Tackle On A Small Budget

[Jolly Green]

Lol... I didn't know the name had changed until I looked up its proximity to Greenville.

[gr8outdoorz]

I am a college student trying to work through college, but also enjoy bass fishing.

I usually spend, on average, $10 per week, and I want this money to go far as possible.

So does anyone have any tips on where to get tackle or gear on a budget? What off brands offer good quality and what brands do not? Any tip is appreciated.

Overstockbaits.com

[WIGuide]

As mentioned, overstockbait.com is a good place to start. Also, taking advantage of anything on sale. Gander Mountain always has stuff on sale (at least in my neck of the woods anyway) Bass pro will have their spring fishing sales soon and Cabelas will too. Also, ***.com is a great place. Every year they have the 25 days of Christmas where they mark down a new thing every day for 25 days. You can get some killer deals on there then. I usually save over 50% on stuff I order. Also, they have a 4th of July sale where you can find some really good deals as well. 

[Fish_Whisperer]

This may not be the advice you are lookin for, but imo, the best way to stretch your dollars is to find what works at the waters you frequent and focus on keeping your arsenal stocked with those.  A big collection may be nice to show off, but if they don't produce, then what's the use?

[guitarkid]

A really good budget line is BPS excel mono, You can get like 1400 yards for $20.

 

 

-gk

[Tylertut]

A really good budget line is BPS excel mono, You can get like 1400 yards for $20.

 

 

-gk

I will keep this in mind when backing my reels this spring. Much cheaper than what I use now.

[Bassfishing375]

I would use mend-it on your soft plastics, since soft plastics can be expensive and they can tear easily. It does however leaves a scent behind but that is nothing that megastrike can't solve.

[spartyon8]

Hit up DSG right now. They have a huge clearance sale going.

[K_Mac]

Well, I have a different take. I don't fish knock-offs or house brands.

For the most part I buy brands I trust on sale. These are true "values"

and come up all the time. Most recently a new Academy opened in

Collierville, near me. They had Rage Tail Menace, 7' Thumpers and

Anaconda on sale for 98 cents. When I left there was only a big hole

left in the display.

 

The trouble with only buying name brands on sale for many of us is that they don't often come on sale when we have the cash to take advantage of it. To be able to buy a couple of hundred dollars worth of Rage products on sale is very cool-if you have a couple of hundred dollars to spend. I have found reasonably priced alternatives for many of my fishing needs. When I run low on a particular "alternative" bait, I can buy them whether on sale or not without have to pay the name brand premium. BPS Stick-os and River Bugs are good examples in my opinion. I do not argue that these baits are as good as GY Senkos or RI Sweet Beavers (although empirical evidence suggests they often are), just that they are good enough to meet my needs at a price I'm more willing and able to pay.

 

This may not be the advice you are lookin for, but imo, the best way to stretch your dollars is to find what works at the waters you frequent and focus on keeping your arsenal stocked with those.  A big collection may be nice to show off, but if they don't produce, then what's the use?

 

This is best advice in this thread IMO. Most of us spend an awful lot of money to figure this out, because it much easier said than done. What works is a fluid thing for me, because the truth is there are many ways to catch bass, and I like to experiment with different techniques and baits. That requires continually searching for the right bait at the right price...I believe it is that process of figuring it out that makes fishing the life-long challenge that keeps most of us learning as we go.

[Tylertut]

 

This is best advice in this thread IMO. Most of us spend an awful lot of money to figure this out, because it much easier said than done. What works is a fluid thing for me, because the truth is there are many ways to catch bass, and I like to experiment with different techniques and baits. That requires continually searching for the right bait at the right price...I believe it is that process of figuring it out that makes fishing the life-long challenge that keeps most of us learning as we go.

 

This is very good advice, but... I just got a kayak and have bank fished only before that so this year, my tactics are going to have to change completely. I have just started getting into soft plastics as well so I hardly know anything about my area. Or any area for that matter.

[BuffaloBass716]

I'm in the same situation as you man, college student here and looking for a job. I almost worked for gander mountain for the fishing department which would have been perfect, getting paid to do what I would enjoy, learning about other fishing gear, and probably getting a discount, but sadly I was never hired.  I'm basically starting from scratch this year because I literally have nothing from last year, But knowing what I learned over winter and some trial and error I need to stick to the basics as to watch catches fish. 

 

I would also stick to soft plastics like most others have motioned already.  Maybe a lipless crank and a few jigs.  Build your confidence over time, season after season. PM me if you find some deals on some sites or anything like that. I would greatly appreciate it.  

[mjseverson24]

Berkley Havoc is probably the best bang for your buck soft plastic MSRP, i would stick with the pitt boss, craw fatty, subwoofer, smash tube, sick fish, and juice worm. for $3.00 a pack these are great baits. paca craws and chunks are a great deal as well.

 

Mitch

[Kirk Bonanny]

  Tyler, if you're on a budget, now is the time to start scouring the sporting goods stores as this is the time of year when they have a decent clearance selection. I have bought most of my rods & reels this way, and in some case have saved well over $100.00. I don't know if your geographic location sees the same deals I see in NE Pa, but it is worth a shot. Last year I bought a $300.00 boat cover from Cabela's on clearance for $60.00. Granted, that is not the norm, but those kinds of deals do appear time to time. I have a Lamiglass 12' rod for float & fly fishing that retailed for over $200.00 that I paid $40.00 for... I'm not only married with 2 sons, but I am also disabled, so I have to stretch what ever I have carefully. I am fortunate in that I had a great business prior to getting sick and had almost everything I ever dreamed of, so now I rarely have to buy anything other than the typical yearly necessities like line, replace lost lures, re-stock my worms, jigs etc...

   The other way you could go is to scan the craigslist ads, as you'll almost always find some deals there.  Hooking up with a local bass club can't hurt either. We had a small club up until 5 years ago, and had a couple of younger guys (college age, 18 or 19) that wished to join and fish but had very limited resources. A lot of us liked these guys and put together enough to get them started from equipment & lures each of us no longer used or wanted. We gave it to them, and they became fabulous members of the club.

[HeavyDluxe]

Learn the fish itself - its habits, patterns, behaviors, and preferences. Then make yourself a student of the body (or bodies) of water you fish. Coupled with that knowledge, using a small, inexpensive selection of baits will still find you having consistent success.  

 

IMO: In the vast majority of circumstances, the difference between a name brand bait and a knockoff of reasonable quality is not so large that one will catch fish and the other won't when properly applied.  Yes, there are inexplicable times when they're going to be more enticed to bite by the swaying motion of a GYCB Senko in Watermelon Magic to the point they will not even notice your BPS Stick-o in Watermelon Candy.  However, I think the number of times that is the case is much, much lower than the TV shows and bait companies want us to believe.

 

If you get good at locating fish, understanding their disposition, and use appropriate presentations based on that information, I'm willing to bet you will pull fish out of the lake.  To put it a different way, top professional bass fisherman will consistently (but not always) outfish you with whatever tacklebox you hand them.  And that's because they know the quarry better than the average fisherman.

[Catt]

Peaux Boy Fishing Lures

Arguably the most productive and most versitile lure ever invented is the plastic worm. It is still relatively inexpensive regardless of brand due to the fact you get more than one for the price.

Given the wide variety of lures made from soft plastics it must be noted that today one must change this category to simply "Plastics". Under this category one finds not only worms but lizards, craws, frogs, jerk bait, tubes and creatures.

Techniques include Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, Wacky rigs, Split Shot rigs, Shakey Head rigs, Drop Shot rigs, Flipping rigs, Pitching rigs, Punching rigs, Mojo rigs, jig trailers, and Rage rigs.

These lures can be fished on the surface, sub-surface, mid-depth, or on the bottom making them extremely versatile for any water condition, weather condition, and season.

The sizes, shapes, color combinations along with the number of techniques are unmatched by any other lure type making "plastics" without a doubt the most productive and most versatile lure available to the Peaux Boy Angler!

[roadwarrior]

There's a guy on the Forum that catches a few "above average" bass who doesn't

own a hard bait. I have had a couple of opportunities to fish with the guy and all he

ever uses are Rage Tail soft plastics.

 

 

[dolomieu]

I would use mend-it on your soft plastics, since soft plastics can be expensive and they can tear easily...

 

Seriously, Tyler, buy some Mend-it. This is a no-brainer for someone looking to save money. I started using it a couple years ago and it has saved hundreds of soft plastics from my trash can.

[Bigbarge50]

I would say a key is the sales that will be approaching with spring and the kick off of the pro fishing season.  Many websites have HUGE deals that you can stock up on.  I would also look to see what new reel models are out, then look for the previous years models, they usually get a massive price drop because they added a bearing or made the handle grey instead of black.  I would also recommend befriending other fishermen.  We fishing guys can be the most generous guys you meet and many will toss you some plastics to try out, I know I do.  A quick tackle trade is a great way to try out something new without having to buy it.