crankbait pricing observations

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, KP Duty said:

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. 

 

I don't know if I would lump Lucky Craft in that group.  Granted, they are the ones that made JDM baits accessible to the US but at about $15 a bait in 1990.  There success was due to successful production and quality but also for being small.

 

If you haven't seen this  they are a very humbling group of people. 

 

 

[slowworm]

Well, for all the talk of corporate greed, I've never met an employee who said they were paid too much for the work that they did.

 

This is not about greed.  It's about what the market will bear.  If the market supports $15 crankbaits, that's what the market will charge.

 

Here's another way of looking at the same question. If someone offers you 50% more than your base salary today, would you say, nah, I'm not worth that, the labor market average is where I'm at now, so it's all good.  But I really like your company, so I'll take the same job offer as my current salary.  Does anyone every say that?  No, they don't.

 

 

[KP Duty]

3 minutes ago, FishTank said:

 

I don't know if I would lump Lucky Craft in that group.  Granted, they are the ones that made JDM baits accessible to the US but at about $15 a bait in 1990.  There success was due to successful production and quality but also for being small.

 

3 minutes ago, FishTank said:

If you haven't seen this  they are a very humbling group of people. 

 

 

1990?  I first saw LC in the states in 2004(ish).  They were definitely $15 back then.  I just think all these crankbait manufacturers can make a crankbait with good hooks for $1.50 or less, but we'll never know their margins.

[Crow Horse]

10 minutes ago, slowworm said:

Here's another way of looking at the same question. If someone offers you 50% more than your base salary today, would you say, nah, I'm not worth that, the labor market average is where I'm at now, so it's all good.  But I really like your company, so I'll take the same job offer as my current salary.  Does anyone every say that?  No, they don't.

Another variant to your example is that the worker in your example is an extraordinarily skilled worker and is head & shoulders above an average worker, and thus worth paying 50% more. Employers don't always recognize the skill level of an employee or better stated, recognize their true worth. Some do but in my experience that isn't the norm. It depends on the company's focus/business model - premium quality or production. They'll say they want both but that's a pipe dream......

[FishTank]

9 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

 

1990?  I first saw LC in the states in 2004(ish).  They were definitely $15 back then.  I just think all these crankbait manufacturers can make a crankbait with good hooks for $1.50 or less, but we'll never know their margins.

Typo on my part...  the 1990's . I think they started up in 1994. There was a shop in Indiana called Anglers World that was able to import them prior to Lucky Craft USA opening up. They also had Megabass.  They sold a ton of it. I still have one of each from that time. I will post a picture if I can find them.

[MediumMouthBass]

Lucky Craft makes some really nice looking jerkbaits and cranks, my local tackle shop always has them for $8. But Lucky Craft makes an excellent product, from the color scheme, to how the bait performs/catches fish for $15, where as say a company like Berkley who's jerkbaits MSRP is also $15 feels like its worth a third when you actually see it and fish with it. So theres a big difference between actual quality and greed/increased price because of the brands name.

[slowworm]

6 minutes ago, Crow Horse said:

Another variant to your example is that the worker in your example is an extraordinarily skilled worker and is head & shoulders above an average worker, and thus worth paying 50% more. Employers don't always recognize the skill level of an employee or better stated, recognize their true worth. Some do but in my experience that isn't the norm. It depends on the company's focus/business model - premium quality or production. They'll say they want both but that's a pipe dream......

 

In other words, some crankbaits are better than others, and not all angers can see that worth.  And some crankbaits are poor knock offs trying to charge premium prices.

 

The measure of value lies solely with the one paying the bill. In any endeavor, be that fishing tackle, employment, housing, cars.  Especially cars.  Who the heck can afford an $75K truck?

[Crow Horse]

5 minutes ago, slowworm said:

The measure of value lies solely with the one paying the bill

Nailed it. I think this sums it up best.

[KP Duty]

23 minutes ago, FishTank said:

Typo on my part...  the 1990's . I think they started up in 1994. There was a shop in Indiana called Anglers World that was able to import them prior to Lucky Craft USA opening up. They also had Megabass.  They sold a ton of it. I still have one of each from that time. I will post a picture if I can find them.

Right on.  Before the internet, it was all word of mouth.  I remember around '91, a guy in our club said he was using a Yamamoto hula grub.  I was like "what the H is a Yamamoto?".  "Pricey Japanese soft plastics" I was told.  "They're almost $5 a bag!"

[FishTank]

7 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

Right on.  Before the internet, it was all word of mouth.  I remember around '91, a guy in our club said he was using a Yamamoto hula grub.  I was like "what the H is a Yamamoto?".  "Pricey Japanese soft plastics" I was told.  "They're almost $5 a bag!"

I remember those being as popular as a Senko. The shop I mentioned carried custom colors that the owner supposedly asked for himself.  I remember having a black version with blue tails and a yellow skirt.  The best though was green pumpkin with a yellow and black flake skirt.  I've still seen them show up from time to time. 

[K1500]

All I know is I have cheap baits and expensive baits. I ALWAYS fish the more expensive ones in the box. The cheap ones don’t seem to run as true or work as well, but it may be all in my head.  After I bought my boat I quit worrying about saving a few bucks on a hard bait. 

[Columbia Craw]

What used to be inexpensive is now expensive.  If it’s out of your price range or expectation buy something else.

[Munkin]

11 hours ago, gimruis said:

@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.

 

Try some Terminator T1 spinnerbaits as I don't think you have ever heard of them?🤣

 

Allen

[king fisher]

   I am fine fishing my inexpensive crankbaits.  I own way to many, and if I can't catch a bass on one of them, I fish something else.  If I can't catch bass on something else, I blame it on the moon phase and go home.

 

My problem starts when I get home and look at all the tackle porn posted on this site,( you frequent tackle porn posters should keep the Bait Monkey on a leash) and You Tube videos showing all the latest baits getting crushed by big bass. Then I start to wonder if maybe a $25 Megabass jerkbait may be the answer to my problems.  If only I had a box full them like AJ maybe I could defeat the bad moon phase syndrome for ever.  About this time, the Monkey crashes through my door, and saving for retirement gets put on hold for another year.

 

 

 

 

[Mbirdsley]

It really comes down to buy what you can afford.  If i could afford to buy a tackle box full of mega bass you bet you butt i’d do it!!!! I do have a couple mega bass jerk baits and usually, i save those for situations like gin clear water when the bite is tough. These baits are worth the price that are asked for them. Your paying for the quality and getting fish to bite in tough conditions ( if you do your part ) due to not only better action but, also more consistent action from lure to lure and cast to cast and i’d say more realistic paint jobs. When you pull a vision 110 out you know how it’s going to act in the water. 

 

I’ve realized that i live in the strike king, 6th sense, LC, rapala, and spro ( splurging) price point.  Not as good the very top tier but, it’s all very serviceable stuff with the exception of strike king you could fish those baits right out of the box.  

 

I also have smithwick, Norman (becoming one of my favs) bandits, lunker hunt etc etc which, is fine except, you are take the chance of pulling out a lure that won’t run right and all the hardware should be changed out.  These lures will still catch a lot of fish though. 

 

There’s nothing wrong with fishing the lower end stuff or the top tier.  However, you’re not going to be able to fish the lower end stuff like the higher end lures.  As long as you take the time to learn how to use your lures. your good to go no matter the price point.

 

Luckily the bait MFG are starting to up date the paint jobs on the lower end hard baits IE uncle Franks bait jobs on the rogue FX’s.  I havnt bought any of the FX rogues yet. but, your not getting a better paint job on $7 jerk bait. 

[NorthernBasser]

On 3/24/2024 at 8:13 PM, gimruis said:

Really only do it nowadays to replace one that I've lost.  Same with rods/reels.

 

 

 

Man, if you're losing rods and reels, suddenly I don't feel so bad about losing Jackhammers to pike. 😅

[gim]

6 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

 

Man, if you're losing rods and reels, suddenly I don't feel so bad about losing Jackhammers to pike. 😅

Haha, ya I worded that one wrong.  If they break or wear out to the point of not being fixed...is the words I should have used.

 

I think I have bought 1 rod/reel in the past 10+ years and that's because I broke the tip on one.  I did try putting a new tip on it, but I lost too much of it and could tell it affected the action.

[NorthernBasser]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Haha, ya I worded that one wrong.  If they break or wear out to the point of not being fixed...is the words I should have used.

 

I think I have bought 1 rod/reel in the past 10+ years and that's because I broke the tip on one.  I did try putting a new tip on it, but I lost too much of it and could tell it affected the action.

I knew what ya meant.  

[TOXIC]

Whew, good thing we’re not talking about the price of glide baits, jointed swim baits and plastic swim baits like a Huddleston.  Because we all know those cost $2 in parts and sell for $100+.  (Insert sarcasm).  😛

[K1500]

Another thing about hard baits. They are typically more expensive in absolute terms than soft baits like a Senko, but they are dirt cheap when compared to a soft bait for durability. I’ve caught 100’s of fish on a single crankbait before destroying or losing it. Try that with a worm and see how much you spend in plastic and hooks. Amortizing the cost of a hard bait over its life really brings the cost/fish down. At least that’s what I tell myself as I’m topping off the boat and putting another 30 gallons of gas in the tow rig…