After Much Casting, I Must Say, The Price You Pay Is Not = To The Lure You Get Many Times

[primetime]

I am guilty of purchasing the expensive Japanese Baits etc. Because I love new lures and I like to give every lure a fair shake and spent a few hundred bucks on Hardbaits from Jackall, Lucky Craft, Ima, Evergreen, Deps, Duo, Rico, and a few others, I still have not purchased a Megabass lure since the Parabug, and it seems most of these lures are not anything different, basically they are knock offs (what everyone says about anything that looks like a Senko)..

 

 

Out of all the lures I have purchased, the only one's that are truly innovative in my opinion and not talking colors, are the Ima Skimmer, Sebile Flatt Shad Suspending, and recently I have started using the Spro Crankbaits and they seem to be really good with nice trebles with the Gamy #5, #3 which I like. I recently purchased the Evergreen Shower blower, and once had the Repo Man, but I can't say they are any better than the original Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper which is limited in color, but I can get the same action from that lure as I can the more expensive versions...

 

I am curious if I am the only one that thinks spending $10 plus on a popper, walking lure, prop bait, or topwater in general is really worth it? I look for deals, but I have a few Jackall Poppers that I paid good money for that look nice, but are not any better than a pradco brand in my opinion, so my point is this....

 

other than color patterns, better treble hooks usually, what Lures are worth a $12 plus price tag that I am missing? The Sierra minnow is a lure I am working on and not giving up on it yet since I like the concept and innovation, but the Rico magic is only xMagic when you actually pay the money they are asking, it pops, it floats, a Brians bee Prop bait for $30+, how is that better than a cc crazy shad, or Academy Slush, isn't it the guy or gal fishing it? 

 

I am dying to buy one of these Megabass topwater lures in the white Skeleton color, and I just wonder, do I need another topwater lure that does the same things? only in a cool box and color? Sorry for the rant, I was just looking at all the lures I had high hopes for and my lures look like the one's I see alot, perfect shape and that is not good.

 

What make the Rico Magic so special, I am curious, people bu

 

 

[Ozark_Basser]

Hard to answer. For some baits, I personally think it is.   I'll pay for a vision 110 and not bat an eye, but a wiggle wart is much cheaper and I've bought a lot of those as well.  If they catch fish, and if I there is something about them that appeals to where I fish along, yeah I'll spend the extra money.  Bottom line is if they catch fish, people will pay the extra money.  It's proved to be an excellent marketing technique if companies like Megabass or LuckyCraft have found a good method to produce these fish catching machines at a fair cost for themselves. 

[Bluebasser86]

I have a Popmax and it's a good bait. My favorite popper is the Xcaliber Zell pop, the smaller size. Generally it's easier for me to spend a little more on a topwater or shallow running bait because I know there's a better chance I can get it back if it gets hung up. 

[ColdSVT]

I have no problem spending in lucky craft pointers or jackall squadminnows because they are my favorite baits ever! Now that being said i have a few megabass 110s and they do work great but i would not say they are better than he LCs or even the Rogue for that matter

As for the rest of my baits i stay in the middle of the road, SK, RI, norman, bomber etc...i do however like kietech and jackall soft plastics but they are fairly resonable in price

However for top water i go back up for LC sammys, live target frogs and rhe RI vixen

[Catch and Grease]

 

I am curious if I am the only one that thinks spending $10 plus on a popper, walking lure, prop bait, or topwater in general is really worth it?

 

Yes, plenty of people think a lot of lures that cost over 10$ are worth every penny. Its up to you to decided what you like and how much you want to spend on it, Personally where I fish I stay away from small baits that are expensive because of all the toothy critters here but I have no problem spending 10$ on a lure if I like it.

[buzzed bait]

like bluebasser said, if i feel like i have a great chance at getting it back, i will spend a little extra.  so for jerkbaits and topwaters i feel like that's ok.

I have a couple megabass popmaxs and some LC pointers, but again i feel like those are easy to retrieve. 

otherwise, i'm not going overboard too much on the tackle.

either way though it does make me a little sick to lose a nice quality lure no matter what the cost....

[roadwarrior]

Whether fished or not, there is just something about the detail that

makes Japanese lures desirable. "Collecting" is a big part of the sport

for me.

 

 

 

 

[J Francho]

Depends on the bait.  If I get a good bait, and I lose it, then I want to be able to replace it, and get EXACTLY the same bait back.

[aavery2]

So something I was thinking about in regards to this thread.  Suppose your yearly salary was 250K, would a 10 dollar bait seem expensive?  So what about if you made 10-12 dollars an hour.  I have to believe that some of what influences our thoughts on value has to do with where we are in regards to our financial situation.  

 

In my example the bait stays exactly the same, does your thought about expensive change?

[J Francho]

Depends on your locale.  $150k/year job in NYC is an $80K job in Rochester.  Housing, food, utilities, and other staples are more expensive in NYC, but that bait costs the same.  So, you don't spend your money on overpriced junk you don't need in NYC, and you can afford that $10 bait, easy.  I buy cheap bread, and all I save is like 50 cents, lol.  Is the cost of living in an area related to disposable income?  I think in some cases it is.

[speed craw]

If they catch fish I will purchase the item within reason . However I tend to research an item to death before purchasing to see the goods and bad of each item .  I have Rapala dt 4 crank baits along with Lucky Craft 1.5 crank baits , both serve the same purpose however one shines over the other  in certain  areas compared to the other. There is no right or wrong answer here , however some lures are designed to catch fisherman . 

[HoosierHawgs]

Cost of living in Indy is low (for the most part) but my dad and I still look for good value when it comes to fishing stuff. There is a point where price and quality meet, and certain lures do that. Other sits are cheap but bad quality or good quality but too much $$ to justify.

[aavery2]

 There is a point where price and quality meet, and certain lures do that.

 

Kind of what I was getting at in my example, what determines  this point.  I have to think it is at least influenced by a persons financial status.

 

I'll give you another what if...   Say you had a friend who was a professional athlete, baseball, basketball, football, whatever the case  Let's assume he is successful at what he does and makes  10.5 million over the next 5 years.         One day your friend says  I would like to get into bass fishing and need some help with picking out some gear.   You offer to help, so do you  A.) Pick out some very usable gear like BPS rod and reels, or based on his financial well being, recommend top shelf items like Gloomis , Daiwa and Shimano?

[EmersonFish]

Another factor is how you fish, when it comes to diving crankbaits in particular. I don't want to have to worry about bouncing them off of wood, or dragging them along the bottom or whatever. If I'm doing that, and am thinking about how much I would hate to lose that lure, I won't fish it as effectively, even if the lure itself is slightly better than the cheaper lure I don't mind losing as much. I can bang a $4 crankbait off of anything, and focus on fishing. Get hung up, try to get off, break off if necessary, reload.

[HoosierHawgs]

Kind of what I was getting at in my example, what determines  this point.  I have to think it is at least influenced by a persons financial status.

 

I'll give you another what if...   Say you had a friend who was a professional athlete, baseball, basketball, football, whatever the case  Let's assume he is successful at what he does and makes  10.5 million over the next 5 years.         One day your friend says  I would like to get into bass fishing and need some help with picking out some gear.   You offer to help, so do you  A.) Pick out some very usable gear like BPS rod and reels, or based on his financial well being, recommend top shelf items like Gloomis , Daiwa and Shimano?

 

Usable gear. It is not too complicated and can be easy to use. Also, it will still be decent. If he doesn't like it, then who cares, he can give the stuff to charity. If he likes it, then he can get the tip shelf stuff

[Sam]

Love the Zell Pop baits.

 

As for the RICO, I believe I heard that it is the bait's movements in the water that makes it different.

 

I can't recall if it is the way it "spits" water or sits when not being moved.

 

I throw my RICOs but have just as much success as with the Zell Xcalibers.

[smalljaw67]

I'm one of those "don't knock it until you try it" types , I do have some expensive baits and I like them a lot. That said, most premium baits are premium due to components and detail but a few are innovative. There are two baits that I pay more for because they work, the Lucky Craft Pointer, and the Xcalibur Zell Pop, it isn't that others don't work but it is due to these working at the times when others in the same category don't. A Lucky Craft Pointer 100 and a 78 have a remarkable suspending quality but there is something with them that when other jerkbaits aren't getting bit, the Pointer seems to work. The Zell Pop. I hold it in the same regard as the Rico, Splash-it, and Yellow Magic, it is that good and I'm very satisfied with my regular Pop'Rs as well as my Super Pop'Rs but the Zell Pop, like the other high priced poppers, has a unique action, it spits more than pops, the spitting sound these poppers makes causes fish to hit them at times other poppers, or topwaters in general, fail to draw strikes. One really good jerkbait I don't pay top dollar for anymore is the Vision 110, and the reason is because the RC STX looks almost identical, and has an almost identical action that I feel I don't need the original. If I had a lot of disposable income then I'd probably use the original but saving money is something I must do and I pay for baits that I can't get unless I buy them, but the RC STX works for me and has proven to be a good bait. I'd be buying the Xcalibur XT3 instead of Pointers if they were still around because those were just as good and had the same type of suspending ability that makes the Pointer so good. I agree that some baits are higher in price than what you actually get but there are a few that you get more than what you paid for.

[Ratherbfishing]

I only care what someone spends IF I think consumer habits become such that every lure manufacturer feels they can raise their prices accordingly.  Otherwise, have at it!

[mrmacwvu1]

Kind of what I was getting at in my example, what determines  this point.  I have to think it is at least influenced by a persons financial status.

 

I'll give you another what if...   Say you had a friend who was a professional athlete, baseball, basketball, football, whatever the case  Let's assume he is successful at what he does and makes  10.5 million over the next 5 years.         One day your friend says  I would like to get into bass fishing and need some help with picking out some gear.   You offer to help, so do you  A.) Pick out some very usable gear like BPS rod and reels, or based on his financial well being, recommend top shelf items like Gloomis , Daiwa and Shimano?

I actually did this for my cousin. He had not been into bass fishing in ten years and wanted to get back into it. He asked me to make a list of baits and rods reels that I like. Well about a week later his wife calls and she decides to call me every name in the book. Seems my cousin decided to buy everything that I wrote down in triplicate. Turns out his bill was around 5k at cabelas. A guy that had not caught a bass in ten years was now loaded with lucky crafts and every other high dollar lure imaginable. Well he went fishing one weekend. Decided he liked fly fishing better. Now his ten year old son has the nicest arcenal to fish his half acre farm pond.

[Patrick Morrow]

Most of the time I only buy lures when when I spot something new or interesting not when I lose a great lures, because they change the selection so fast in my local tackle shop. So 10$ is average spend if I see something I have belief in. Of course if you use more popular lures this isn´t the case.

[shanksmare]

 

 

Out of all the lures I have purchased, the only one's that are truly innovative in my opinion and not talking colors, are the Ima Skimmer, Sebile Flatt Shad Suspending, and recently I have started using the Spro Crankbaits and they seem to be really good with nice trebles with the Gamy #5, #3 which I like. I recently purchased the Evergreen Shower blower, and once had the Repo Man, but I can't say they are any better than the original Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper which is limited in color, but I can get the same action from that lure as I can the more expensive versions...

Actually the original Pencil Popper was created by Stan Gibbs, who owned the Cast-a-Lure company,  out of wood. His shop was located near the banks of the Cape Cod Canal in Sagamore, MA. I  used to buy his blemished plugs for a dollar or two apiece many tides ago. Stan's wooden poppers were much more effective than the Cordell plastic knockoffs.

[Brnnoser6983]

I just dropped $60 on 3 different baits I have never used before. And I am interested if more money will equal better performance/quality.

I know when I buy my spinners I buy these cheap Northland Weed runners. Sometimes I can pay $1 a spinner. And my opinion is the $1 spinners by far out due the more expensive lures. With these new lures though, they are bigger, so maybe pay off the price tag is for size.

[J Francho]

 

And my opinion is the $1 spinners by far out due the more expensive lures.

 

You sure it isn't the one throwing them?  I use three different spinnerbaits, two are cheapos, and one is a hand made custom from Siebert. They all catch well and hold up.  In other words, don't sell yourself short.

 

I will say this, a certain spinnerbait with someone's three initials that retails for $8 are junk.  The four I bought didn't last a day of smallie fishing on Oneida.

[Felix77]

My opinion ... "To each their own ..." ... I lived in the "inexpensive but effective" lures over the last few years.  Just recently I bought by first double digit baits (over $10) ... That includes the Whopper Plopper, A-Rig's, Spybaits etc.

 

Is it worth it ... Only way to know for sure is to fish them and have fun doing it.  

[Team9nine]

Everything just depends. I have a good friend on one of the pro Tours who will flat tell you the differences between various high dollar baits (which ones "work" and which ones "suck"), as well as low cost ones. There's good and bad in both categories. Do you or I need to worry about why he says one $20 bait is good and another similarly priced bait is junk? Only you can make that call.

 

Similarly, and has been mentioned, while a lot of baits might look similar on the outside (high vs. low/knock-off), it is components and internal quality that is often the difference maker. Another friend of mine was a custom crankbait maker who used to take great pride in taking his giant sanding belt to off-the-shelf baits, including things like LuckyCraft, etc, as well as the cheaper knock-offs. He'd be the first to tell you that there is a reason why most of the cheap knock-offs are priced the way they are. Oftentimes, very obvious when you have two baits sliced in half sitting next to each other to compare. Again, you just have to decide for yourself what is or is not worth your time and money. That decision will be different for all of us. Personally, I have no problem spending money on solid baits that I know work well and catch fish. Earlier this week I just dropped $100 on 4 more Megabass 110s because I love the way they perform (and look). But they'll be sitting in my jerkbait box next to some old suspending Rogues and some newer RC STX baits that have also caught me plenty of fish.

 

-T9