crankbait pricing observations

[Tom Rust]

The bomber model A cranks are still retailing for $3.99   (everyday price) and almost all the other brands range up to as much as 10 to 12 dollars. I catch plenty of fish on the bombers so i see no need to spend all that extra cash on the others'. Is the price disparity related to the endorsement costs of having the pros hyping the expensive ones, or is it "corporate greed", or something else? i accept that with jerkbaits, there seems to be more precision engineering that goes into them, getting the weight transfer systems perfected, neutral buyoancy figured out, slow sinking or rising, etc. but having said that, there's Suspending rogues that retail for $8 dollars, compared to SK and Berkeley at $15, then megabass in a whole different realm at 24.99. I know the megabass guys swear they're worth it because it catches so many more fish, but theSmithwick rogues get a TON of love at $7.99.  I'm really dismayed at how crazy expensive most of the hard baits are these days! What do you all think about this??

[Reel]

If you visit one of those factories where they hand make a lot of the baits, I think you will quickly understand.  I visited Bagley's and a couple of others a long time ago and watched a girl handpaint a beautiful lure.  She was very good at it but it took about 15 minutes to do her part.  Then the bait had to dry, for others to be able to do the rest ( eyes, fins, etc. ) All in all, it took half an hour of expert painting and that's not counting putting on the hooks and split rings and the boxing.  Add to that the cost of materials and oparating the factory and it quickly adds up.  Baits that are mecanically made are less expensive.  What's half an hour of expert labor worth today ?

[TOXIC]

Don’t forget that ”some” of the more expensive hard baits have higher quality components, stronger/better finishes and run true to specs.  

[swhit140]

I only buy fishing tackle when it is on sale, so I save usually 15-30% off everything. My crankbait prices are usually $3-$8. I use 3 or 4 brands that I like and have used them with success along with better components. 

 

[casts_by_fly]

What reel and toxic said. Also consider that that bait is a plastic molded bait. It’s been on the market for 20 years or so I think. That means from the manufacturers perspective the molds are paid for, the process is optimized, and they have taken every bit of manufacturing cost out of the process. They limit the number of colors to keep cost down. 
 

also, because it was introduced ages ago, it’s much harder to increase prices in an existing product than it is to just introduce a new and improved one for more money. 

[Tom Rust]

So I’ll paraphrase cast-by-fly’s response as follows: if it’s old and not that flashy, it has to sell cheap, whereas new and flashy-HAS to be a better fish-catcher and therefore automatically must be worth 2-3 times as much. Did I get that right or am I way off base???

Which reminds me of Buck Perry’s comments 50 years ago about lure finishes that old; chipped all off paint sometimes worked even better than the shiny flashier brand-new finishes. He also claimed he could whittle a small stick from a tree and attach hooks and it would do as well as a Rapala floater.  Just sayin’

[casts_by_fly]

18 hours ago, Tom Rust said:

So I’ll paraphrase cast-by-fly’s response as follows: if it’s old and not that flashy, it has to sell cheap, whereas new and flashy-HAS to be a better fish-catcher and therefore automatically must be worth 2-3 times as much. Did I get that right or am I way off base???

 

close. I’m saying that consumers won’t accept a price increase (or much of one) on something they’ve been buying for years at a given price. So if you want your products to be higher priced then you have to bring out new ones and have something flashy about them to justify the price. 

[A-Jay]

I am a retired enlisted man.

My disposable / discretionary income is, let's call it limited.

But I love to bass fish.

When I admit that there is far less road ahead of me than there is behind me,

and then consider the cost of what gets me to & from and then on & off the water,

as well as the fuel costs, the price of the baits that catch fish for me becomes a distant after thought.

YMMV

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

[WRB]

Both Bomber and Norman lures were my favorite crank baits until Pradco purchased the companies and moved production to Mexico. 
Pradco decided to remake multi cavity tooling changing the lures design slightly.

Why the larger complies make design changes is beyond comprehension and never works out in regards to fishing catching ability.

Rapala bought Storm and remade  the Wiggle Wart tooling, now the Warts run true but it was their random hunting action that triggered strikes.

Don’t know if the gen 2 Bomber A’s are good? The original 6 & 7A’s catch bass but you need to upgrade the treble hooks,  $4 lure becomes $5.50 lure. 

Tom

 

[swhit140]

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Both Bomber and Norman lures were my favorite crank baits until Pradco purchased the companies and moved production to Mexico. 
Pradco decided to remake multi cavity tooling changing the lures design slightly.

Why the larger complies make design changes is beyond comprehension and never works out in regards to fishing catching ability.

Rapala bought Storm and remade  the Wiggle Wart tooling, now the Warts run true but it was their random hunting action that triggered strikes.

Don’t know if the gen 2 Bomber A’s are good? The original 6 & 7A’s catch bass but you need to upgrade the treble hooks,  $4 lure becomes $5.50 lure. 

Tom

 

 

I got a couple of the Bomber Gen 2 Square 5A Squarebill and I was surprised with the new hooks on them. Definitely sharper hooks with black finish compared to the bronze colored hooks they use to have if I remember correctly. 

[Munkin]

More expensive does not mean it catches more fish. The $0.99 Kinami lipless bait I found in a clearance bin has caught more fish than any other lipless bait. On the flip side of that I have a $40 Nishine crankbait that has yet to ever catch a fish. My TOW is more valuable to me now so I use whatever works. Since I carry two lure retrievers, I only lose maybe one crankbait every 2 years.

 

Allen

[gim]

I came to the realization about 2 years ago that I have too many lures.  It's rare that I buy new ones anymore in the "hardbait" category.  Really only do it nowadays to replace one that I've lost.  Same with rods/reels.

 

I still replenish soft plastics, hooks, weights, line, etc every season.

 

Lure companies are selling and marketing a lot of their products to catch fishermen, not fish.

[Tom Rust]

I’ve said this before but I truly believe the lure companies think the majority of us like to fish money tournaments (not me-never once in my life) and as such, will spend ANY amount to place in the money. In other words, the ends justify the means. I do believe hardcore tourney guys WILL spend any amount to cash a check. Thus, it IS affecting our lure budgets because the retails are based on the supposition that “money is no object “. Pretty true when you look at boat and tow-vehicle prices, not to mention electronics!

[Crow Horse]

I always found it a bit odd when some anglers would complain about lure prices. Some will shell out $20K to $30K for a bass boat, then $50K-$60K for a ride to tow it with and then be price conscious when eyeing a $15 (or more) lure.

 

I understand that everyone's discretionary income is different and have different priorities. I too try to find the best buys to save some loot but when I can't, I put my big boy pants on and shell it out. It's just the price to play.

 

To be clear, I'm not criticizing those who have badass bass boats and the rigs to tow them. Whatever makes your boat float. Personally, it's not my style. However, I don't dwell on the cost of lures.

 

I posted this in another thread and it give's a peek at how (presumably high end) lures are made.

Mass Producing Lures In Japan

[greentrout]

I can always find a deal on crank baits and jerk baits at Walmart, Bass Pro, Tackle Warehouse and Academy Sports + Outdoors. 

 

Good Fishing

[Munkin]

What I find is the price of hardbaits versus the probability of losing them is what comes into play. Topwaters for example, I have no issue with high dollar topwater baits since I have only lost 5 in the past 30 years of fishing. Jerkbaits I lose less of since I don't fish Pickerral infested waters anymore. Crankbaits I get most back with the lure retriever along with jerkbaits. As far as cost most of my best crankbaits are; Mann's, Bandit, SK, and Rebel so even if I lose one I am not out much. Honestly my most expensive lures are Senkos and Jackal Flick Shakes as the fish just destroy them.

 

Allen 

[osummerer23]

I am frugal fisherman. I usually on buy things on sale. I too thought baits were to expensive. And then looked into companies like wLURE. I brought their blanks, and some paint, and good split rings and hooks to make knock off vision 110's. 

 

Just over the weekend, I needed red lipless cranks, sticker shocked at the price of a rattle trap now, I looked at wLure. To make 10 red lipless, with paint, split rings and quality hooks. I was at the same price as buying premade ones. 

 

I have a hard time spending over $5 a bait. Lots of gems can be found in the off season and I'm not one to miss a good deal.

[gim]

@Munkin the most common type of hardbait I seem to lose are spinnerbaits and chatterbaits.  The primary reason is because of northern pike.  They love flashy, vibrating lures and they are not subtle when they strike either.

 

I've found that a 20 or 30 pound Seaguar Blue Label leader (which is specifically designed for resistance to teeth) has helped reduce the amount of bite offs in recent years.  They still rip through plastic trailers and skirts regularly, but at least I don't lose the whole lure itself near as often.

[TnRiver46]

11 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

I always found it a bit odd when some anglers would complain about lure prices. Some will shell out $20K to $30K for a bass boat, then $50K-$60K for a ride to tow it with and then be price conscious when eyeing a $15 (or more) lure.

 

Thats easy, they already spent all the extra cash on the boat and truck haha

[fin]

The way I remember it, around the time Googan appeared on the shelves of my local Academy with higher priced items, then prices seem to rise across the board for almost all manufacturers. That was before the pandemic, so I don’t buy supply chain problems as the reason behind all price increases. I suppose in the end, the reason for the increases doesn’t matter, but I think manufacturers saw how willing fishermen are to pay higher prices, so they simply raised prices.

 

I’m fortunate that I’ve got plenty of stuff and I don’t HAVE to have anything new. I can afford to not buy some things out of protest. Lots of people don’t have that choice. When you buy something overpriced, it’s like voting to raise prices.

 

I’ve got to draw a line somewhere. I don’t know exactly where it is, but I know it when I see it.

[Tom Rust]

Totally agree. When we purchase overpriced baits we are essentially saying we are ok with what the lure marketing departments are setting their prices at. And, I also see an eight dollar lipless as just one cast away from being another lost ten-spot 

[FishTank]

I could go on about this topic but I can remember when brands like Bomber and Manns were premium baits. For example a Bomber A use to be $4-$5 in the 80's. I would buy one every now and then with my allowance as a kid. The rest went to baseball cards and arcade games. That $4 in 1981 is about $15 now. So really what happened is that bait went into mass production by a plastics manufacturer and just wasn't the same but it was cheap. 

 

Another thing to consider is your corporate greed in this case will all ways be with larger corporations and not the small businesses, like for instance Huddleston, OSP, Nishine or even Megabass for that matter. There market share is way less than Rather Outdoors or Pure Fishing. JDM baits also end up spending more in development than these marketing group owned name brands only to have their designs ripped off and rebranded in a cheaper bait by these corporations. 

 

I asked a local company here in Indiana that makes a well kept secret bait why their lures were so expensive ($20-$25). He simply said, it takes 4 guys working 12 hours a day, hand making lures a lot longer than it does a sweat shop. I have a few of these and they are perfect right out of package and catch fish like crazy under the right conditions but that perfection isn't cheap. The only problem is they can't produce enough to keep up with demand. 

[Crow Horse]

It seems that there's a natural corporate evolution to a regression/reversion to mean. It occurs in many industries and mediocrity flourishes.

[WRB]

When you factor in that $4 in 1980 is equal to $15 today the average $9 crank bait isn’t unreasonable considering the treble hooks are already upgraded.

Everything is more expensive since 2020 do to inflation.

Tom

[KP Duty]

All crankbaits are hand painted, and putting a gammy hook on there versus a cheapie costs them pennies per bait.  It's all about profit margins that pay for exposure for companies like LC/Spro/6th etc.