Battle Of The House Brands?

[MediumMouthBass]

Sometimes i like spending money, sometimes i like saving it.

Right now i want to save some and try out some cheaper alternatives to what i already have, so when it comes to house brand lures, baits, and terminal tackle what has impressed you, or been surprisingly decent/good/great?

[Happybeerbuzz]

Academy was my favorite house brand for hard baits until they stopped shipping to CA.  I liked a variety of them including square bills, jerkbaits, and lipless cranks.  
 

I do not throw many house brand soft plastics except Bass Pro Stick-o stick worms.  

[GRiver]

I know a lot of people don’t like Bass Pro/ Cabela’s, but they have a very economical line of tackle. Their hard baits work good and I don’t cry too much if I loose one. I also have few of their rods and reels, two of the Carbonlite which I really like.

When it comes down to it, house brands are usually made by the same manufacturer and just private labeled. 
Same goes for most items, same product, different labels.

[papajoe222]

I don't purchase very much in the way of house branded merchandise, clothing and soft plastics are about my limit. Bass Pro Shops rain gear and cold weather gear for fishing is top notch, IMO and most of their soft plastics get the job done. If Academy would offer reduced shipping or free shipping, I'd would get some of their products. For  online shopping, I prefer Sheels for both their house brands and name brands. Big box store prices, awesome customer service, and as close to a LSG store experience as you can get. 

[TOXIC]

I’ll relay a little story that made me rethink the need for most name brand merchandise.  I was out in the Midwest doing my job and as a result, had to learn the sugar beet processing industry.  Long story short, I went to the plant and watched the process from harvest to filling packets of individual sugar pouches.  One line was being packaged in different generic store brands.  In the line right next to it, it  was being packaged into C&H sugar packs.  Wanna guess which one was more expensive? 🤔Being pro staff for Bass Pro for so many years, I can tell you they don’t make their own baits.  They are rebranded.  Figure out who makes them and you might just have found a deal.  

[Bankbeater]

I like the BPS Stiko baits.  They last longer than Senkos and you get more in a bag.  Most of the rods I use for moving baits are from BPS also.  I'll use Carbonlites, Bionic Blades, and some of the older maroon colored rods when I'm casting baits around.  They may not be quite as light as other rods, but I don't worry about breaking one while flipping.

@TOXIC, that is a interesting point.  When Mann's went out of business a couple of years ago, BPS stopped selling their Egg shallow running crankbait. The Egg was a good bait and I've always wondered if they were made by Mann's.

[TOXIC]

@Bankbeater while I won’t disagree on the Manns baits at all, there’s a few baits where the original is worth the extra $$.  A Senko just happens to be one of those. 😂😂😂 As far as I know GSM hasn’t gotten into making Senkos for off brand sales.  😜😉

[Spy]

One thing to consider, aside from where a product is made, is the materials used to produce it. Same manufacturer, plant, line or molds but utilizing different base ingredients produces a similar product but not the 'same' product. A name brand would never allow an exact match as it would negatively impact their own bottom line and undercut the brand itself.

 

For the consumer it comes down to intended application and effect, sometimes cheaper is 'good enough' and sometimes it isn't. Deciding which is right on any given occasion is what keeps the Bait Monkey on it's toes!

 

 

[Tackleholic]

Does anyone know if the Egg is still in production, but under another name?

[Aaron_H]

BPS Stik-O is the only stick bait I throw anymore, but it's the only BPS thing I use.

 

Outside of that, Academy's H2OX brand is leaps and bounds better than any other house brand I've tried IMO.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

28 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

@Bankbeater there’s a few baits where the original is worth the extra $$.  A Senko just happens to be one of those. 😂😂😂   😜😉

All others just cheap no good imitations

[Jig Man]

The only house brand that I buy is Redhead products from BPS.  They are good.  Most other stuff is sketchy.

[MediumMouthBass]

8 hours ago, GRiver said:

I know a lot of people don’t like Bass Pro/ Cabela’s, but they have a very economical line of tackle. Their hard baits work good and I don’t cry too much if I loose one. I also have few of their rods and reels, two of the Carbonlite which I really like.

I bought alot of their crankbaits and jerkbaits a few years ago on one of their sales, along with a few bags of soft plastics. The quality matches the price i paid for them but they are nice for fishing in pickerel infested waters. Their pricing however is a bit high, but it seems they use the Kohls method. (Its always on sale and barely ever MSRP). I think the main reason people dont like them as you mentioned is because their sales went from many items to only their house made stuff.

6 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

If Academy would offer reduced shipping or free shipping

They are now offering free shipping after $25 if you sign up for an online account.

 

6 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

I prefer Sheels for both their house brands and name brands

Scheels is probably my favorite maker of affordable Ned rig TRD knockoffs, i got a big bag of 30 for about .15 cents or less per bait. Thats alot more pleasant to lose in the river than an Elaztech one at .50 or more.

 

4 hours ago, Aaron_H said:

Academy's H2OX brand is leaps and bounds better than any other house brand I've tried IMO.

I am definitely leaning towards Academy as #1 for me. Their jerkbaits are really great, the hooks too. I think i got around 100-150 hooks for about $15 during one of their sales. Their soft plastics are really nice too. And then there is the house made clothing, their polo shirts and fishing shirts are phenomenal.

[Tackleholic]

2 hours ago, TOXIC said:

I’ll relay a little story that made me rethink the need for most name brand merchandise.  I was out in the Midwest doing my job and as a result, had to learn the sugar beet processing industry.  Long story short, I went to the plant and watched the process from harvest to filling packets of individual sugar pouches.  One line was being packaged in different generic store brands.  In the line right next to it, it  was being packaged into C&H sugar packs.  Wanna guess which one was more expensive? 🤔Being pro staff for Bass Pro for so many years, I can tell you they don’t make their own baits.  They are rebranded.  Figure out who makes them and you might just have found a deal.  

Your story reminds me of my tour of the Ranger plant back in about 2012.  Watching the production line, one boat would be a Ranger, the next might be a Triton, and I believe there was a third brand which I don't recall the name.  Each brand came from a different mold, with minor differences in the boat's shape.  From there to the finished product, the same hands and same components were used, but the Ranger had an $8,000 higher price tag than an identically equipped Triton.

[Dan N]

I’ve tried several BPS lures, was not impressed with the jerkbaits, but the square bills are good. The hooks seem fine to me. I use in situations to feel out if lots of snags, or lots of pike around. 
Most the plastics also good. 
Still feel more confident with brand name lures. Could be just in my head🤣

[gim]

2 hours ago, Tackleholic said:

Does anyone know if the Egg is still in production, but under another name?

They are not. Discontinued in 2023.

 

I found a few in one of their bargain bins for for $2.99 last year (regular price $4.99) and scoured that bin for every one. There was 4 left.

 

I like the stick-o plastic stickbaits too. And yum dingers as an alternative to yamamoto for durability reasons.

[king fisher]

Academy Sports makes excellent crankbaits.  They come with oval split rings, and are very durable.  They only come in a few colors, but the colors are the same ones I would buy even if they had one hundred more options.  A few of their crankbaits I would purchase over name brand baits, even if the price was the same, and one model, I would pay old Wiggle Wart prices on ebay if I had to. 

 

I have tried most of their crankbaits, and have found a couple of duds, but most of the models are very good.  The one thing I don't like is they changed the names on some of their baits a few years ago, and it is difficult to find one bait I really liked.  At first I thought it was discontinued, but then found out they simply changed the name.  All of their square bills I have tried are as good as any Strike King, 6th Sense or Lucky Craft.  I have not had one be out of tune and they hunt well.  They are not as good as Balsa square bills, but as far as plastic ones go, they get the job done.  They have a medium diving crankbait that is now called H2OX Premium deep diving crankbait.  It is 3/8 of an OZ and dives 8 feet.  I would pay Megabass prices for this crankbait if I had to, but they are priced at $4.99 so I don't mind throwing them into all kinds of gnarly cover even wood, with old gill nets tangled in the branches. 

 

I haven't tried the Bass Pro or Cablelas house brand baits, so I can't say good or bad about them, but I wont hesitate to recommend the H2O line of baits from Academy. 

[FishTank]

In my 25+ years of bass fishing, I have either purchased or been gifted lots of BPS stuff and a few random others. I have not been impressed with any of the lures but I do like BPS's rain gear, tackle bags, and some of their hooks. 

 

As far as the best price goes, I order stuff from Japan. For price and quality, you can't beat it, especially terminal tackle. For senkos, I still like the orginal. I wait for sales, like DSG's buy 5 get 5 free. 

 

On a side note, I was gifted a few baits from either Temu or Ali Express last year. They may look like junk but I have caught fish them more so than any house brand bait I have tried.  

[Columbia Craw]

I would rather be patient and hold on for the majority of sales and purchase the proven tackle. The sales have become pretty predictable and timing those discounts can save you some money.  

[primetime]

Academy has great value on Casting Reels, the mettle for $50 is a great reel that can take a beating and hold up....Also like their terminal tackle, Hooks, Braid, soft baits and some hard baits...They always have some trending "Knock offs" in the $5 range. I just grabbed a bunch of spinnerbaits for $1.99 but have yet to throw them...Also tackle boxes and storage are great value...When they have clearance in the store you can score on Academy gear but also random stuff at great deals....

 

I find BPS has good quality reels, rods and tackle and you generally get what you pay for...Their cheap line of House lures come with cheap hooks and are identical to .50 Ali express lures, but the baits they sell for $4 plus are usually good. Soft baits are good as well but not that inexpensive compared to other brands. 

 

Still have 2 Egg Wake baits left..They were one of the better BPS baits made and were on the cheaper side if I remember. I also like some of the older walking baits and love BPS buzz baits/Spinnerbaits. 

BPS Soft baits used to be manufactured at an OEM in Alabama who made 90% of all the major USA brands.....Not sure where they are all made now but all came off same presses....Certain brands used to have identical baits as BPS baits when I sold them in bulk....I used to notice that if a company needed a toad, the Humpin Toad would pop up.....That same toad is still in plenty of line ups. 

[GRiver]

15 minutes ago, primetime said:

Soft baits are good as well but not that inexpensive compared to other brands. 

I use a lot of the BPS soft plastics, I keep a stock of ribbon tailed

[primetime]

1 minute ago, GRiver said:

I use a lot of the BPS soft plastics, I keep a stock of ribbon tailed

Can't go wrong with ribbon tails and curly tails and Bass Pro still has a great color selection that many brands do not have. 

[Munkin]

BPS soft plastics were made by Southern Plastics in Eufala, Alabama until SK/Lews bought SP.

 

Allen 

[Fishlegs]

These guys are crazy. You don't want Academy stuff. You should package it all up, and send it to me for proper disposal. 🤣

 

Just kidding. Their stuff is very good. I use their hard baits, soft plastics, hooks, weights, rods, and it has been good. Not just good for the price...good. The only thing I didn't like enough to buy again are their spinnerbaits. I had to spend too much time trying to get them to run true so I gave up on them. Otherwise, I am a big fan of their brand.

[MediumMouthBass]

3 hours ago, Fishlegs said:

These guys are crazy. You don't want Academy stuff. You should package it all up, and send it to me for proper disposal. 🤣

I think you might be on to something, my one Academy lures box has a warning that says this product is know to the state of California to cause health issues.

How will you properly dispose of these lures?