Hardbaits VS Plastics & Costs...???

[ITO_ZILLION]

It never really occured to me until recently, that when fished properly, a hardbait will last 'indefinitely' and is very durable. Hardbaits have no shelf-life and can last a lifetime and can therefore be stored in many ways as long as its not exposed to direct sunlight. On the other hand, even when fished properly, plastics are dispensible and designed to be thrown away after a short use. Unlike hardbaits, plastics have a shelf-life and therefore need to be stored and taken care of adequately or they will go bad. 

 

I always felt 'cheated' when buying plastic worms/craws/creatures/swimbaits knowing they are just going to be destroyed after some heavy use and than I would have to spend some more money just to restock what was thrown away or lost. Even worse, even if I was being careful and learned how to make a bag of plastics last a whole season, by the end of the season, some new plastic design/bait would have came out already and than I would be salivating over the new one, resulting in me buying the new one and completely forgetting about the old plastics from previous seasons that have not been stored correctly and in the end having to throw the old plastics away anyway. 

 

To me, plastics always felt 'risky' when buying and are kind of a money hole/pit. A hardbait like a swimbait or topwater always felt more safe and therefore a reasonable choice when it came to value and longevity. Therefore, from an economical point of view, does it make more sense to invest more into hardbaits than plastics?

 

I feel like I should be spending more of my money and time fishing hardbaits than plastics. On the other hand, you could argue that hardbaits are more expensive and require more time and commitment. Therefore hardbaits are more of a pain in the ass to replace if lost, broken or stolen. Whereas with plastics, they are usually very cheap, don't require a lot of commitment or time and are very easy to replace. 

[JustJames]

I still have two full boxes (more than 50 lures) of hard bait that more than 70% never get used and less than 20% that actually caught fish. 
The past two trips it cost me about 1 fish per Senko fishing around weed. Most of them small 1-2lb, just one 4-5lb, that a whole bag of Senko we are talking here. Worth it? Hell yes to me. I guess if you can catch fish from crankbait all the time and every time, it well worth it, I just don’t have confidence in cranking. And with those soft plastic I can fish in any situation, deep, shallow, rock bottom, weed, under tree.... you name it. These days I only carry a bag or two of soft plastic and few hook and I’m good to go.

my Senko fish.

 

[papajoe222]

AS far as soft plastics go, I compare them to fishing live bait (cost wise).  I don't even know what a dozen Canadian crawlers costs, but they're only good for one fish each and you can get more than one fish from a plastic bait.  As far as cost per fish goes, unless you put hash marks on your hard baits (similar to what they used to do with their six guns back in the day), you'll never know the cost per fish until you loose it, or break it. 

[Smells like fish]

Maybe you should find a different hobby ?

[Columbia Craw]

What hard bait mimics a Ned rig? It’s the cost of doing business.

[Biglittle8]

Fishing tackle... A double edged sword...I will always have too much... I will never have enough.  It's all about having options?

That being said, I try to save a little money by buying brands that cost a little less whenever I can without giving up too much quality (think Yum Dingers) I don't skimp on terminal tackle. I also try to keep multiples of hard baits that I know work for me. My goal is to have a successful day on the water!

[WRB]

TWhat classification is a jig with a soft plastic trailer in your opinion? 1/2 hard-1/2 soft and catches multiple bass with long storage life but may only last 1 cast if snagged and broken off.

It’s hard to put a price on fishing equipment and lures, especially when most bass are released and not eaten. Entertainment and pleasure values plus health of mind and spirit.

Tom 

[ITO_ZILLION]

I understand that having options is a good thing, especially if you want to catch fish and not get skunked. Plastics definitely have their place even if they feel like your just throwing money into the garbage. I just feel like for my money and time, I would rather fish a hardbait that I know is going to hold its value and last a long time due to it having indefinite durability.

[Bluebasser86]

I understand the thinking and it's how I've tried to rationalize my big swimbait purchases to guys that think I'm crazy. I've got a Slammer that has caught hundreds of fish and could easily catch hundreds more. Initial cost of $50 sounds expensive, but price per fish is very low. The same people that laugh at buying a bait that expensive don't think twice of buying a pack of 1 fish per bait Senkos that are much less cost efficient. 

 

I still fish a lot of plastics, but the notion that they're "cheaper", is mostly not true. 

[Catt]

You can have lures in your tackle box or fish in the livewell...ya can't have both!

[JustJames]

4 hours ago, ITO_ZILLION said:

I understand that having options is a good thing, especially if you want to catch fish and not get skunked. Plastics definitely have their place even if they feel like your just throwing money into the garbage. I just feel like for my money and time, I would rather fish a hardbait that I know is going to hold its value and last a long time due to it having indefinite durability.

If I value my money and time that much. I would do something else beside fishing. For real, you spend a couple of thousands on rods and reels but you are being so frugal about lures? As bank fisherman, I think I get more chance of catching fish with plastic more than hard bait. 
It is about fun fishing, not catching or saving money.

[jimmyjoe]

2 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

It is about fun fishing, not catching or saving money.

 

   Truer words were never spoken!    ?       jj

[Jaderose]

Ok.  Use what ya like.

[Deleted account]

You are over thinking it. Sure, plastics are on average more expensive to fish than hard baits or wire baits, but neither will last forever. Things like poppers, spooks and other things not usually fished in cover can certainly last years, but jigs, spinnerbaits, and cranks will certainly succumb to wear and tear and other forms of early demise. Senkos bounce off boat hulls or pier pilings much better than hard baits. Not to mention that for those of us who fish around pike, pickerel and snakeheads, they help to close the price difference gap, a hook and a piece of plastic is what, maybe $2, vs $8-20 lure.

[Fishes in trees]

The only advice I've got for the original poster is to buy what you want/can afford and go from there.  If you feel "cheated" when you purchase soft plastic baits - well, that's on you - you're entitled to feel what you feel.  I would contend that you aren't "cheated" - but that is an entirely different philosophical discussion.

I would offer that you don't really "own" any of the hard or soft bass baits in your current collection.  You don't.   What you do have is temporary custody.   You can keep these baits safe in the shelter of your fishing gear storage area or you're taking these baits, hard plastic or soft and tying them on to a relatively thin piece of fishing line and throwing them out into who knows what.  There is the potential to lose any bait at any cast.   My personal best is $40 more or less of Terminator spinnerbaits in less than 5 minutes, but as baits tend to cost more these days, that record could be broken any trip now.

[TOXIC]

While I get the comparison, I always have to chuckle at the notion that a Senko is a 1 fish bait.  I understand that if you haphazardly rig a Senko Texas style or wacky rig without a ring or you get into a bunch of smaller fish that have a habit of thrashing more, you will lose some but I have used the same Senko on multiple trips and caught multiple fish with it.  When I am trying to conserve a specific Senko because I may be low on the hot color of the day, I have rigging tricks that can make a single bait last a long time and multiple fish.  Sure, I have lost them on a single fish as well and I have lost a crank the first time I threw it.  Consider it the price of admission.?

[gunsinger]

I have my share of hard baits but, admittedly, plastics are my go to.  Why?  Because I personally catch more fish on plastics than I do hard baits.  And since I fish to catch fish, ....  well you get it.

 

That being said, the time of year or the patterns of the bass will dictate a swing in the other direction.  So, the reality is, I don't think you can rely solely on one or the other, regardless of durability.  While hard baits may be more cost effective when considered in a 5-year TCO, there are simply times when one will not catch a fish.  By the same token, in my own limited experience, when bass are busting schooling shad near the top,  you can drown as many plastic worms as you have in your tackle box and may not get the first nibble.

[J Francho]

When I was a teen, a good crankbait was less than $3 and could catch 100s of fish.  A bag of plastics might last a day or two and were around the same per bag.  The math was easy for me then.  The trick is to not continuously buy crankbaits the way I do these days, lol.  I think having a couple depths covered along with a few bags of craws, worms and trailers and you're on your way to setting up a good kit.  Don't overlook or cheap out on a topwater either.  One specific Popmax accounted for more fish for a few years running than all other baits combined.  Granted I was probably overly committed to it, but darn if it worked almost all the time.

[Boomstick]

I would look at it like this

#1) A hard bait is only good until you snag it.

#2) Soft plastics are like live bait with a longer shelf life.

[Bird]

I lose something or run out of something, I replace.

Never really gave it much thought monetarily. 

 

Same with shooting, everytime I pull the trigger I'm sending coin down range. 

What is the satisfaction of being entertained worth ?

[Cgolf]

I generally fish plastics that average say 10 fish a bait, but many of them can get me up to 20 fish. If I buy a plastic that is not durable, I won't purchase it again.

 

One thing I have an issue with is the shelf life comment form the OP. I have plastics that are over 20 years old and they fish the same and hold up just as well as when I bought them. If stored properly, I don't think modern plastics have a shelf life.

[king fisher]

I look at lures as nothing more than a bass tax.  Soft baits are like a sales tax, and I pay a little bit at a time but it adds up.  Hard baits are like my income tax at the end of the year.  It hurts more, at the time, but I only pay once a year. The ones I don't loose I use as write offs.  The difference with bass tax is the more I pay the more enjoyment I get.  

[Mike L]

I’ll use what I need to get bit regardless of what it is. 
If I’ve had success with something and I lose it, I’ll tie another. 

 

If you fish to catch fish, what are we talking about???

 

 

 

Mike

[gim]

10 hours ago, ITO_ZILLION said:

a hardbait will last 'indefinitely' and is very durable. 

 

I can't believe anyone hasn't commented about losing a hardbait yet.  I lose several every season to northern pike.  Last season I lost three $15 lures in 3 consecutive trips.  They are not infinite.

 

I'd rather use both a hard bait and soft plastics than live bait...

[PhishLI]

10 hours ago, ITO_ZILLION said:

On the other hand, even when fished properly, plastics are dispensible and designed to be thrown away after a short use.

Buy a 1oz bottle of Mend It and it'll extend your plastic bait's life ten fold. Some people can't be bothered doing this, but if plastic's durability is an issue for you, and it clearly is, then this is your answer. I've saved a small fortune on plastics since I started using it.