Remembering the Jitterbug (Hooks/Lures) and Fishing as a Youth

As a young fisherman, I learned many things from older, more experienced anglers. My father was one such man, and another was Brooks Stutler. Mr. Stutler was the best smallmouth bass fisherman I have ever known, and the most memorable thing that stands out about him was his patience. There was one lure in particular that exemplified this patience: Fred Arbogast’s Jitterbug.


The Jitterbug is fished at night, and, oddly enough, it doesn’t really mimic any type of food. The ‘bug primarily antagonizes fish, and they are essentially trying to kill–not eat–the lure. We’ve all had noisy neighbors. You get the idea. Back to patience for a bit. Some nights, I remember sitting in a boat in the middle of West Virginia’s Cacapon River and making hundreds of casts with my Jitterbug, and more often than not, the results were a few near misses and a plethora of empty casts.

With the moon as our only guide, Mr. Stutler and I casted into the wee hours of the morning from his semi-v bottomed Starcraft. Generally, I tossed the lure into the trees a couple of times a night. To a large degree, the only catch would be frustration. However, when everything went right, the results were amazing. Some of the biggest smallmouth bass I’ve ever caught were on the Jitterbug.

I remember one such occasion. I was, maybe, thirteen years-old and tossed the lure from the bank into a rapid on the Cacapon. There was a tremendous strike. Ten minutes later, my old Johnson Sabra pulled a 20" smallie out of the fast moving water.

In those days, I had two or three of these lures in my tackle box , but I have gotten away from using them over the years. Mr. Stutler died twenty or more years ago, and sadly, his wife Betty passed away this past Friday. I couldn’t make it to the funeral, but I think sometime soon I’ll purchase a Jitterbug and pay homage to two dear family friends. My first catch and this article will be devoted to them.