4 "Fad" Baits That Didn't Last

Without exception, fishermen are always searching for the next big thing. You may hear someone say “I’ll believe it when I see it,” or “I’m waiting till they come down in price” when referring to the hottest trending lure – but chances are good they are already secretly bidding on one on eBay… We’re addicts, plain and simple. "The Next Best Thing" isn't always the next best thing, however.Our dedication to the latest and greatest has served us well in some instances, though – the Sluggo, the vibrating jig, the umbrella rig, to name a few.For others, it’s been bust city...Here are 4 notorious fad baits that didn't last… Who knows, maybe you can dust a couple off and prove us wrong.

1. Helicopter Lure

What the what? Be honest, if it wasn’t hocked by BASS’ golden boy Roland Martin, you wouldn’t have bought any. The Helicopter lure was part surface bait, part Wal-Mart toy – and they were around long enough that you (don’t lie) probably have some on a shelf collecting dust.

2. Walking Worm

Advertised as the worm that moves on its own, the walking worm is one of the few products on this list that actually caught fish, assuming you had the patience to sit there and let it soak on the bottom like they did in the commercials. For whatever reason though, I can’t think of a single tournament report, magazine article, or even firsthand account of anyone using one in at least 10 years.

3. Dance's Eel

The bait designers at Pradco tried to combine a soft plastic eel with a crankbait, and then slap legendary Bill Dance’s name on it. It must have sold though, because it was re-issued several years ago after its 1980’s debut. Haven’t met anyone that can definitively testify to a bass catch on this lure… Hit us up on Facebook if you’ve got photographic proof it catches fish.

4. LaserLure

Starting in about 2009, Laserlure appeared out of nowhere with a full line of hard baits featuring, get this – laser beams in the bills. Although it sounds more like the scheming of a Bond supervillain, LaserLure entered the market with a bang by signing a huge pro staff including former Classic champions Mike Iaconelli and Boyd Duckett. Well, bass must have been too afraid of being blinded by the lasers to bite them – by 2012 the company was nowhere to be found.