Hardbaits VS Plastics & Costs...???

[InfantryMP]

If you are worried about costs. You could always save soft plastics and re-melt them in to something different, or the same kind of bait. It is actually kind of fun to make baits, or recycle old baits. 

 

 

[Deleted account]

2 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

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.

 

[LrgmouthShad]

I had a thread about a similar topic recently. I’ve somewhat changed my mind about things. Despite using line I have great confidence in along with properly set drag and my best efforts to not lose lures, I still do. Sometimes this is a result of fishing from the bank. Other times, there’s just nothing I could do. I bashed on the senko to others not on this forum recently but find myself using it more than anything else right now because they are working better than anything else right now. Come fall or late summer, that will probably change. But I am using an expensive, exposable piece of plastic because they get fish for me and I can afford to tear them up because I generally don’t go crazy about satisfying the bait monkey and try not to catch dinks.
 

I think it just comes down to what your fish are reacting to and how often you find yourself losing hard lures. Learn about your fish. I am certainly learning a lot about mine. 

[ironbjorn]

Actually, when fished properly, a hard bait will certainly eventually be snagged and lost and cost not just more up front, but more to lose. A hard bait fished as you described is scared fishing in places that aren't bassy and result in much fewer bites. It hurts a lot less to lose a soft plastic. The exception is hard top waters.

 

I really have no idea what you're talking about honestly. 

 

 

[CrankFate]

They are both cheap compared to live bait and quality cut baits. Which are basically required for most saltwater species I fish for. They only last a few hours at best. I always feel like I’m getting a deal with artificials. 

[Choporoz]

I lost 3 Vision 110s in three weeks.  Didn't switch to plastics....bought more jerkbaits

[J Francho]

Other than the few I lose to northerns and muskies, I haven't lost a hung lure in over a decade. Pretty sure I know how to fish them properly. I also know how to use a lute retriever properly as well. For the shore bound angler, that's gonna be a tough break getting hung up. 

[WRB]

The 1st hard baits were spoons made from shells a thousand years before soft plastics. The  soft plastic worm was perfected by Nick Creme in 1939 less then 75 years ago yet has caught more bass then all the hard baits combined.

It comes down to bass caught per man hour there isn’t a comparison, soft plastics win.

Tom

[Bankbeater]

This year I have lost 1 chatterbait, 2 crankbaits, and 3 jigs.  The worst part of this whole thing is that I broke my lure retriever this year too.

[DitchPanda]

Plastics are less economical in a sense yes but consider a few things. Lets say you buy a nice megabass jerk bait. Thing is awesome fishes perfect but it set you back 27 bucks after tax. Yeah in theory this thing could last years and hundreds of fish. Or you could snag it, have a bad cast smack a rock break it, have a toothy fish bite you off. Any of these could happen first cast and you never catch a fish on it. You could have taken that money and bought hooks,weights and Plastic worms and caught hundreds of fish. 

 

My point being is fishing is a gamble. Yeah we study weather patterns, fish behavior, water temps, forage activity etc. But none of that guarantees success, sure it puts it in your favor but still no guarantee. Its just the nature of the beast. Like any risk reward endeavor in life there is always a chance of losing money with nothing to show for it. My advice is buy what you can afford and expect to lose it...all baits hard or soft are disposable or they wouldn't make more. If your biggest gripe is all the soft plastics your using because of fish catches..1) switch to zman-much more durable...2) be thankful for all the bites-its a good problem to have.

[Bankc]

Get yourself a small tackle bag and keep everything in there.  Don't allow yourself to store anything anywhere else.  That way, once it's filled, you can't buy more until you've lost what you have.  That's what I do, and it works pretty well for keeping costs down.  If you find yourself buying a lot of new plastics, it's because you're catching a lot of fish, and you don't worry about it so much.

 

Fishing is as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.  And in the world of hobbies, it's one of the more affordable, so long as you don't buy a boat.

[soflabasser]

In the long run you save more money with hard plastic lures compared to soft plastic lures. For example you can catch dozens of fish on a popper if you take care of it while you will be lucky to catch 10 fish on a soft plastic without it breaking.

[JustJames]

45 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

In the long run you save more money with hard plastic lures compared to soft plastic lures. For example you can catch dozens of fish on a popper if you take care of it while you will be lucky to catch 10 fish on a soft plastic without it breaking.

That is true on top water but not so much with say lipless crank. I’ll be lucky if I catch more than 5 fish from one. Ask tens of those on bottom of the lake. I still stock more though since those are the one I use beside jerkbait and topwater.

[Ratherbfishing]

I suspect the ghost of Robert McNamara is attempting to possess your body.  Seek an exorcist immediately!

 

Until about 15 years ago, I fished almost exclusively hardbaits.  It wasn't that I disliked softplastics.  I just didn't know much about them.  Since then (after including soft plastics in my repertoire) I have increased my catch percentages considerably (probably by 150 or 200%).  It isn't that hard baits don't work.  They definitely do.  With the right application in the right conditions.  But sometimes nothing beats a soft plastic.

 

I've gone through a ton of soft plastics over the past 15 years (even when I've tried to repair them).  But eventually the sun is going to burn out and for me, it'll be a lot sooner than that.  So I'll enjoy my sport in as full a way as I deem fiscally and environmentally responsible.  HOWEVER, do whatever feels good for you.  McNamara or no McNamara.

 

 

 

 

 

[Deleted account]

17 hours ago, CrankFate said:

They are both cheap compared to live bait and quality cut baits. Which are basically required for most saltwater species I fish for. They only last a few hours at best. I always feel like I’m getting a deal with artificials. 

Let me know if you need white crabs...

[NavyVet1204]

On 6/8/2021 at 11:58 PM, Biglittle8 said:

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!

Glad you mentioned the YUM Dingers because they are worth it! I will also give a shout out to the BPS stik-o’s too. They are really good for the money.

[soflabasser]

14 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

That is true on top water but not so much with say lipless crank. I’ll be lucky if I catch more than 5 fish from one. Ask tens of those on bottom of the lake. I still stock more though since those are the one I use beside jerkbait and topwater.

I usually catch dozens of fish on a popper, lipless crankbait, other hard plastic lures before I change its hooks, lose it, or retire it to my lure collection. I still like to fish soft plastic lures but prefer hard plastic lures such as poppers.

[CrankFate]

6 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Let me know if you need white crabs...

Not for another 4, 5 months. Right now I’m carrying a six pack cooler of live killies or frozen spearing, clams and squid ?