The "Salty Spider Jig"

By: Will Whitehead – Professional Angler

The "Salty Spider" was one of the first lures developed by "Cabin Creek Bait Company" and was, as far as I know, the first "Spider" lure on the market. Its market was rather stale, until a few individuals began winning tournaments while fishing them and word quickly got around. The amazing thing about this lure was its ability to out fish even live bait during the "Dog Days" of summer and its uncanny ability to attract bass at night. Bass would eat this lure with a vengeance, when nothing else, and I mean NOTHING else, would even attract their attention. It didn't take long for the "Salty Spider" to become the number one seller and choice of anglers all over the northeast.

To make a looooooong story short… I was practicing for a "Night Tournament" at the high-mountain, clear-water, spring fed Deep Creek Lake, in western Maryland, in August of 1982. It had been one of the hottest and driest summers on record, and the water temperature was a record 82 degrees. Now, I had fished Deep Creek Lake for over twenty years, and held the "Record" for a five-bass-limit being weighed-in at a tournament there. My partner for the event was Tom Meadows, who worked at Johnny's Bait House. When I first arrived at the lake, Tom gave me three "Salty Spider Jigs" and told me how GREAT they were. The "Skeptic" that I am… I thanked Tom, tossed the lures in my boat and pretty much forgot about them. In two full days of practice, I managed to boat three legal sized bass. "Depressed" would have been a gross understatement! I was ready to pack-up and head east!

Tom finally managed to wrangle some time off and agreed to meet me Friday evening, on the eve of the tournament, and we would do a little practicing together. When I picked Tom up at the dock, he held three rods in his hand, and two of them were rigged with a "Salty Spider Jig". On stopping at one of my favorite, but up until now non-producing spots, Tom put two nice bass in the boat… Before I could get the trolling motor in the water! Now… A house once fell on my ex-wife in OZ, but one doesn't have to fall on me to get my attention. I tied on one of the "Salty Spiders" that Tom had given me and we both proceeded to catch bass one-after-the-other until we ran out of lures about one in the morning.

When Johnny Marple opened the "Bait House" at seven the next morning, I was standing at the door waiting for him. I purchased twelve dozen of the jigs, all that he had in stock… And the rest, as they say, is history. Tom and I not only WON the "Night Tournament" by a HUGE margin, I continued to win tournaments for the next several weeks on this amazing little lure.

All of this may sound like a "Fishin' Story" but I can assure you it is ALL well documented FACT! And if you think this is a "Sales Pitch" that's OK too! But don't be too quick to come to that conclusion! The result of this story is how I became involved with "Cabin Creek Baits" in the beginning, and the "Salty Spider Jig" continues to be a large part of my fishing "Arsenal" to this day and has accounted for more than one of my "World Records".

Besides being a great summer time and night time lure, I have also found the "Salty Spider" to be a very effective lure in the late fall, winter and early spring. It has all but taken the place of a "jig-n-pig" during these fishing periods. I have also developed several methods of rigging and presenting this lure that has enhanced its fish catching ability even further.

In the beginning, the "Salty Spider Jig" was only available completely assembled with a head, skirt and grub, bagged individually and packaged twelve to a card. As the demand for this lure increased, and with a lot of coaxing from me, "Cabin Creek" began packaging them as "Parts" with five skirts and five grubs per bag, and the heads sold separately in a five-pack. Then a ten-pack was made available and eventually a one-hundred pack. The original eighteen colors have been expanded to over thirty at present, and we are continually experimenting with new colors.

"Cabin Creek" and "E-Bait Express" have noted a large increase in sales of "Salty Spider" parts and heads in the New England states, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio recently and the "word" must be spreading quickly there too.

I have also found the "Salty Spider" to be an EXCELLENT lure in the south and on the salt water fishing scene. Largemouth Bass in the south Florida canals, Lake Okeechobee and the pits and ponds of this area find this little lure to their liking, though Peacock Bass are not particularly interested in it. On the salt water side of the coin... Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon, Redfish and every other species of fish that will dine on a crab, squid or shrimp finds this lure irresistible. And to be perfectly honest, I have had very little luck with this lure in far northern Canada, but have caught many Walleye on them in the lower forty-eight. I believe the lack of crawfish in these Canadian lakes explains this disinterest by the local "Eyes".

The "Salty Spider Jig" is a made from a "secret" plastics formula and is impregnated with coarse-grained salt. It is made from two separate pieces, the "skirt" and the "grub" and it is relatively soft and will tear easily if not rigged properly.

Overall, the "Salty Spider Jig" has been an important and productive part of my fishing strategy and will continue to be for many years to come. In the next month's "Fishin' Tips" article I will explain the methods I use to fish this lure and some of the "tricks" I have developed to enhance its productivity even further. I will also explain a few "tricks" that will prolong the life of the lure and the "mix-and-match" technique.

Tight Lines,

Will Whitehead
Professional Angler
World Record Holder
Author