Why are swimbait heads so pricey?

[lynxcat]

$6 for a 3 pk seems like the average going rate….seems super pricey on a per unit basis. Has it always been this way or is in a recent trend?

[Bluebasser86]

What swimbaits are you talking about? $2 a bait is extremely cheap in the swimbait game. 

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

What swimbaits are you talking about? $2 a bait is extremely cheap in the swimbait game. 

I think he's talking the jig heads for soft swimbaits...like these VMC's (which I have a selection of)

[Bluebasser86]

Yep, the reading comprehension isn't real great after working all day, sleeping 2 hours, then coming back to work ?

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Yep, the reading comprehension isn't real great after working all day, sleeping 2 hours, then coming back to work ?

Well - you knew that going into that career

 

And we're thankful for ones like you, man.

[Columbia Craw]

I use Dobyns SB heads at two bucks each. That seems in line for a product of that quality.  Three are other brands of lesser quality at a buck and a half each. Cost of doing business. No gas, no squeegee

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, lynxcat said:

$6 for a 3 pk seems like the average going rate….seems super pricey on a per unit basis. Has it always been this way or is in a recent trend?

I wouldn't expect the prices to drop going forward. One workaround would be to buy a lead pot, lead, a few molds, assorted hooks, assorted powdercoat colors, an oven, stick on eyes, and don't forget to include a quality fume extraction strategy in order to avoid brain damage and other assorted horrors. You'll break even someday, perhaps.

[Jig Man]

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

I wouldn't expect the prices to drop going forward. One workaround would be to buy a lead pot, lead, a few molds, assorted hooks, assorted powdercoat colors, an oven, stick on eyes, and don't forget to include a quality fume extraction strategy in order to avoid brain damage and other assorted horrors. You'll break even someday, perhaps.

I doubt you’ll break even.  I’ve been doing it for a very long time and I just keep buying more molds and accessories.

[FishinBuck07]

Simple fix!  Just use ball head jigs!  That is what I use mostly.

[Deleted account]

6 hours ago, lynxcat said:

Why are swimbait heads so pricey?

Because LMB guys will pay for it, and believe in "magic" lures that work at the exclusion of all others. 

[Capriceragtop]

5 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Because LMB guys will pay for it, and believe in "magic" lures that work at the exclusion of all others. 

I feel personally attacked. I can't seem to break the pattern: see a pic of an 8lber caught on some odd lure I don't have, then purchase it and all it's cousins (weights, colors, etc.), and proceed to catch jack diddly with it.

 

And then a new pic comes out. Rinse and repeat. I have all kinds of goodies. You'd think I was retired and fish 24/7, but I'm just a shorebound guy who gets out maybe once a week for a few hours.

 

Reading @A-Jay's stages of fishing, I think I'm late stage 2, moving into 3.

[Deleted account]

3 minutes ago, Capriceragtop said:

I feel personally attacked. I can't seem to break the pattern: see a pic of an 8lber caught on some odd lure I don't have, then purchase it and all it's cousins (weights, colors, etc.), and proceed to catch jack diddly with it.

 

And then a new pic comes out. Rinse and repeat. I have all kinds of goodies. You'd think I was retired and fish 24/7, but I'm just a shorebound guy who gets out maybe once a week for a few hours.

 

Reading @A-Jay's stages of fishing, I think I'm late stage 2, moving into 3.

It's not you, you are being targeted by marketing professionals with analytics that Phillip Morris could have only dreamed of. Pharma is the concern, too many lures won't ruin your liver, or leave you twitching uncontrollably. 

[Capriceragtop]

@Deleted account I dunno about the twitching uncontrollably. If the missus sees another TackleWarehouse box, or Bass Pro bag, she may bust out the frying pan. One good wallop and a-twitching I shall go.

 

But, at least lures don't really have a shelf life, and they get me out and about. Only thing stopping me getting a boat is I really ought to wrap up house projects first. Oh, and find a place to store said boat.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Cuz it’s a SWIMBAIT head. It’s the name, anything with swimbait  is automatically priced high 

[EWREX]

here ya go

 

[Team9nine]

I’d guess demand - tackle sales have rocketed upward since the start of the pandemic, as well as the price of lead, about 18% higher than two years ago. You see that same expense trend in bass jigs, which are just decorated jig heads ?

[fishballer06]

You might see a simple swimbait jighead, but consider what all goes into a jighead. And this is coming from the mind of a guy who builds his own baits, so keep that in mind when you hear me talk about the work that goes into a simple jighead. 

 

You've got a big, heavier gauge wire hook (we're not talking 1/16oz. crappie jigs here with a #6 hook). 

You've go the lead itself and pouring that into a mold and hoping it comes out shaped right because of the detail that goes into some jigheads these days. 

On top of that, you usually have a baitkeeper that also has to come out just right as well. 

You've got powder or airbrushed paint. Many times, there's 2-3 tones of color that go into that bait, so even more time. 

You've got a big, lifelike eye on the jig. Then add in the clear coat that has to go onto that bait to keep that eye on there so it doesn't fall off after 1-2 fish or the first dock you hit with it. 

On top of all that, the manufacturer has to make a little money. The tackle shop you buy it from has to make a little money as well. 

 

So yes, you might be paying $2 a head for a jig. But I honestly would be surprised if the manufacturer only made 25 cents selling it to the tackle shop, and the tackle shop itself probably only made 25 cents per head selling it to you. 

 

Long story short, I have no problem paying $2 a head for a quality swimbait jighead. Many of them are a much higher quality than I could make myself. 

 

[PressuredFishing]

10 hours ago, lynxcat said:

$6 for a 3 pk seems like the average going rate….seems super pricey on a per unit basis. Has it always been this way or is in a recent trend?

I use ballheads from owner or gammies, cheaper with the best hooks in the game, you can also go with eagle claw and that's cheap, don't think the fish care about a small painted head much, especially because it's going to eventually chip anyways. 

[Hook2Jaw]

VMC Boxer Heads average around $1.25 each and are available in ⅛ to 1 ounce.  They've done well for me, and one stood up to a 29" Red Drum on New Years Eve this year.  The hook penetrated the hard mouth of that fish without issue and the point did not roll, the shank did not flex.

 

If you want to save more money than that, Big Bite Baits offers the BBJ jig and they're even less.  They come with a sharp hook and pretty eyes on a ball head.  I've caught tons of bass last year throwing that with a Z-Man Slim Swimz.

[Jp_midwest]

just go with gammie round head ball head jig heads.

[Deleted account]

17 minutes ago, Jp_midwest said:

just go with gammie round head ball head jig heads.

Walmart used to sell unpainted ones for little $.

[steve-pierce]

Check eBay. Alot of home pour guys sell on there. 

[Vilas15]

13 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

hoping it comes out shaped right because of the detail that goes into some jigheads these days. 

 

You've got powder or airbrushed paint. Many times, there's 2-3 tones of color that go into that bait, so even more time.

 

You've got a big, lifelike eye on the jig. Then add in the clear coat that has to go onto that bait to keep that eye on there so it doesn't fall off after 1-2 fish or the first dock you hit with it. 

All reasons not to spend the extra money on swimbait heads. None of those make a difference in my opinion. I get in the rocks sometimes and they end up partially lead color anyways.

 

A nice hook and keeper is worth paying for. I use cabelas mean eye jigs. Yes they have eyes but i dont care. I like the hook and keeper. Less than $1 a piece.

[fishballer06]

8 hours ago, Vilas15 said:

All reasons not to spend the extra money on swimbait heads. None of those make a difference in my opinion. I get in the rocks sometimes and they end up partially lead color anyways.

 

A nice hook and keeper is worth paying for. I use cabelas mean eye jigs. Yes they have eyes but i dont care. I like the hook and keeper. Less than $1 a piece.

This is the same reason why they make Cadillac's, and they make Kia's. Both will get the job done. Spend your dollars however you want. 

[CrashVector]

On 2/2/2022 at 6:38 AM, Capriceragtop said:

I feel personally attacked. I can't seem to break the pattern: see a pic of an 8lber caught on some odd lure I don't have, then purchase it and all it's cousins (weights, colors, etc.), and proceed to catch jack diddly with it.

 

And then a new pic comes out. Rinse and repeat. I have all kinds of goodies. You'd think I was retired and fish 24/7, but I'm just a shorebound guy who gets out maybe once a week for a few hours.

 

Reading @A-Jay's stages of fishing, I think I'm late stage 2, moving into 3.

 

 

That's why I tell people that "professional fishermen" aren't fishermen at all.  They're salesmen who catch a few fish.