Our parents, Bobby and Judy Ditto were born and raised in Kentucky, married in 1960, started a family, and moved to Florida in the late 60's. They completed their family in 1969 when little sister Marlene (Marty) was born with 3 older brothers Mike, Patrick & Bruce. In the 70s to early 80's Bobby and Judy were the owners of Ditto Sales and Service which became the largest bass boat dealer in the state of Florida. In 1980 the Dittos bought the Gatortail from a lure/plastic worm designer and a new generation of fishermen were introduced to the Gatortail in the early 80's.
In 1980, Ditto Manufacturing was born and offered 7"Gatortails, 6" & 7" Whip worms and a 9"Eel. The 5"Baby Gatortail followed very quickly and became popular immediately. Bobby & Judy traveled the country on the BASS trail and the Bass N' Gal trail and introduced fishermen and women to the Ditto line. Ditto products were first used to help win the 1981 Classic, but the big break happened in the 1983 Classic on the Ohio River. Baits made by the Ditto's were used in at least 5 Classic wins from 1981-1991. At peak production in the mid 80's, there were 120,000 Baby Gatortails built each day. Times change, company's change, names change, people change. The Ditto's sold the business and the Ditto name faded from public view in the late 90's.
Our History Our Story
Our Legacy
The Ditto siblings never forgot their parent's legacy, the Gatortail legend and the wonderful relationships with their loyal friends/customers. After years of occasional conversations, pushing from friends, and questions from former customers, the right set of circumstances came about for the Ditto "kids" to seriously discuss reviving the Ditto Gatortail. On Thanksgiving week 2025, we did just that!
Ditto Original Gatortail (OGT) is back to honor and continue the legacy started by Bobby and Judy Ditto. Our goal is to tell our story, provide forgotten Ditto products to people who haven't forgotten, and introduce new fishermen and women to the Ditto Story.
FIRST ORDER!