Relativity of lure costs

[Log Catcher]

The only way anything in Mega Bass price range would end up in my tackle box would be if some body gave it to me. I have several L. C. suspending jerk baits. That is my limit on what I would spend on a bait.

[ww2farmer]

What a lot of people don't take into account with inexpensive baits is the stuff you have to change out on them.

 

For example:

 

Strike King KVD 1.5 square bill = $6 @ TW

 

Good quality replacement hooks ~ $1 to $2 EACH

 

Good quality replacement split rings ~ $4 -$6 a pack

 

Your $6 bait is now an $8-$10 bait.....with hit or miss quality control...OR you could just buy a Lucky Craft LC Squarebill that's ready to go out of the box for $7

 

I used to buy the SK stuff...now I buy baits that I don't have to fuss with to fish, or worry about duds...even if they cost more.

[Manly Studson]

4 minutes ago, ww2farmer said:

What a lot of people don't take into account with inexpensive baits is the stuff you have to change out on them.

 

For example:

 

Strike King KVD 1.5 square bill = $6 @ TW

 

Good quality replacement hooks ~ $1 to $2 EACH

 

Good quality replacement split rings ~ $4 -$6 a pack

 

Your $6 bait is now an $8-$10 bait.....with hit or miss quality control...OR you could just buy a Lucky Craft LC Squarebill that's ready to go out of the box for $7

 

I used to buy the SK stuff...now I buy baits that I don't have to fuss with to fish, or worry about duds...even if they cost more.

You’re right about “duds.” I grew tired of cheaper lures not working very well. As far as replacing hooks and split rings go, is this necessary because of rust or some other reason?

[ww2farmer]

7 minutes ago, Manly Studson said:

You’re right about “duds.” I grew tired of cheaper lures not working very well. As far as replacing hooks and split rings go, is this necessary because of rust or some other reason?

Stock hooks and rings on SK baits are about worthless. The hooks rust, bend, break, get dull in short order. The rings are not much better. Randomly you ill get a run of baits with SUPER strength split rings that dampen the action of the bait and you just about need dynamite to spread open to change hooks...then also randomly they will come with rings with the strength of a wet noodle, that a stiff breeze will split open. I had ZERO confidence using the stock hardware on those baits. I did, but only in a pinch.

 

As for the baits....they are mehhh to begin with. When they first came out quality was good, and it's gone WAY down. The last bunch I bought 2-3 years ago, I had MORE problem baits than good ones. Stupid stuff ...like lipless baits that leaked from the first cast, rattles that were stuck in place and caused baits to run funny, body halves that were not glued together straight. It was comically bad.

[Manly Studson]

16 minutes ago, ww2farmer said:

Stock hooks and rings on SK baits are about worthless. The hooks rust, bend, break, get dull in short order. The rings are not much better. Randomly you ill get a run of baits with SUPER strength split rings that dampen the action of the bait and you just about need dynamite to spread open to change hooks...then also randomly they will come with rings with the strength of a wet noodle, that a stiff breeze will split open. I had ZERO confidence using the stock hardware on those baits. I did, but only in a pinch.

 

As for the baits....they are mehhh to begin with. When they first came out quality was good, and it's gone WAY down. The last bunch I bought 2-3 years ago, I had MORE problem baits than good ones. Stupid stuff ...like lipless baits that leaked from the first cast, rattles that were stuck in place and caused baits to run funny, body halves that were not glued together straight. It was comically bad.

I’m tempted to dive into a discussion about brands, costs, and quality of their components, but may I do that here? Will the site let me talk freely about brands?

[Jrob78]

2 hours ago, Manly Studson said:

I’m tempted to dive into a discussion about brands, costs, and quality of their components, but may I do that here? Will the site let me talk freely about brands?

You should always start a new thread when changing topics.

[Bluebasser86]

2 hours ago, Manly Studson said:

I’m tempted to dive into a discussion about brands, costs, and quality of their components, but may I do that here? Will the site let me talk freely about brands?

You can talk about their quality and such as long as it isn't "brand X is junk" type stuff that is just straightforward bashing the brand. Like @Jrob78 said though, start a new topic to do so. 

[Munkin]

3 hours ago, ww2farmer said:

What a lot of people don't take into account with inexpensive baits is the stuff you have to change out on them.

 

For example:

 

Strike King KVD 1.5 square bill = $6 @ TW

 

Good quality replacement hooks ~ $1 to $2 EACH

 

Good quality replacement split rings ~ $4 -$6 a pack

 

Your $6 bait is now an $8-$10 bait.....with hit or miss quality control...OR you could just buy a Lucky Craft LC Squarebill that's ready to go out of the box for $7

 

I used to buy the SK stuff...now I buy baits that I don't have to fuss with to fish, or worry about duds...even if they cost more.

This gets me to point number 2, what value do you place on time on the water. When I was a broke teenager I could spend 2 hours tuning a bait or modifying it. Now if it takes me more than 5 minutes it is sold or given away as I do not have time to mess with it. 

 

Allen

[Cgolf]

River fishing, toothy critters, and a medium sized budget keep me from jumping into the high cost lure market. 

 

Right now now I tend to go with brands like Bandit, Norman, Strike King, Rapala, and then dabble with other brands to see if they make the rotation. These lures catch a lot of fish for me. That said while I don’t agree with some about the quality of SK baits, their lineup has some duds for me. The 1.5 and 2.5 square bills just don’t catch fish for me. The RES however is a Magic bait for me. 

 

I do have a nice collection of whopper ploppers but also got them on sale, so not that big of hit to the budget. 

 

Jerkbaits get carried away by Musky so no Vision 110s for me. Some jerkbaits don’t even last a handful of casts. 

[NYWayfarer]

The Whopper Plopper is the most economical bait I own. Dozens of fish caught on it and it's still going strong.

[Cgolf]

The one thing we shouldn’t forget is that the standard brands that are in the 6 to 10 buck range have some great lures in there. The Bandit 100 for example has caught me more fish than all other cranks combined. They are consistent too, never had one not catch fish. 

 

Spending more obviously doesn’t mean catching more. 

 

That said I stay away from the ultra cheap store brand cranks, they have always had issues with  running straight and catching fish. 

[OCdockskipper]

Same topic, just a bend in the path - I don't know how ZMan stays in business with how long their plastics (Elaztech) last.  If I am skipping docks all day and using a soft plastic jerkbait like a Slug-go or Senko T-Rigged weightless, I end up with a bag full of damaged baits.  I end up using Mend it on them, so they get a second go round, but it is typically 1 or 2 fish per bait.  On the other hand, if I am skipping a ZMan TRD, it will last me all day, often multiple trips.  In fact, the TRD often outlasts the jighead (at least the paint on the jighead).

 

As far as the cost per fish caught, if a TRD is not the champ, he definitely is a contender.

[Manly Studson]

8 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

The Whopper Plopper is the most economical bait I own. Dozens of fish caught on it and it's still going strong.

This is good to hear. I purchased one and will fish it for the first time soon. It is the most expensive lure I own. Besides the R2S WP, Rapala is probably at the high end of my price range, but have you noticed better longevity with pricier lures?

[Manly Studson]

18 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

You can talk about their quality and such as long as it isn't "brand X is junk" type stuff that is just straightforward bashing the brand. Like @Jrob78 said though, start a new topic to do so. 

This is helpful. Thanks.

[microotter]

I lost a brand new whopper plopper 110 about 20’ from shore on Saturday. Was trying to retrieve it right next to a fallen tree and the treble got stuck. Spent like ten minutes trying to get it free. 

[Harold Scoggins]

Megabass, LC, etc., I don't even think about it when I throw em, but try explaining to your wife that you dropped a Calcutta reel and a nice rod in 60' of water. Then watch the expression on her face when you tell her you want to order another one.

[Choporoz]

On 4/29/2019 at 1:32 PM, Choporoz said:

Looking at it a little differently,  my most expensive lures are blade baits; silver buddies, Vaults, Vibes, etc.  I lose so many, that the lure-cost to fish-caught ratio far exceeds anything else I use.  I get many more fish per cast out of Pointers, Visions, Huds, etc.

 

[Black Hawk Basser]

On 4/9/2019 at 4:31 PM, Manly Studson said:

This is good to hear. I purchased one and will fish it for the first time soon. It is the most expensive lure I own. Besides the R2S WP, Rapala is probably at the high end of my price range, but have you noticed better longevity with pricier lures?

To some degree, I have noticed that higher quality=longevity.  Not exactly "high end", but I have a Rapala Husky Jerk that has caught dozens of bass and walleyes, and it still runs true, and still catches fish.  My Whopper Plopper has survived some crushing strikes from big bass and muskies alike.

 

I've broken the wire on many cheap spinnerbaits, and some of the more spendy ones definitely seem to last through more fish.

[FryDog62]

I lost a Vision 110 jerkbait 2 weeks ago and spent an hour looking for it...  to no avail - -?

[GReb]

Be careful assuming baits that cost $10+ have quality components. Many do not. There are also some dirt cheap baits that come with nice hooks. 

[Bankbeater]

I lose a lot of jigs to rip rap. Other than that I tend to lose more baits fishing from the bank than fishing from a boat. On the flip side of that I find a lot of baits with rusted off hooks while walking the bank so I guess it works out in the end. 

[Munkin]

Generally I find more baits than I lose every year based on cost. Found a Spro BBZ swimbait once that sells for like $30 along with several nice topwaters one day.

 

Allen

[GreenPig]

On 5/20/2019 at 9:54 AM, Harold Scoggins said:

Megabass, LC, etc., I don't even think about it when I throw em, but try explaining to your wife that you dropped a Calcutta reel and a nice rod in 60' of water. Then watch the expression on her face when you tell her you want to order another one.

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. 

[Munkin]

If we go buy number of fish caught compared to price my best bait is a LC Pointer 65sp in Baitfish silver. While these baits cost like $16 I have one that has 287 fish to its name. Paint is gone, eyes have been replaced several times, hook like 12x and I finally had to retire it once the teeth marks made it through the plastic and it took on water. I will see if I can find it as it looks like someone took a wire wheel to the bait. Now I do have about a dozen spares and the closest only has 73 fish to its name. Number 2 was at 60 when a pike took it but I feel I am getting my moneys worth out of these baits.

 

Allen

[scaleface]

I have worn out four spinnerbaits and a buzzbait  since last fall . I save the blades and skirts and put them on freshly poured frames .