them such winners.

• Much greater width of the side to side hunting motion
• Much slower rate of ascent during a pause from reeling

Most of the post-Rapala wiggle warts have a tighter side to side hunting motion during a straight line retrieve along with a faster rate of ascent. Some of the modern wiggle warts cast better but don’t hunt as well. Not sure about you but I know which one I’d rather fish with…

This video shows underwater action of various wiggle warts. All the wiggle warts will catch fish.

Many custom crank painters use the Predator blanks as they replicate the hunting motion of the pre-Rapala better than any other baits on the market as the video shows. BTW, for anyone wondering, Predator and unpaintedcrankbaits are the same company.

The video shows a Predator blank that rises just a tad faster than the original. The video wraps up by discussing weight tape mods that can make the tested baits ascend at a rate more like the pre-Rapala but it fails to mention you can order custom painted versions from your favorite painter that hunt, suspend, and rattle to fit your conditions…

Pre Rapala Wiggle Wart ► 2:44
Post Rapala Wiggle Wart ► 4:19
6th Sense Curve ► 7:18
Spro Rock Crawler ► 8:49
Major Craft Zone Hunter ► 10:08
Live Target HFC Crank ► 11:01
Predator Bass Baits Blank (painted) ► 12:47

Blue Moon

Custom paint pre Rapala