Now that I think about it I remembered a lure I have only seen once and nowhere else. I just arrived at my new duty station in Spain and was shopping around the Base Exchange when I saw a Johnson tear drop shaped lure with a rectangular red strip going up the middle half way up the lure. It was the first and only one I have ever seen. I put the lure in my foot locker and sat there for over 2 years. I was on my way out the door for a fishing trip with my buddies when I remembered that Johnson spoon and dug it out and put it in my shirt pocket. We were fishing from the bank when my buddy came to me and told me he had lost the lure I had loaned him and could I loan him another one? I gave him the Johnson and wished him luck. A while lated he was calling for me to help him. I get to where he was fishing and saw he had a large pike on the spoon. He had the drag set too loosely and could not wind in his prize. I watched him pull the fish in hand over hand until he had it on shore. Next he was reaching his hand into the pike's mouth when I shouted for him to stop. I used his pocket knife and my bolo knife and my foot on the fishes neck to keep it still while I worked the treble hook out of the pike's mouth. It was as long as my arm and weighed 11 pounds! Shortly after that lure was lost to a tree or a rock.

I was at a store in northeast Mi (Northwoods Wholesale in Pinconning,Mi) they had several racks of the clown rapalas and said they just came back out with them I bought several. Didn't get to get too many because of all the boat accessories I already had in the cart.

I was at a store in northeast Mi (Northwoods Wholesale in Pinconning,Mi) they had several racks of the clown rapalas and said they just came back out with them I bought several. Didn't get to get too many because of all the boat accessories I already had in the cart.

I miss when they used to sell fly leaders in Walmart.

Rebel Small Shallow-R crankbait.  It was a smaller version of the Rebel Wee-R.  I believe it was 3/8 ounce, with a rounded bill.  It ran about 4 feet deep and was just perfect for the areas of the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers that I fished.  My favorite colors were charteuse with brown back and orange belly, light brown with a darker brown back and orange belly, natural crawfish, and natural perch.

Hey FishEatingMan,
   I did a little research...and found a few Vibra Bats on eBay. here's a link to a yellow one:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bat...35c187c83f

Then I also found this great info on Lure Lore:  http://www.lurelore.com/vibrabat.html

Say...you mentioned making copies of one...I would be surely interested in one of those! Good luck with the project!