Chinese Swimbaits

[roadwarrior]

"just as good as..." has never cut it with me either.

 

 

 

 

[primetime]

Unfortunately, several of the large OEM's who produce these lures for major companies will sell the real thing to trading companies who meet the MOQ of 3k pieces, and they then sell them in small blocks of 10, 100,1000 because I have had customers bring me lures they purchased from overseas and they are the exact thing unless the weight, color, size of hook and split ring, action, all just happen to be a coincidence?  Now, with that said, some  OEM's will protect your design and not allow you to buy certain lures in their catalogs, but the fact they are in the catalogs is strange enough to me, especially when they say " we can't ship it tot the USA")...HMM...maybe it is stamped? The Real thing, but will they ship to someone in Australia or Romania???  Yes they do, and they do it all the time, so I guess we just never know. If Apple Engineers visited an Apple Store full of Knock offs in China, and did not pick up on it, I doubt lure manufactures are going to.....That is a true story by the way.....  Who knows, but unless a lure is in original packaging with an original bar code, never tampered, I will not trust it when it comes to landing a trophy.

 

I love Sebile Magic Swimmers, and when I saw Cabelas selling the Rad swimmer which is identical to it in appearance, then storm has the Kickin Stick, Strike King has a version, and now lots of up and coming lure brands are including one in their line up, and I have tried most and have had success with all but they all have slight modifications that I don't think most would mind. I like the shimmy the magic swiimmer does on the fall, and the cabelas version is a bit off, although my buddies think I am crazy, they say it is identical in action. Is it a copy? I don't even know what came first anymore, but it was not the magic swimmer in terms of color, and the Academy Hardbait segmented swimbaits with another 50 brands now making them for $5-10 all seem to be awesome, and the Chinese versions on Ebay sell more than the Academy and Cabelas version....Why is Spro and Sebile not going after these companies? So I guess if you design a segmented swimbait in a new color, you are a lure manufacturer if you by 1000 and package them with a new logo and brand? You would only pay a few bucks to get 3k OEM direct, $1 for nice packaging, so I guess unless a lure is stamped MADE IN AMERICA, you never know what you are getting.....I have seen glitter filled cavities on lures from China, and Sebile Lures are made in China, and the same OEM has every lure they make in their catalog....They would allow anyone who wants to buy them to buy them, and if I had a few million dolllars, I bet I could get the price under a few bucks......Just my 2 cents worth as I know Power Pro will not honor any fake braid if you purchased from online for replacement as these shady companies overseas are knocking of good quality products that end up in the hands of USA distributors, and then end up in your local tackle shop.

 

We had a dozen fake Max Raps show up a few months ago, and these were HORRIBLE knock offs, but packaging was sharp and very good....It is a shame for companies doing business the right way, I guess there are not many protected pattents in Fishing, since all new lures are a spin offs from someone elses idea. Gee, I will make a 5/8 instead of 1/2 oz. use Owner trebles in chrome not silver, and add a Red eye...So confusing, but a little research and buying some stock in companies will open your eyes to some things that are quite amazing.

 

A $10 lure from China if the lure is made in china anyway, is most likely going to be good, just look at feedback, and then read back of package of real lure to see if that lure is indeed made in china, not costa rica or another area. Most times on Ebay the quality is subpar from my experiments. We have 2 new comapnies in Florida starting to take off nicely copying a few lures from other comapnies, and i can see where they are getting them from.....Can't blame them, we see BPS doing this for years.

[primetime]

I just checked out the Mattlures website....I need to have one of those gliding versions in 7"....With those patterns I can see whey they are not in stock....I want a baby bass swimbait that is big like that, and I also checked out a video on you tube with  bluegills trying to mate with one of the bluegill lures....I would love to have a 12lb Lunker here in Florida Try to Mate with my Bass pattern swimbait while my partner gets us a limit throwing soft baits....I would have to think I could get a 1-2 strikes from 7lb plus fish in Lake Tarpon right now with all the Fry in the water.....I hate how Hollow bellies that list as 6" are only 5" when measured from front to back. I want to start throwing 7-10" versions on my Round Baitcasters for Lunker Snook as well......

 

I would think Color matters for this size bait as I would see myself fishing it very slow in most situations, although a 7-10" bass cruising fast at another fishes territory sounds like a sound strategy for a Lunker.....Going to get one, need to look for one in stock and order.....I have never seen anything overseas in a gliding version or that large with color like that.......

[Mattlures]

There is a big difference in a complex swimbait and a simple crank bait. When the Chinese copy a bait that is mass produced it looks the same and can even function the same because the original manufacturer is using the same process and the originals may be being produced in china in the first place. Swimbaits that are made here in the USA are not mass produced from machines. They are not made from PVC and the molds are not machined. There are a handful of companies in the US who design and manufacture their own swimbaits. On these baits every detail serves some type of purpose and all these details were worked out through experience. When somebody copies them, it is almost impossible to match them. Many of our baits have been copied in china and in most cases they failed miserably. the more variables the bait has the harder it is to match. a simple crankbait that is already manufactured in china is much easier for the Chinese to replicate.

Primetime I thank you for the good words.

[gulfcaptain]

Yea I'm lookin for the Bluegill color in SS.  If I'm gonna drop $60 for a lure it needs to be painted like the Mona Lisa.

If I could get Triple Trout that cheap I'd have a bunch.  Try $70-90 each, and we aren't even gonna get into the Baitsmith glide baits or Roman Made. Bottom line, if you want to fish a cheap swimbait, go for it. But don't complain if it doesn't work.  If you don't want to fish a "big" swimbait, don't. I fish everything, it's a tool. If you limit yourself in what you choose to learn then you will put yourself at a disadvantage one day. Over the last year, fish over 5lb on regular bass lures.....2.  Fish over 5lbs on swimbaits.....6  Yes I could have better numbers, but fishing city park lakes for 5hrs while my son is in school is about my only free time.  Bottom line, just beware of what you buy.  If you spend $50 on cheap swimbaits and they don't work or do not preform the way you like, then you turn around and spend $50 on a quality swimbait and catch a fish, well you could of bought 2 quality baits and had a spare. 

[gulfcaptain]

And just realized Mattlures posted on this topic as well.  Have to give him props on his baits as well,  Realism is unreal and I have no problem spending my money on quality baits backed by quality people.

[primetime]

I just want to make sure all my rambling makes sense....I will buy chinese lures that are cheap, knowing they are inexpensive, and I like to sell tackle as a part time hobby at flea markets here in Florida, so I am always looking for cheap lures that I can package, give a name, and sell for $1.99 or 5 for $10. I have a hard time getting $8 for a Yo-zuri crystal minnow, or $5 for a Rapala X Rap.  I value every minute on the water, and every time I cast, I am prepared or hoping for a true Florida Lunker to strike, and I have always been willing to spend more money for a certain brand of soft baits regardless if they only catch one fish per bait, even if I know that I will only get 1 extra strike per day. That 1 strike could be a 15lb Plus lunker for all I know, but I am realistic and realize most guys don't enjoy casting for one or 2 strikes a day while your partner in the boat is getting a fish every few minutes on a smaller lure.

 

I am just getting into the big hard swimbaits after discovering how good the larger soft swimbaits are, and after seeing a Sebile magic swimmer and Spro BBZ in the water I have been trying every segmented swimbait I can find but my budget has been tight as I realize that my Reel, Rod, and Line for throwing large expensive lures needs to be top notch. I now have 2 nice set ups for big swimbaits, and I am now ready to try some of the lures that I thought were silly a few years back, but that is only because I see how good a spro or sebille magic swimmer is and a 6" money minnow. I want to throw a 10" swimbait that weighs almost half a pound in some cases, but I enjoy chasing big Fish lately and all my focus is on getting a 12lb fish, and then I will strive for a 15lb fish. I used to hate flipping as well, never understood how guys could do it all day, but after learning the finer points of how to truly do it right, have the right equipment, and once I started catching bigger fish on a regular basis, it was not work anymore, especially when I spent the money for a light rod that had plenty of power and a small reel I could palm instead of a heavy broom stick.

 

Overall, After having a swimbait that was genric break on a big fish, and then have several customers have the same thing happen, I just figure an American made version that may cost more is worth it as I can possibly lose the fish of a lifetime with an inferior lure even if it catches fish....I will still use lures that are inexpensive for fear of losing them, but like the previous post said....A lure is just a tool to get the job done at hand, and it is always different for everyone and for different places you fish.

[Mattlures]

_{Its not only about them breaking. Its not about their paint jobs, good or bad. Its about the baits ability to consistently get the big bites. Very few REAL swimbaits are considered proven. Very few REAL swimbaits have that special mix that gets the big bites. when those baits are copied they loose that x factor. When you buy a cheap imitation, expecting the same results you are not saving money, you are waisting preasious time. Swimbaits are different then other baits. You can easily replicate a jig, worm, spinner bait, etc. cranks are a little harder but no where near as hard as a swimbait. beginners should never start of buying a bunch of cheap junk baits. They should always start off buying a couple proven baits. They will save money and get better results.}

[gripnrip]

_{Its not only about them breaking. Its not about their paint jobs, good or bad. Its about the baits ability to consistently get the big bites. Very few REAL swimbaits are considered proven. Very few REAL swimbaits have that special mix that gets the big bites. when those baits are copied they loose that x factor. When you buy a cheap imitation, expecting the same results you are not saving money, you are waisting preasious time. Swimbaits are different then other baits. You can easily replicate a jig, worm, spinner bait, etc. cranks are a little harder but no where near as hard as a swimbait. beginners should never start of buying a bunch of cheap junk baits. They should always start off buying a couple proven baits. They will save money and get better results.}

I'll definitely be lurking for some hardgills when you get them done Matt!

[Kevin22]

I just want to make sure all my rambling makes sense....I will buy chinese lures that are cheap, knowing they are inexpensive, and I like to sell tackle as a part time hobby at flea markets here in Florida, so I am always looking for cheap lures that I can package, give a name, and sell for $1.99 or 5 for $10. 

 

 

Is that Florida economics? Do they really fall for that down there? 

[roadwarrior]

It's not just Florida, we have lot's of members fishing this junk and bragging about it, too.

$2 reels with $20 shipping, $1.99 for "just as good" as Megabass or Lucky Craft. You don't

always get the best bang for your buck on the high end, but you rarely get any bang at the

very bottom of the barrel.

 

Now I love sales and bargins as much as the next guy, but I don't waste money on the next

lure that is "about to be banned for tournament fishing" or immitation lures.