Battle Of The House Brands?

[wdp]

I hate to hear “The Egg” is discontinued. It’s one of my fav inexpensive wake baits. I have 4-5 left in my hoarding area of lures. I just change the garbage stock trebles & these are fish catchers! I’m hoping they are just rebranding under what appears to be their new house brand “XPS” instead of the laser eye BPS brand. I don’t think Mann’s ever made The Egg for Bass Pro. The Egg has a different shape/mold design and slightly different action than the Baby 1 Minus. 

Speaking of which, Academy recently did same with their house rebranding going from “H2O Express” to “H2OX”. I just saw on their website Academy is about to re-release their wakebait under the “H2OX” brand. These are great baits too. 
 

I’m also big fan of the Academy house brand hard baits. They come with decent stock sharp VMC hooks that don’t require replacement. Like mentioned, I’ve only found a couple “duds” in their hard bait line up. Their magnum poppers are pretty good baits too. 
 

Also found the Magellan Outdoors fishing apparel to be decent quality too. I have quite a few of the hooded, long sleeves quick dry fishing shirts. 

[Fishlegs]

41 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

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?

 

 

I would throw them in the river. If they came back with a fish attached, I'd probably throw it right back in the same spot. If there's not a fish attached, I'd try a different spot...but not in California. 😉

[Spankey]

There has been a few soft plastics (worms) that I had great success with from BPS and Cabela’s. Fish them with the same success along with the original manufacturers. But they drop them or discontinued them. For the most part just fish the major brands and buy them at the best price I can find. 

[MN Fisher]

52 minutes ago, Spankey said:

There has been a few soft plastics (worms) that I had great success with from BPS and Cabela’s.

I loved the Cabela's Action Tail worms - the BPS Stik-O not so much...

[Spankey]

15 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I loved the Cabela's Action Tail worms - the BPS Stik-O not so much...

I’m not a big fan of those either. I’ve went as far as experimenting with boiling them to softening them up some. Not worth the hassle to me to not gain very much. 
I love fishing a cut tail worm. A worm I stumbled upon back some time ago at Cabela’s long before the merger with BPS. They were an instant fish catcher. The ones BPS were selling at the time (slightly different) worked great also and they had inbetween colors that I really liked to fish. Never felt the need to fish Yamamoto’s cut tail. We’ll all good things come to an end and Cabela’s and BPS CTs do not exist. Fish the Yamamoto’s these days but they have dropped many patterns. But I have myself pretty well covered if they stop making them all together. 
But I’m not gonna dis any manufacturers soft plastics. We all get different results. What we use is a mental game that plays in our heads. 

[volzfan59]

I’ll go with Academy H2OX lures every time. Excellent lures at a great price. That said, the BPS XPS line of lures used to be really good. Haven’t purchased any in a while. When I worked there, the XTS line of lures were not worth buying. When Southern Plastics were making the BPS soft plastics they were great. I don’t know who makes them now, or if they’re worth buying.

[TOXIC]

3 hours ago, Spankey said:

I’m not a big fan of those either. I’ve went as far as experimenting with boiling them to softening them up some. Not worth the hassle to me to not gain very much. 
I love fishing a cut tail worm. A worm I stumbled upon back some time ago at Cabela’s long before the merger with BPS. They were an instant fish catcher. The ones BPS were selling at the time (slightly different) worked great also and they had inbetween colors that I really liked to fish. Never felt the need to fish Yamamoto’s cut tail. We’ll all good things come to an end and Cabela’s and BPS CTs do not exist. Fish the Yamamoto’s these days but they have dropped many patterns. But I have myself pretty well covered if they stop making them all together. 
But I’m not gonna dis any manufacturers soft plastics. We all get different results. What we use is a mental game that plays in our heads. 

Yamamoto is still making the 4”, 5”, and 7.75” Kut Tails.  I have a friend who uses them religiously.  They are made in 13 or 14 colors depending on size.  No plans to discontinue. 

[Brian11719]

On 12/25/2024 at 8:49 AM, TOXIC said:

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.  

Funny I was just there the other day and thought to myself this 5" go to swim minnow sure looks a lot like a skinny dipper...same sizes too (3.5 & 5) but $1 less and you get a few more per pack...looking at it a bit more their wacky stik-o also reminds me a bit of reaction's pocket rocket...

[bowhunter63]

Bass pro Stick O and there XPS speed shad for swim jig trailers . Have had a lot of good luck on em 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 12/25/2024 at 6:20 PM, FishTank said:

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.

Funny you say that.  I love the Reins rock vibes.  That shape makes them ideal for slow strolling in cold water.  The problem is they're hard to get here.  I got an ad from AE, that is identical to the rockvibe.  Obviously, the plastic won't have the scent or high quality reins does, but I they could work.  I might just give em a shot now.

I guess keitech designed their first swim bait, the swing impact off that design.  Keitech just released their version of the rockvibe for usdm.  The colors are mostly ghost/smoke, very subtle and I need a pearl or at least pro blue pearl in some of the lakes around here.

 

[Bandersnatch]

On 12/25/2024 at 6:20 PM, FishTank said:

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.  

This , buy from Japan in bulk, wait for big sales on things like senkos. From my experience, there isn’t much to be saved in “house” brands, 

 

AND 

 

academy doesn’t make crankbaits

[FishTank]

6 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Funny you say that.  I love the Reins rock vibes.  That shape makes them ideal for slow strolling in cold water.  The problem is they're hard to get here.  I got an ad from AE, that is identical to the rockvibe.  Obviously, the plastic won't have the scent or high quality reins does, but I they could work.  I might just give em a shot now.

I guess keitech designed their first swim bait, the swing impact off that design.  Keitech just released their version of the rockvibe for usdm.  The colors are mostly ghost/smoke, very subtle and I need a pearl or at least pro blue pearl in some of the lakes around here.

 

 

What is the one from AE called?  

 

The Rock Vibe from Reins looks cool. I have not tried that one. For me, I wouldn't pick them up at $7.99 a pack but if I find it on sale or at a JDM site, then maybe. 

 

Take a look at the X-Zone Swammer, again this bait is expensive at regular price but is often on sale. It has a great tail kick, works well on a 1/8oz ball head, and comes in a couple of really good pearl/white colors.  

 

 

[Kev-mo]

On 12/25/2024 at 8:57 AM, Bankbeater said:

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.

Did someone buy Manns? Did I miss something?

https://www.mannsbait.com/

 

[wdp]

15 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

 

academy doesn’t make crankbaits

I’m not sure anybody was under the impression that Academy makes their own crankbaits. Pretty sure it’s common knowledge that the big chain outdoors companies all farm out their lure making to 3rd parties and its branded under their “house brand” name. 
 

That being said I still like a bunch of the H2OX hard baits. Just as good or better quality as Strike King and a lot of other big name brands. 

[WRB]

24 minutes ago, Kev-mo said:

Did someone buy Manns? Did I miss something?

https://www.mannsbait.com/

 

Tom Mann sold his company in 1972, the new owner passed in 2021 and Manns bait Company is now out of business.

Tom

[Glenn]

Well...no, Mann's is not out of business.  In fact, they're about ready to grow. I don't think I'm at liberty to say any more at this time, so stay tuned.

[SpellCaster]

I work in the boot industry (work/outdoor and western). I have worked for brands that used to sell boots in Cabela's, and had to eventually stop because Cabela's would copy the boots and sell (essentially) the same product under their own private label at a lower cost, and the company I was with couldn't complete (this is exactly what Boot Barn does in western business). They basically get free R&D from the name brands that they sell, then duplicate the designs for their private label brands to make better margins. To echo what others have said already, in many cases you're getting a very comparable product between name brand products and house brand products, and in many other cases it could be the same basic product but with cheaper/lower grade components/materials (I assume this is as true for tackle as it is true for footwear). What it comes down to for me is where you want to put your money: 1) companies that take the time to research, develop, and come out with something innovative/original...or 2) companies that copy name brands and undercut them. 

[MAN]

On 12/29/2024 at 7:42 PM, wdp said:

I’m not sure anybody was under the impression that Academy makes their own crankbaits. Pretty sure it’s common knowledge that the big chain outdoors companies all farm out their lure making to 3rd parties and its branded under their “house brand” name. 
 

Academy works directly with the lure factory. There is no 3rd party with regards to hardbaits. 

  

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 12/29/2024 at 10:58 AM, FishTank said:

 

What is the one from AE called?  

 

The Rock Vibe from Reins looks cool. I have not tried that one. For me, I wouldn't pick them up at $7.99 a pack but if I find it on sale or at a JDM site, then maybe. 

 

Take a look at the X-Zone Swammer, again this bait is expensive at regular price but is often on sale. It has a great tail kick, works well on a 1/8oz ball head, and comes in a couple of really good pearl/white colors.  

 

 

They used to be 6$ per pack and you get 15 per (3"), which is a better deal then keitech, especially since the plastic lasts much longer.  Big fan of the swammer, my favorite full size swim jig trailer.  The action is different, the swammer thumps with heavy roll, which is why I love it on a swim jig and the rockvibe has more subtle kick, but has some body roll.  If you dont use mend it, I would really suggest trying it out, it gets a lot more fish per bait.

The AE rockvibe clones look like they came from the same mold.  The tail looks to be a little more conventional, but the body is spot on.  Rock Shiners is what they are calling them. 

[wdp]

22 hours ago, MAN said:

Academy works directly with the lure factory. There is no 3rd party with regards to hardbaits. 

  

Really?!!! Well that’s unusual & refreshing to hear. Could be why their hard baits are above the normal quality of the house brands of other big chain retailers. 
 

How did you find this out?

[MAN]

On 1/1/2025 at 10:05 AM, wdp said:

Really?!!! Well that’s unusual & refreshing to hear. Could be why their hard baits are above the normal quality of the house brands of other big chain retailers. 
 

How did you find this out?

😉