cheap vs expensive lures?

[ohihunter2014]

i have a couple stores that have clearance stuff out like crankbaits, worms, jerkbaits, etc but most of its off brand stuff and looks a little jenk. am i better of buying rapalas over stuff like storms, or other brands? i seen cabelas has a pop r combo of like 5 for $10 and some other hard baits for cheap and they are cabelas brands.

[NHBull]

Some of the box store brands are OK, but most of their products are knock offs of better originals.....a little research on this site will guide you in the right direction.  Personally, I don't  mind spending a couple extra dollars for a superior product.....ie a crankbait with better trebles.

[jimf]

One day I noticed that my boxes had many things bought that were never used, and in most cases it was some knock-off that was in the 5/$5 bin at Gander Mtn or whatever.   One of those too good of a deal to pass up things.   I've stopped doing that, now I look for sales in brands that I have confidence in.  It's not that I won't use knock off brands - I actually like the BPS rattling jigs for example, but crankbaits are trickier and I'd not stray too far from the proven.  

 

You asked if you would be better off buying Rapala's over Storm, and me personally I would say if there isn't a sale on either then yes, it's worth a few bucks more for the Rapala's.   However, if I saw a good sale, I would jump all over the Storm crankbaits.  Nothing wrong with those.   I just did that with Cordell lipless crankbaits, I like the original Bill Lewis or the Rapala's but they were selling the Cordell's 5/$10 a couple of weeks ago at BP.   I bought $20 worth, because it was a great deal and I will use them.

 

So moral of the story - take advantage of the sales, but don't just do it because it's a sale.  

[eyedabassman]

i DON'T BUY THAT STUFF! Any lure will catch fish at one time or another. But I look for my lures to stand the test of time.You get what you pay for. Now plastic I may be a bit more willing!

[Scott F]

The topwater popper that has caught me a lot of bass, a Matzuo, came from a bargain bin. I only paid a buck or two and I put better hooks on them. I think after the first one was so good for me, I went back and got like 4 more. There is no paint left on any of them.

[bigturtle]

depends on what it is. I have $1 bargain bin lures as well as $70 gan craft swimbaits in the same box that gets used equally. you have to try it out yourself.

[CTBassin860]

Nothing wrong with Storm at all.

[RoLo]

I don't mind paying a higher price for a crank, when it's justified by premium hooks, counter-balancing,

internal acoustics or the like. But it would be a cold day in hell when I throw money at an ultra-realistic,

super durable, baked on finish. Ever notice that the best producing plugs are always the ugliest,

most battered plugs in your tackle box?  

 

Roger

[NorcalBassin]

The more expensive the lure and the more of them you have guarantees you will catch more fish. - The Bait Monkey

[Catt]

One of the deadliest lures I've was Renegade 6" worms from Wally World at less the $2 a pack.

 

I've also caught on $7 a pack Senkos!

[Outdoor Zack]

This forum turned me on to the academy (h20 express) hardbaits.  For a house-brand line, they seem to be pretty good quality.  I suggest you look into the crs+ crabkbaits.  

They are probably the best squarebills you can buy for under $5 and have outfished a kvd 1.5 more than once.  

 

The cabelas and bps  squarebills are decent for the price I guess, but I try to get them on clearance if I can.  The bass pro ones are a pretty obvious copy of kvd 1.5s. 

 

The bass pro promotional lures (usually marked down to 1.49) seem to be junky in my experience (the popper).  I couldn't get it to pop very much and the paint is chipping already (no fish caught).  I will probably keep the one I have, but i can tell you a rebel pop r is a much better option for about two dollars more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JaxBasser]

35 minutes ago, Outdoor Zack said:

This forum turned me on to the academy (h20 express) hardbaits.  For a house-brand line, they seem to be pretty good quality.  I suggest you look into the crs+ crabkbaits.  

They are probably the best squarebills you can buy for under $5 and have outfished a kvd 1.5 more than once.  

 

The cabelas and bps  squarebills are decent for the price I guess, but I try to get them on clearance if I can.  The bass pro ones are a pretty obvious copy of kvd 1.5s. 

 

The bass pro promotional lures (usually marked down to 1.49) seem to be junky in my experience (the popper).  I couldn't get it to pop very much and the paint is chipping already (no fish caught).  I will probably keep the one I have, but i can tell you a rebel pop r is a much better option for about two dollars more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The h20 hardbaits are fantastic. Good finish and even pretty good hooks for a cheap lure. Plus they just plain work.

[gim]

I'll give you two personal examples: the first frog I bought many years ago was the original skum frog.  I caught some fish on it but once I upgraded to a better, higher quality one, I caught more fish than I did with the old skummer.  Second example are no-name 99 cent steel spinnerbaits.  They were 99 cents each hanging on a rack and I bought probably 10 of them.  The problem around here: pike!  They hit em once and then they're bent and you can't bend them back into true form to work properly anymore.  So now I just use titanium spinnerbaits because of the durability even though they are about $10 each.  The cheaper models caught fish, but they broke down quicker too.

[NYWayfarer]

The more expensive the lure, the bigger the tear you will shed when it gets snagged and lost.

[Brayberry]

I use a mix of cheap and expensive tackle.  Some companies make fantastic high quality tackle for very cheap or reasonable prices.  My favorite spinnerbaits were $2 apiece at Big Lots, I have a Walmart brand rod I bought brand new for $10 in 2000 or 2001, stilll works great to this day, it's probally caught 1200 fish on that rod.  I've caught tons of Bass on Berkley Havoc baits and they are always less then $2 a bag.  Academy H2O crankbaits are fantastic and some of my favorite at like $3 each.  

[RoLo]

13 minutes ago, Finesse Wayfarer said:

The more expensive the lure, the bigger the tear you will shed when it gets snagged and lost.

 

Oh NOW you tell me!

After I discarded all my lures under $10  

 

 

[NYWayfarer]

10 minutes ago, RoLo said:

 

Oh NOW you tell me!

After I discarded all my lures under $10  

 

 

 

Sorry. I learned this lesson at an early age while saltwater fishing. I bought a $9 lure with my allowance, went fishing with my dad and while testing the action a Bluefish came up and bit through my mono stealing my lure.

 

Also bank fishing I was not willing to take a swim to retrieve snagged lures  back then.

[Cgolf]

I am starting to wonder now about even some mid priced gear. Take the RES which still has issues with stuck rattles. Is this just an SK issue though because I haven't noticed this issue with rat l traps or rippin raps which are the same price or cheaper. I do want to try the academy baits sometime, as I am told their lipless baits are really good. 

[wdp]

Caught this one today on an Academy H2O Express wakebait. This bait has been a proven catcher for me the last 2 seasons. I usually can find these baits for $2 - $3. This is my best so far this season, prob 5+ lbs.

[Angry John]

I have a bps popper that seems to make the just right sound.  The hooks i have on it cost more than the bait but that does not bother me one bit.  In fact they got upgraded because the bass mangled the original ones and it just keeps catching.  ST 41s on a two dollar bait might be just the ticket though as it may help it sit lower in the water or be the just right touch.  I have no idea but that lure is gold and i go in after it when lost to a bush monster.

[drew4779]

I have a mix of expensive and cheap lures.  As said above, it's worth trying them out and seeing what works best for you.  There are some hidden gems out there.

I actually catch more fish on the cheap lures, not because they out perform the top tier lures.  It's because I'm more willing to throw them into the gnarliest of stuff I can't bring myself to throw a $20 lure into.

[iiTzChunky]

I personally keep a little of both in my boxes. I frequently fish places where I'm bound to lose a lure. In those cases I'll throw a 5$ lure over the 10$ counterpart. But if I'm somewhere that I know has very little to hang up on and I know it's holding some fatties I'll throw my better stuff. 

[wdp]

11 hours ago, Angry John said:

I have a bps popper that seems to make the just right sound.  The hooks i have on it cost more than the bait but that does not bother me one bit.  In fact they got upgraded because the bass mangled the original ones and it just keeps catching.  ST 41s on a two dollar bait might be just the ticket though as it may help it sit lower in the water or be the just right touch.  I have no idea but that lure is gold and i go in after it when lost to a bush monster.

I've been having decent luck on a popper from Academy. One bait that's been working good for me is the Egg made by BPS. It's a good substitute for a Baby 1 minus. 

[Esoxfreak]

1st everyone talks about loosing expensive baits. I've lost 1 "expensive" bait in 4 years, and that was due to a clasp failure. Most people who throw top quality baits don't throw it on spider wire ez-braid, or stren 12lb mono.     You will have an "expensive" lure for a very long time if you do your research first. I fish 2 lines: gamma #80 tourque hollow core, so I can run floro leaders with no knots, and sunline fx2 in assorted tests. I fish for muskies and pike mainly nowadays but I use roughly the same gear and lures for bass and stripers( I do spend more time out on the water than your average weekender,it is what I do for a paycheck). Those are the two lines that never have failed for me. The whole point here is that if someone buys a pre rigged Walmart rod for 15 bucks and thinks they can throw out a deps250 they are sorely mistaken,lol! Even a vision110 without the proper set up won't fish properly. I've seen people run steel leaders just in case, but it dosent let the bait "work". Yes I catch more fish..a lot more fish, on a 10 dollar biggie poppa from river2sea, yes it out fishes,for numbers, both the roman negotiator and mother, but the Mother has an 11 lb largemouth, a 48 lb striper and several 45in plus tiger muskies. For New Mexico that ain't bad,lol! Yes, I fish a $400 lure,that's what it's for ain't it??? How much did you spend in soft plastics last year?

Yes, to fish high quality lure, takes special attention and we all know fishing has 4 stages:

1-just catch a fish

2-catch as many fish as you can

3-angler starts targeting big fish

4-angler method fishes, most people who fish big glides and swimbaits are here. Fishing for the passion, the experience, and the safe release.

YOU CAN CUT CORNERS ON SPOONS and stuff like that, but before balking at a price tag consider what went into that bait. Most of these pricier baits come from the US and Japan. A lot of them are handmade with high quality components, or hand painted,there are loads of things that make them expensive so a little research goes along way.

 

[WRB]

Brand names like Bomber, Bandit, Bill Lewis and Norman crank baits have good hooks, run good out of the box for decades, $5-$6 price range you can't go wrong.

Tom