Original Tapp Crankbait

[Shadrap1]

Does anyone know how thick and what kind of lip material they used i have a few but the lips are broken

[saltwater]

This is all I could find, maybe it will help you...

 

http://www.bassfishin.com/bassfishingforums/showthread.php?t=17486
 

[BobP]

From the photo, most of the lips are plastic.  However, the currently available Tapps from Peepers Baits look like they are probably polycarbonate (aka Lexan)

 

The Tapps I've seen look to be about 1/2" wide.  So many copies and knockoffs of the bait have been made that the dimensions are pretty iffy

Edited May 26, 2014 by BobP

[Dink Mendez]

I fish the tapp out in california waters and do good with them. After spawn and when the bass are eating large bait size shad. Sometimes the spotted bass out here what a tight wiggle crank. That is when the Tapp comes threw. I get my Tapp from James Marshall, " On the line crankbaits" he is on face book. I first read about Tapps when Joel Richarson, in the Carolinas winning the FLW event on the Tapp. I spoke with him and he referred me to On The Line Crankbaits. I been using them every since. I great bait and a hell of a action.   I have a couple orginal Tapp, Some seem to be 1/2 or 7/16 in thickness of wood.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Dink Mendez

[blackjack]

This is all I could find, maybe it will help you...

 

http://www.bassfishin.com/bassfishingforums/showthread.php?t=17486

 

There is not one Tapp crankbait in that picture from the link provided.The guy that wrote the post certainly has his baits confused as all the lures pictured are Jerry Lohrs baits. He made a Similar shaped bait but it used a premanufactured lip. Not that there is anything wrong with that lip its just that those baits are not anywhere near the quality as the Tapp cranks

 

[saltwater]

I learn something new everyday, thank you.

[benton B]

Looks like Lohr's lures in that pic.   His tail shape was unique and he used plastic lips.   The WEC baits use lexan lips as do most of the copies I've seen.

I build my version from 1/2 stock, 1/8oz of ballast, and a straight lip that is 1 3/4 inch long.   I think the length of the body is 2.5 inches long.   I have a Blazer

Tapp in box somewhere and my pattern was built similar.

[Skeeter]

 

Wow…. It is cool
that folks are still interested in the Tapp. That bait caused more stir on chat
sites than anything that I know, (probably because the bait was made by hand).
The original Tapps were made out of balsa and were ½ inch wide. To this day I
have never seen an original Tapp that was made by Steve Blazer. I know people
that have them, but I have never bothered to contact them to actually see one. The
baits that are made by James Marshall in Kernersville, NC are about as accurate
to the original bait that you are going to get. WEC Tapps are suppose to be an exact duplicate of the original as far as size and shape.

The story that I was
told is that Steve Blazer was an older man up in the mountains (of NC or TN) that
carved and made the baits every winter. In the early spring Gerald Beck would
go up and get the baits from him and bring them back to Lexington and sell them
for Steve around the area here in Lexington. Steve eventually developed problems
with his wrists and could not carve the bodies in the volume that he had been.
Along comes Ed Chambers and pays Steve for the rights to make the baits and
that is how Zoom got to making the Tapp. It is my understanding that Ed did the
same thing with a few other famous handmades in the South. But remember, this
is just another story and what I have been told. However, it does come from one
of the older/original crankbait fishermen here in Lexington.  

The Tennessee Tuffy
was the same type of bait. I am not sure which one came first. They look
identical to me. I was told that there were 3 guys that got together and made
that bait. I had a chance to buy an original once. The seller was one of the
original 3. He wanted $45 for it. But after holding it and really looking at
the bait, I decided that I could make one myself that was either the same or
better than the original. The TT was eventually bought out by Manns bait
company. I have one of those in my collection. I have the original packaging
which was shaped like a coffin lip (kinda unique). Those baits had the initial
TT in a circle made into the lip. The baits were just crap. Crooked lips, belly
weights off center, ETC.  Plus I believe that the lips were made out of plastic.

I looked at the
article that was linked to this post. The whole post is nothing but junk. It is
best to forget anything written in it. It is just a bunch of bone heads that
know nothing of what they are talking about. I know Mr. Flemming that owns the “Candy Factory” and they know of me. They have a tackle shop on the side of their candy business. But I have no idea who this idiot in Denton is that claims to have heard all of his misinformation out of my “piehole”. The baits in the picture were made by Jerry
Lohr. There are baits that were made before Lohrs lures called Lebo baits.
Jerry bought Lebo out.

 

My first lessons in bait making

were from one of the makers of Lebo baits. Then came a 4 month lesson from Calvin Johnson (aka, The Plug Doc). From there I took off on my own. I know how these guys cut their bodies, weighted them, what the bodies were made of, where the lips came from, etc, etc. To this day there is very little that I was taught from these guys used make my crankbaits. But it was cool to be instructed by the pioneers of all this crankbait science and understand where their head was when they came up with all of this stuff. I was just lucky enough to live here in the area and got to meet and talk with them.

 

Skeeter

 

[Dink Mendez]

Hey Skeeter, glad you posted on this subject, Your history and knowledge on the Tapp is right on!  I been fishing James" On the line Tapp Crankbaits for years in California waters.  The Tapp is a very effective crankbait  when the lake get alot of pressure on them. Two weeks ago, most of the anglers were throwing plastic crankbaits, I came in and threw Tapps and little Flat sided Cranks and got in the Top five. Did not win, but I had a punchers chance. So some reason the spotted bass will come up and for some reason mouth the tail hook and slowly load up on the blank. This will happen I notice during the summer, when the lake has a lot of pressure from boats and jet skies.  I know there was several angler fishing the same water, and nearly all were throwing some type of plastic cranks, I fishing right behind my friend trail,( I asked first if I could ) he threw lucky craft crank, no bites. I threw the Tapp in two colors, I went from 3 lb for two fish on the boat, and four hours later 12.56 limit with spots. It funny to me trying the figure out the fish with cranks, I had a Old Badley tied on, two Tapps tied on, Two small flated sided cranks on, One Old sytle poe  and finally custom painted DT 16 on.( 7 rods ready)  That day the spot wanted the Tapps.  All my balsa cranks are painted or made from birth from " On the line Crankbaits".

Edited May 30, 2014 by Dink Mendez

[BobP]

There's still a company in Johnson City TN that sells custom Tennessee Tuffys from a website of the same name. I bought several from them which had excellent action and were well built for a reasonable price. Of the Tapp style baits I've tried, these are my favorites - they catch fish.

Edited May 30, 2014 by BobP

[Skeeter]

The Tapps were a real guarded secret here in Lexington. I have seen the Tapp that David used to win the Classic. (However, I am not sure the bait was made by Blazer). When David first won the Classic and said that he won it on a Tapp, he showed the cameras a Poes Elite which was a small coffin lip bait that is no longer made.  Even David did not want anyone to see a real Tapp. I still have a few of the original Elites. I am thinking about making some.

 

Skeeter

[Steve Blazer]

EThe lure was a Tennessee Tuffie, it got the name Tapp because Ronnie made it popular in that area. David caught his fish the first two days on a Poe's crankbait the last day the fish wouldn't bite it so he put on a Tennessee Tuffie and caught his fish. Gerald Beck gave David the Tennessee Tuffie for that tournament. I know all this because I'm the designer and builder of the Tennessee Tuffie, I'm Steve Blazer.

[Richard H]

Steve Blazer is right I knew Ronnie tapp he used steve baits and did very well. Ronnie didn’t make baits Steve made them all. I went to Knoxville to find steve and I found him at the bass show. Nice guy I asked him will you make me some bait. He said he would he made me 100 baits. I have them for thirty years most people don’t even know what a blazer bait is. Ed chambers is gone home. He called me and ask me to send him some of my colors he keep them never sent them back and wouldn’t return my call. Steve made his bait the same I know I have plenty to compare to. Steve if you see this messsge please reply. 

 

[Homer400]

I lived in Pittsboro NC back in the 80's/90's and my Home Lakes were Jordan, Falls, Buggs Island And Harris. I have over 150 POE'S Made in Turlock CA with the Box saying Copyright POE'S 1987...Best Damn Crankbait I have ever chunked...Still have my BB1ngs 3.8gr and 2 Lew's 7' foot fiberglass cranking Stix's and 2 7' Lamiglas Gerald Beck cranking Stix's...Hands down still the best cranking and chunking combo today for me anyways...

I also have bought plenty of Tapp's from Jerry Lohr at his shop. I also fished with the old man who made the Hawg Caller Spinner Bait, I sold the crap out of those in my shop at Outfitters Unlimited in Pittsboro NC. I still have about 50 of them still in packages. 

I loved Tennessee Tuffie's (TT) so i have a bunch of them also.

So trust me I heard all the stories also, about these baits since I ran Outfitters Unlimited

Also I am most likley the only one to have a original prototype of the "FRONT RUNNER" hand made and signed by Doyle Hodges he then Sold it to Bill Norman and they mass produced them.

So cool to find a thread from when I was in the mix and fished against all those gents back in the day. Also we hunted for fish back then with flashers, depth finders and paper graphs...Now they pick them off with Live Scopes, what a shame that aint fishing.

Well if some how anyone see this thread and my new comments give me a shout

Best wishes and Big Fishes...