Why Did You Buy That Lure?

[Maico1]

Because it is JDM.........

[greyleg33]

Mostly because if I like it I think the fish will.

[flippin and pitchin]

Lures are soda pop. Everyone is looking for a piece of the market share.

Print ads: Nope

TV ads: Nope

Infomercial: Nope

Won tourny: Nope

You tube demo video: Maybe

Locals have a track record: Yup

Gut feeling: Almost always.

The guy who endorses them has an avatar photo in cepia. Everytime !!

[gripnrip]

CHANGE - How apt would you be to purchase a bait that was use to win a tournament ?

 

Especially if you were going to that lake.

 

I'm asking because like Bass Angler Magazine I'm trying to create something cool and useful that will help you.  FYI - I'm a bass angler helping other anglers not some marketing company doing research.

What honestly makes me buy a bait now days is that I want a different alternative to what the boater is throwing.  If he's throwing a spinner bait I'm throwing a chatter bait or swim jig.  If he's flipping a jig, I'm flipping a tube.

 

So I have to think what baits I don't have that would mimic what the boater uses. 

[BasskingKeith]

What the local people are using and sometimes what the pros have won or done good on (consistently) in tournaments that aren't too far from home, that I've read in Bassmaster magazine.

[Jay Ell Gee]

I am also guilty of following the hot trends. Sometimes it works out as with the KVD 1.5s which are great, sometimes it bites me in the rear as with Chatterbaits. After the Scatter Rap singlehandedly wins the Classic next week, I'll probably buy a few of those.

I just wanted to point out that last sentence and how utterly true it will be for thousands of anglers.

For me, I am only getting hot and heavy into bass fishing for the past year, so I have all types of lures.

I don't necessarily just buy some random baits. I look into a technique that I am looking to explore (usually through BR and other online articles) and if I see a home for it in my lineup, I then pick the best quality lure type/brand for the job. This is where reviews and BR research comes in. Hope that makes sense sir.

[tholmes]

I buy new lures for the following reasons.

 

It has worked for me in the past.

It looks like it would work in the waters that I fish

 

What the pros use to win tournaments with has no bearing on my lure purchases. They're not fishing where and when I'm fishing.

 

Tom

[aharris]

How many of you went and bought a alabama rig bc of Paul Elias? If you bought it before then, props to ya but I'm guessing many people didnt look at it and think, "man that thing looks like it would catch some fish". Im not saying I dont listen to people on TV but its been a while since I saw somebody catching fish and thought, "I'm going to buy one of those". I have to admit, after seeing what Mr. Elias did with the A-Rig along with people absolutley smashing them on my local lake with it, I went a bought a few.  Word of mouth from the locals travel pretty fast...that and gut instict are the main reasons I buy stuff. 

[LgMouthGambler]

Mostly I buy new baits when replacing what I've lost or damaged. That being said, I will buy what I am replacing, plus buy an alternative to experiment with. Usually its when I'm browsing through the store. If its something I have seen on TV, I will look at it myself and see if I think it will work for me down here. Alot of what I buy is based on the looks of the bait, and how I think it will perform based on the looks, since you can't exactly test them in the store. The last lure I purchased based on a commercial I had seen on TV was the Chug Bug back in the 90s. I had to look at it for myself, and turned out to be the best purchase I ever made. I still use it today, a little beat up, but I just keep replacing the hooks and Chugging on.

[Trailer]

Looks, price, reviews by peers (not pros), and past experience with said lure (not in that order). If a lure has worked for me then I will buy several colors of that lure.

[jhoffman]

Let me give you a little insight how my mind works in relation to buying baits

 

1: I look at a beaver bait and I think... self... you love jigs, you absollutely KNOW you can catch them on jigs. Is this useful? Sure is, I can pitch that into places where I might not want to throw a jig and if I lose it I can replace it in ten seconds.

 

2: I look at a swim bait.... self.... that bait is really expensive.... you can go to a softer version and maybe not catch them quite as well but likely good enough.

 

3: The crankbait... what makes this crankbait different? Action, color, sound, can I afford to throw this into a pile of muck and never get it back? If I can throw it at anything, will it work and why?

 

Then as I do periodically with everything sports... i get rid of things that might not fit my style and try something else. When it works well, it stays and if its not Im on the search. I went through roughly $5000 and 10 backpacks before settling on a $250 one.

 

Video and or personal experiece tells me what I am after. I might own a hollow body frog if I didnt fish them often, I wouldnt own 10.

[Wayne P.]

I buy lures based on an anticipated pattern or a proven pattern that I establish. I could care less who likes or dislikes it or who the mfg is.

[roadwarrior]

Nearly everything I buy is recommended by someone here on BassResource or by a friend.

I can only remember three exceptions:

1.  Tak Omori:  Bagley B2

2.  KVD:   Red Eye Shad

3.  Davy Hite:  Berkley Hollow Belly 

[Ratherbfishing]

I am probably influenced in more ways than I realize (and would care to admit).  The ONE way I will not buy a bait is if it appears on an infomercial.  My mom gave me some pink Flying Lures once and I keep them mostly out of respect for her.

[Lasher]

My Lure purchases is mostly based on the lakes that I fish the most.  I live in NC and fish Norman, Wylie, Hartwell, Keowee, Russell, Douglas.  Basically any lake within about a 4 hour drive. So I ask the locals, friends, and family about what's hot on which lake at what time of year.  What pro's use to win tournaments 1000 miles away does not affect me at all.  I have six or seven confidence baits that I will stock up on in many different colors.  Rapala shad raps have probably caught more fish for me than any other lure, so I throw them all the time, and lose them all the time. So I am constantly buying those guys in different sizes and colors.

[prjavelin]

the only lures I have bought and I will buy no matter what are KVD lures. the quality matches the name of the pro. just the best in the business. great quality.

 

the rest, ive bought because it was highly recommended here and I bought jerk baits because I saw the world series of fishing and I saw what Mcleland did with it. since I saw first hand the results and the presentation I bought it.

[HeavyDluxe]

Just to echo what everyone else has said...

 

Recommendations online:  The more 'normal' guys singing a pretty song about a particular bait/technique/toaster oven, the more likely I am to look into it and buy it. 

 

Personal experimentation/shelf appeal:  Next to that, I might look at something (in the store or in a catalog, for example) and just say, "That looks interesting!"  For the right price, I'd buy it and experiment.

 

 

I'm personally pretty skeptical of professional recommendations of sponsorship products and tournament wins.  In the latter case, I'm probably more interested in the technique and 'class' of lure than the particular brand/color.  So, when Brand X's chatterbaits - to use an example above - wins the Classic this week, I'll hear about it on here (no cable) and I'll likely think about playing with chatterbaits sometime thought I will not be unduly drawn to Brand X.

[IntroC]

For whatever reason it seems everyone is ashamed of saying they bought a lure because of pro recommendation whether it be tourney winnings or otherwise. I'm calling BS. Red Eye Shads are a good example along with square bill cranks both styles of lure have been around for decades it was only after KVD won classics that particular brands started flying off the shelves. How about the Sexy Shad color?? There really isn't anything special about that color IMO but after KVD started speaking of the wonders of this color every lure manufacturer out there carries this color. He is single handedly responsible for the success of this color. I think the Pros have a much greater influence on us than some of us want to admit.

 

I follow the FLW and BASS and if I see something that peaks my interest I'll buy. I also read reviews on TW and this site in particular that have caused me to buy. I'll admit I have some very chewed up RES in my box. Thanks KVD. Fat Ikas and senkos....... I credit Bassresource.com.

[Greenstealth]

Hmm... I watch and talk to people fishing around the waters I fish. I'd be dumb not to pick their brains. I buy lures to match what I'm trying to do. I buy crankbaits in certain colors that dive to certain depths to cover areas I think fish may be. I try new stuff from time to time, I pay ZERO attention to what any pro is doing or using. I'm not saying that is right or wrong, I just don't care what someone is doing in a place that is nowhere near me. The reason why I like to bass fish is because there are so many different techniques that are effective. Lures don't make fisherman better, ability to find feeding bass makes fisherman better.

[SirSnookalot]

I always keep in mind what P.T. Barnum said.

[SudburyBasser]

I rely mostly on recommendations from people on this web site and factor in what colours would be most appropriate for up here in northern Canada. I will confess to occasionally falling prey to the "new pretty shiny thing syndrome" but age and experience has taught me that's usually throwing good money away.

[NC_Bass6]

I hate to admit it, but ive bought many lures solely because of where it was located on the shelf. it pays to have the best stuff at eye level

[jhoffman]

I always keep in mind what P.T. Barnum said.

 

Most believe he never said that

[tugsandpulls]

i match the hatch and rely on some old proven lures like jitterbug rooster tails senkos

[reaction-strike]

CHANGE - How apt would you be to purchase a bait that was use to win a tournament ?

 

Especially if you were going to that lake.

 

I'm asking because like Bass Angler Magazine I'm trying to create something cool and useful that will help you.  FYI - I'm a bass angler helping other anglers not some marketing company doing research.

Very! When I fish a tournament on a particular lake, I always research past tournament wins on that lake. I gather all the information that I can. What was used, temperature, time of the year, depth, etc..... If an angler won on Lake X using a particular lure, I will try that in practice. However, I will not buy a lure that was won on a lake across the country just because it was used in the win there.