Cheapest substitutes for the most expensive lures?

[billmac]

Maybe I'm not dedicated enough but I'm not paying $15 bucks for a single lure (honestly, probably not even $10).  I'm also skeptical that expensive lures are generally so astonishingly productive that a lot of lures in the same category aren't just as good.

 

I'm wondering what baits you have found that are cheap (or cheaper) alternatives to the really expensive baits?

[Russ E]

H2O  baits have been the most productive budget baits for me.

Especially the jerkbaits and squarebills.

 

[Jig Rookie]

Savage Gear for me (big swimbaits).

[Black Hawk Basser]

The Bomber Square A is my favorite squarebill, and they are around $4 each.  Not the cheapest, but a great alternative to paying $8-$15.

[smalljaw67]

For me I often do better with the Luck-E-Strike RC STX jerkbait over the regular Megabass Vision 110. It is a direct copy and I have a few original Vision 110s that I paid $25 for each one. I think the main reason I do better is I'm using jerkbaits around rocks mostly, the 110s have thin bills which break surprisingly easy so I tend to throw them when I'm in more open water.

[Luke Barnes]

I like H2O Express lures alot. I'm I'm the same boat. I'm not paying $8 for a lipless I'm going to lose. They are solid and have good hooks. 

[primetime]

Cant go wrong with all the Academy lures since they come with good trebles, I believe VMC, the crankbaits are good, have good topwaters and lipless cranks etc....Can't beat them for the price pound for pound.

 

You Don't need all that many lures.....For a hollow frog I don't trust or like the store brand frogs from limited experience so I would buy the Booyah Pad crushers and they are as good as any especially for $6. 

 

For topwater...A zara spook, Skitter Walk, Rebel Popper, Bomber long A jerkbait, Rapala Minnow, Bomber Model a series as mentioned are really good, and you can find the Red Eye shads, KVD square bills on sale for $5 sometimes less. 

 

Z-Man baits last forever, Yum and Zoom baits are not expensive, and for hooks, you can go with the VMC worm hooks they sell at most stores, or the BPS line of hooks and I am sure academy hooks are plenty good. I use Magna locks which are mixed in with all types of brands and they have never been an issue. Just pick the right guage for right plastic and line, rod....

 

Bass Pro has a good walking bait that is cheap in the XPS series I think it is, has a slit in the mouth, shaped similar to the sammy but you have to change the bps hooks out. They also have a really good wake bait in the EGG and the Super shallow cranks that are 3.99 are also really good....

 

I don't fish alot of expensive hard baits. I would imagine the Berkley version of the Whopper Plopper is plenty good, and I trust the Torpedo and Devils Horse prop baits as much as any of the expensive ones. If you have confidence in the color and lure, regardless of brand, you will catch fish on it. I like buying lures, I am guilty of spending way too much money on collecting frogs and cranks, topwater etc....Yet when I take out my Kayak, I find I take the same lures and only a few are more than $10. 

[Shimano_1]

I do a lot of bargain shopping.  When I catch things I use a lot on sale I stock up. I'm with u. My dad loves duo realis jerkbaits. I refuse to pay 15 bucks for em so I fish stx and kvd jerkbaits and they seem to work just as good. When Yamamoto jacked their prices up 2 bucks a bag I quit buying anything they make. I believe the original senkos are better than anything else I've tried but on sheer principle I haven't bought any in years and have done well with yum dingers. Of course I'm not fishing for big money usually either so there's that to factor in.

[RAMBLER]

Wal-Mart spinner baits (used to be $1.00) worked good for me.

[Fishes in trees]

Cheap/Expensive are relative terms to me.  I know that since 2002 (when I first became aware of them ) no stick bait has compared favorably to a senko to me, when it comes to drifting down wacky rigged next to an object.  Use o-rings and then last several fish per baits, at least they do for me.  I don't find them expensive when considering the results I get.  Tx-rigged stick baits are a different story.  My experience has been that many brands work just as well as senkos when tx-rigged and thrown into cover, or at an object, so there are cost savings to be had there.

 

Hard baits?  I don't know.   I know that where I fish the prime pre-spawn jerk bait time only lasts a few weeks, and I almost always want a Lucky Craft tied on.  In my experiences, they just work better.  I base this judgement on trial & error.   For a few years, I was seriously into collecting jerk baits, I don't know the current count ( likely more than 90, less than 150.). For me, the Lucky Craft baits have been more reliable than Rogues, or Long A's, or Husky Jerks, or Redfins, or any number of other sets of jerk bait that I've purchased.  Also it seems like on days when the Pointer didn't want to work, the Staysee did.   So, as far as jerk baits go, Lucky Crafts have been more reliable for me, making the cheap/expensive argument moot.

 

Lipless cranks - I've got a few of those also.  Seems like they all cost around the same.  The old Berkley Frenzy works best for me.   Long out of production, I've got 4 left.   

 

Billed cranks - these seem more like baits that I collect, rather than fish with.   I've got hundreds of them.   90% of them time, it seems if I'm throwing a crank, I'm throwing a Timber Tiger of one size or another.   Once upon a time, these were considered a "premium" crank, price wise, at least where I buy stuff.   These days, they are unavailable, I haven't seen any on shelves for several years.   For several years the BPS in Independence and Springfield dedicated end cap space to this brand.

 

On the subject of the big square bills, I've got to admit that I've found some bargains at Academy.  A couple of years ago they put their version of the Strike King square bill on sale at 2 for $5.  I've got a nice set of them now.  Had to buy a couple of Plano crank boxes to store them in.   Got no complaints about those baits, when they work, they work good and they come through brush & trees much better than I thought that they would.

 

I guess the point of this rant is that I don't consider cheap/expensive very much when purchasing fishing gear, baits in particular.   If I want/got to have it - I buy it.   I understand that I'm somewhat addicted to purchasing new gear and that I'm leaving an interesting issue for any heirs that I might have.

 

Rods & reels are a different story - nearly all of my rods & reels are mid-range to low end expensive and I've only paid full retail for a couple of them.   I shop for bargains/close outs/ and some of the stores I frequent will deal on reel purchases.   So, the cheap/expensive issue comes into play when buying rods and reels, at least for me.

 

Terminal tackle - I can remember times when you couldn't convince me that lead sinkers were just as good as tungsten, I mean really, how much difference can the modest differences in size & weight make?  Then I tried tungsten and these days I only carry a small box of back up lead worm weights, tungsten makes a big enough difference to me that it is worth the cost difference.  So, that's my opinion of this matter, currently.  

[the reel ess]

Norman's line of crankbaits can still be had for under $5. I think there are two grades of them and the higher grade is over $10. But the cheap ones with cheaper paint jobs catch bass and other species. Be careful though. Stripers can the the back hook off if your drag is too tight.

 

Bandit crankbaits are a nice lower-priced bait, though not bargain basement.

 

Over the years, I've mostly settled on mid-range baits. They catch fish without breaking the bank. So far, I've never spent more than about $16 on a single lure. Soft plastics are cheaper, but they do get used up and need to be purchased again. I have other expenses and it's hard to justify extremely expensive tackle.

[JediAmoeba]

A lot of times the biggest drawback of cheap baits is hooks and o rings.  So buy good hooks and o rings in bulk of all the different sizes and replace them on these cheaper baits.

[Fishingmickey]

4 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Norman's Deep L'il N and DD22 crankbaits can still be had for under $5. I think there are two grades of them and the higher grade is over $10. But the cheap ones with cheaper paint jobs catch bass and other species. Be careful though. Stripers can the the back hook off if your dag is too tight.

X2 on the L'il N and DD22.

[the reel ess]

Oh, those el cheapo spinnerbaits you see in the store brands catch fish as well for about $1 each. I still have some BPS Uncle Buck's brand spinnerbaits that are about 20 years old that work well. Take a little time and wire tie the skirts and they'll last a lot longer. Or you can get good "collared" replacement skirts from War Eagle, among others.

[Hook2Jaw]

Good lord, I typed out a good many paragraphs, decided that was excessive, then started typing lists and found that was also excessive.  Here's a list of brands I use and trust to put fish in the boat, and I just caught three at work in about 20 minutes off two of those brands.

 

YUM and ZOOM handle almost all of my soft plastic needs.  I also throw the Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper often.  There are tons of great products in those three brands and YUM hardly ever goes over 3 bucks a bag, and BBB and ZOOM keep it under 4 bucks.

 

H2O Xpress, Strike King, BPS XPS, and Berkley handle my hard baits.  H2O Squarebills and Jerkbaits are good stuff, and their lipless cranks aren't bad either.  Strike King Red Eye Shad are hard to beat.  BPS XPS Squarebills do my lifting when I want a silent squarebill.  Berkley Diggers and Dredgers handle my deeper cranking.  I absolutely love the Berkley Drift Walker for topwater walking, and the Choppo is a success.

 

My frogs are all Booyah, as well as my spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.  My jigs and skirts come from BOSS.  My swimbait jigheads are from Jann's Netcraft, cheapest per jig I've found and they're on Mustad hooks.  I get my shakyheads from Big Bite Baits, cheap, haven't had a problem.  I get all my tungsten from Academy, it seems to be good quality and it's not as expensive as some brands.  Dropshot hooks from Lunkerhunt, highly impressed, probably their only decent product.  I throw original chatterbaits from Z-Man.  BPS Magna O'Schaunessey, Magna EWG for plastics on my heavier gear.  Wide Superlocks for spinning presentations.

 

Line?  Original Power Pro 20# on my finesse rods.  30# when I'm running braid to leader on casting outfits.  Frogs get Kastking, 50#, as that rough 4 carrier absolutely saws through everything.  Berkley Vanish for Fluorocarbon main line and leader, I just hit it with KVD Line and Lure.  Big Game for my topwater rod and my swimbait leader.

 

Oh, and as far as swimbaits go, I haven't been too impressed with Savage Gear.  The Huddleston 68 and Matlures Gill, however, have caught me several 4s.  I'm just waiting on a big girl before I go to bragging about my swimbait exploits.  I don't go THAT cheap when it comes to offerings I need to be that natural.

 

I tried not to write a list and wrote a list.  While I'm at it, obligatory shout to the Daiwa Fuego CT and LT. 

 

I understand the doing it well for cheap grind.  What else you need cheap alternatives for?  It's all I've ever researched. 

[Luke Barnes]

As far as hooks, I like the Eagle claw Lazer Sharp hooks. Cheap and sharp. I dont need Trokar or Mustad or any high dollar ones.

 

Also the Berkley Choppo (whopper plopper) is great! I have one and love it. Comes with Berley Fusion hooks that are sharp as can be. 

 

I mainly use BBB, zoom and yum unless I find some good sales. Got some KVD Ochos for like $2. Also on the cheaper side is the Berkley Havoc stuff which i use the Pit Boss a ton in different colors. All about $3 a bag. 

[NHBull]

Guess I am going to be in the minority, but I think there are some premium bait that are worth the price of admission.  The MB vision 110 and +1 have been tough to duplicate at a lower price as is the popmax.

 

Clearly you don’t NEED them, but I want them ?

[Timberwolf530]

Lucky Strike RC series are excellent baits.

Anything from Rapala are good, and they are still reasonably priced too.

[Jaderose]

I have found Stik-o's to be as good as Senko's.  Those and tubes are abut the only thing I buy at BPS anymore

[primetime]

One way to look at it....Many of the lures people consider "Cheap" also happen to be lures or soft baits that have been around for decades, won Bassmaster Classics, and are the original designs.....Lures from Cotton Cordell, Bomber, Rapala, Heddon, Smithwick, Rebel....Have been around for ever because they still sell and flat out catch fish. Having been a lure enthusiast since I was a kid, you see so many lures and new designs come and go....Every company is guilty of doing it, Mann's had the Pogo Shad, then now Rapala puts the Rip Stop in production...There was actually a chatterbait created at one point, Culprit had a punch skirt, and pretty sure the Whopper Plopper is pretty close to the old Roland Martin High Rollers BPS used to sell, or the Rebel frog with buzzing legs.....

 

If you have confidence in a lure, then it will likely work...Obviously a Lucky Craft Pointer has a ton more action that a Smithwick Rogue, or Tim Horton Suspending Bomber Long A and Husky Jerk...But that is by design...If you want a Rapala jerkbait with an action more erratic to be similar to the Pointer, then its the XRAP...Not saying one is better, its all preference and clearly Lucky Strike, Megabass etc. make great lures that work.

 

If you go through even the recent tournaments of past decade or so you still see many are won with the brands first mentioned..Rapala DT Cranks, Rebel Poppers, Manns worms, Gator tails....

 

Lures like the Lunker City Sluggo have lost luster but will still catch fish as well as any fluke imo. The cotton cordell Spot and Bill Lewis Rattle trap catch fish plenty good as well. 

 

I like buying some of the newer lures that are expensive and they certainly work, but I still tend to fish what I have confidence in, so I will pass up the Duel FLoating Minnow for the Rapala or bomber, The expensive wakes for the Red Fin or Manns minus. Storm Chug bug over my Ima and Gunfish. 

 

With that said, if you shop at right time, right place you can get lucky and find $15 lures for half price or less. 

 

Most important part if having good quality line imo, and right size hook, and putting any brand in right place where fish are and right depth and odds are you will have a good day no matter what brand of square bill you are throwing.....Just my take. Some of the older lures were also made better, like the Bagley's etc...Give fish a different look. 

[ww2farmer]

Best in category "cheap" baits IMHO:

 

Soft plastics: Yum Dinger

                         Yum Christie Craws

                         Yum Craw Chunks

 

Hard baits: Cordell Spots lipless 

                    Berkley Skinny Cutter 110 

                    

Terminal tackle: the entire berkley fusion line.

 

[Sam Janssen]

On 9/29/2019 at 11:26 AM, smalljaw67 said:

For me I often do better with the Luck-E-Strike RC STX jerkbait over the regular Megabass Vision 110. It is a direct copy and I have a few original Vision 110s that I paid $25 for each one. I think the main reason I do better is I'm using jerkbaits around rocks mostly, the 110s have thin bills which break surprisingly easy so I tend to throw them when I'm in more open water.

I also use these

 

[Tizi]

Academy H2O lures are hard to beat, especially when they are on sale.

[Bassattackr]

Depends on the bait.  Some are worth the pricetag and others, the cheap ones work just fine.

[primetime]

On 9/30/2019 at 10:25 AM, the reel ess said:

Oh, those el cheapo spinnerbaits you see in the store brands catch fish as well for about $1 each. I still have some BPS Uncle Buck's brand spinnerbaits that are about 20 years old that work well. Take a little time and wire tie the skirts and they'll last a lot longer. Or you can get good "collared" replacement skirts from War Eagle, among others.

The BPS Clothes Pin Spinnerbaits from 10-20 years ago were pretty much the only thing I used when living in NY to go with the Culprit Worm, then the Power Worm, and a BPS Buzzbait.....I would love to find some of the BPS spinnerbaits with the closed line tie in 1/4-3/8 oz with single colorado blade and white skirt....I would throw that thing all day long, for some reason here in Florida, I don't catch nearly as many fish on spinnerbaits as I used to. 

 

I have so many spinnerbaits in my box, I am not even sure of the brands anymore, I know a bunch are the $1 baits from Walmart, $1 from fishing shows, flea markets etc...A few of my favorites are cheap ones cause they do not have any brands stamped on them....I have Terminators which are ok, but mostly use the Booyah and Strike king spinnerbaits since thats really all that is stocked in stores, but another great spinnerbait that is cheap is the....

 

H&H spinnerbaits. I know academy still sells them, and a local shop around here sells a bag of 10 for $10. They have the old cheaper tinsel type skirts, but hammered blades, closed eye, and flat out work as good as the expensive ones I have like a War Eagle and few other Randoms I paid $8 for from Tackle Warehouse....If it doesn't roll over on its side, it will catch fish. Skirts are easy to change out....I went through a tackle making phase and I made tons of skirts so I like throwing on watermelon red, or other random colors not seen on spinnerbaits. Green Pumpkin, Orange, and Copper skirts seem to work the best in stained water for some reason, and early in year.