Lure Prices Getting Silly

[davi754]

I like the original swim bait.....they cost about $2.99 a dozen for small's

If had all the money in the world, I can't say I wouldn't have one or two high end baits in my box. But I would also have jigs and floats from Walmart in there too.

Let's face it, MOST of us (not all) would own a $50,000 skeeter or ranger boat if we had the money laying around.

( I would ). But I do agree that the dollar is worthless anymore. Penny candy is now dollar candy

My 2cents

[flyfisher]

If everyone saying the dollar is worthless or it is inflation on here really believed that then their box would be full of these baits  

[VolFan]

Those two baits are really moderately priced for big swimbaits. Swim baiting is more like trophy hunting than it is like tourney fishing. The normal box I take with me will have five baits max in it, and I guarantee that all of my fishing partners have boxes of "normal" lures worth more than my box. When you look at it from that optic, it makes a lot more sense.

[gobig]

If everyone saying the dollar is worthless or it is inflation on here really believed that then their box would be full of these baits

I don't have a box, I have boxes that are full but not for inflationary reasons. It would probably be frowned upon if I got into a economics lesson and explained how money is currently created on a bass forum.

[Dwight Hottle]

I have been listening to guys complain about $15.00 lucky craft baits for at least 5-10 years. It is all relative to your interest & desire to improve your fishing sucess. I could care less about what you spend on your hobby as long as you can afford your expenditure. Custom baits cost custom prices. It is all market driven. Does anyone really care when a rich guy fires up his Lamborghini to go on a ride. If he can afford it who cares. There are a lot worse vices than spending money on your favorite hobby.

[basshole8190]

I have paid more for baits than the two listed most of those purchases have paid dividends in bigger bass plus i like to collect them.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Do yall really think ppl throw 100$ lures . Wall hangers.all i can picture is yuppies with 80,000 bassboats ,1000$ combos 50,000 trucks and line/knots made cheap and tied poor lol

[aquaholic]

hell i think senkos are expensive. I would be devastated if i lost a $100 bait. Most of us could own them, but i know id fish it too carefully. I want something i can run through timber and not be worried. 

[Comfortably Numb]

Sometimes less expensive baits catch more fish than more expensive ones. Reason is you are not afraid to throw the cheaper one into brushpiles and other places the fish hang out.

[Bluebasser86]

I'm one of those guys that owns some of those baits that cost as much as a lower end baitcaster. Why? because I enjoy fishing them, I appreciate the craftsmanship that went into those baits. Maybe it's because I've built baits myself, I understand the blood and sweat that goes into making even what may seem like the simplest thing. Am I scared to lose them? sure, I'm more scared of losing my favorite crankbait they no longer make though, even though it only cost me 5 or 6 dollars. How much is a bag of Senkos now? 7 something dollars for a bag of 10? That's 10 fish per bag of baits, maybe 15 on a good day. How hard is it to go through a 10 pack of senkos in a day of fishing? I've gone through multiple bags in a day, probably $25-$30 worth a day. So in 4 trips I'm looking at having spent $100 on Senkos that I can maybe, MAYBE, catch 2 fish apiece on. You go into that knowing without a doubt that you will lose those Senkos, and we think nothing of it. Now if I don't do anything foolish with it and I retie when I need to, my swimbaits will last me years and years and potentially catch hundreds of fish and I may never lose it. 

 

You wanna know something really silly? Spending tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours to chase a little green or brown fish around that you aren't going to do anything but put back in the water after you catch it. It's all about perspective

[Montanaro]

The only problem I have is when people think they are better fisherman or even a better person than others because they can afford a 300$+ lure.

[Jolly Green]

 

You wanna know something really silly? Spending tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours to chase a little green or brown fish around that you aren't going to do anything but put back in the water after you catch it. It's all about perspective

 

Exactly.

 

Every so often a similar discussion about hammers comes up among my coworkers, and to me it comes down to value, not the monetary value of the tool itself, but how that tool measures up to the personal values of the person swinging it. I (and a lot of other guys) use a very common Estwing framing hammer that does what I need it to do and is built to last. Some guys use a Dead-On framing hammer because it does what a hammer is supposed to do, is built to last, and has a cool-looking skull and crossbones on it.  $25 for either of them, and they line up just fine with the values of their users.

 

Where it starts to crack me up is when some of these guys get all worked up into a lather of disbelief at the few guys who use $200+ Stiletto titanium hammers.

 

"$200 for a hammer!? Who can afford that!?"  Probably anyone who uses a hammer every day could save for one easily. What do you spend on non-essential beverages, cigarettes, etc. in a month?

 

"$200 for a hammer!? What if you lose it!?" Really? Just likes yours, it's in his hand or his loop. How is he going to lose it? Don't confuse the carelessness YOU perceive in his use of money with some oh-well attitude on his part about where his hammer is. 

 

"$200 for a hammer!? That's crazy! Nobody needs a $200 hammer!" Well, maybe not. But in addition to performing the basic functions of a hammer, it has features that satisfy the values of enough of the hammer-using public that they keep making them. Some people really value the lighter weight, some people value the reduced shock/vibration, some people really value knowing that they are using a top of the line tool. And yes, some people value that they have a hammer that costs more than yours. Who gives a floating rat bait's behind?

[GoneFishi'n]

Do yall really think ppl throw 100$ lures . Wall hangers.all i can picture is yuppies with 80,000 bassboats ,1000$ combos 50,000 trucks and line/knots made cheap and tied poor lol

That is pretty funny because I have $100+ baits in my box that have never even seen a wall haha. As soon as I get them they hit the water. At least I'm posting up pictures if big bass on these baits. I'd love to see pictures of your big bass.

[Maico1]

You think prices are getting crazy?

 

Jerry Rago's Walking Rat - $64.99

 

JRWR-BK-1.jpg

 

Jerry Rago Glideator - $94.99 to $124.99

Welcome to the world of SwimBaiting, these lures are not going to be tied onto your everyday setup. You will need to invest in a heavier rod , a higher line capacity reel and at least some 25lb. line. These baits are very realistic,weight more and are geared to catch larger fish which means your catch rate will diminish greatly ie: casts to strike ratio. It is a technique that relates to a Trophy Hunter looking for that 21 pointer only we are looking for that 10 plus pound LMB.It can make for a long tiresome day throwing these big baits with only a few bumps at the bait which translates to this technique is not going to be for everyone. I for one can attest to how realistic these baits are because I have to watch out for the Loons chasing them right up to my boat. I hope this helps you see a different point of view and how it can be addicting for those looking for that Trophy Bass.....Here are a couple of vids of Butch Brown who shall we say loves his Swimbait Fishing.......http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DE-u95hF2Xg

[Maico1]

One more......http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=Butch+Brown+YouTube+videos&vid=45b34fa9a09292b480b791758726f136&l=2%3A56&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DV.4903629821378683%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXwWblafrE_w&***=Butch+Brown+65%2Blb+limit+with+an+18.5+lb.+KICKER%21&c=1&sigr=11anl0aon&sigt=11gvkum1d&ct=p&age=0&&tt=b

[*Hootie]

Could you see us all in a room together discussing this. We would have to wear boxing headgear and cups...lol.

Hootie

[FD.]

I buy strike king and bomber cranks by the box because they are cheap and I know I'm throwing them in the heavies crap around. Several lost a weekend is not uncommon.  

 

If I fished big swim bait waters I would probably have $100 swim baits too.

 

I also complain about the price of soft plastics and how many I go through in a day.

 

 

Fishing is an expensive hobby.  The great thing is that everyone has their own way of spending the absurd amount of money we all spend.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

That is pretty funny because I have $100+ baits in my box that have never even seen a wall haha. As soon as I get them they hit the water. At least I'm posting up pictures if big bass on these baits. I'd love to see pictures of your big bass.

ill post 2 of my biggest in maryland 1985 1986 9.4 and 10.4 both on a manns plastic worm about 15 cents each back then

[Nice_Bass]

I don't have a box, I have boxes that are full but not for inflationary reasons. It would probably be frowned upon if I got into a economics lesson and explained how money is currently created on a bass forum.

actually inflation, cpi, etc all very low right now and are not causing any monetary Fed moves. Ever changing, but not driving policy at this time in the slightest.

[Nice_Bass]

Also, I throw all kinds of baits in different price ranges, and while the returns on some may not equate that does not mean a poor investment if the end user is satisfied.

I have more of an issue at the lack of return on reels over 300...but I don't fault those that swear by them.

[spartyon8]

It is extremely crazy as to how high these prices continue to climb. I have a personal rule about never paying retail for anything. With that being said, check out DSG right now. They are clearancing about 60% of their fishing supply including Lucky Craft and a few other "higher priced" lures.

[Mattlures]

The guys who use those expensive swimbaits are hunting big bass. My biggest bass before I started using swimbaits was 8lbs 10 oz. On a plastic worm. I caught hundreds of bass over 5 lbs and had lost a couple bigger then the 8.10. After I started using swimbaits I started catching bigger bass. I now hove probably caught 300 over 7lbs and probably 40 over 10lbs with my biggest at 17lbs 2oz cought on a swimbait all on highly pressured public lakes. The guys who know what they are doing, who fish these expensive swimbaits know they are worth every penny when they consistently catch bigger bass then they have ever caught before. You can argue that you once caught a big bass on a crank or spinner bait etc. My argument is that the seasoned swimbaits catch big bass consistently. If a tool (expensive bait) produces bigger bass consistently then its worth a lot more then an ordinary bait that catches ordinary bass. Sometimes big bass prefer cheaper baits like big worms or jigs. I will throw them when I think I should. But other times I think they want a swimbait so I will throw them. Different tools for different situations. comparing a $5 crank bait to a $100 swimbait is like comparing a screw driver to a hammer.

[ncbassfisher1496]

It is extremely crazy as to how high these prices continue to climb. I have a personal rule about never paying retail for anything. With that being said, check out DSG right now. They are clearancing about 60% of their fishing supply including Lucky Craft and a few other "higher priced" lures.

Did they have rods and reels on clearance too?

[spartyon8]

Very small selection, but tons of baits!

[mjseverson24]

Personally I dont own any of the very expensive swim-baits or glide-baits, mainly because I live in mn and these baits would most likely have a very low probability for success. That being said if i did live or fish in areas with fish over 10 lb are a real possibility on any given day I would have some of these big baits in the box, honestly though for 100 dollars a bait I would probably just make my own custom lures in the off season, then beam with pride the first double digit fish I catch with my own custom swimbait. thats just me though.

 

Mitch