Bait snob

[Munkin]

Anyone else becoming a bait snob? I find myself buying mostly expensive Japanese baits these days. Now I still carry the $5 baits but hardly use them because of the LC and Team Diawa baits.

Allen

[Jake.]

I find myself guilty. All I use now are lucky crafts. I haven't tried a Megabass yet, but I see that happening in the near future.  :-[

[bpm2000]

swimbaits...

[Raul]

Anyone else becoming a bait snob?

Allen

Who ?   :-?

me ?!?   :-/

Nah !!!!  

[roadwarrior]

Ole' Bannana Breath is a sly one.

After He hooks you up, then he leads you towards new and mysterious ways. What you thought was an expensive $5.95 bait is now "cheap" compared to your $49 swimbait.

VERY expensive Lucky Craft now seem like a good "value".

Ain't it something?   :

[Bob Kavanaugh]

I have not been hooked. I have a very tight fishing budget now that I have a ring on my finger. That, and the fact that I don't make much to begin with. I very rarely fish hardbaits anyway.

-Bob, and always trying to keep the bait monkey at bay...

[Guest avid]

I love my high end Loomis GLX's St. Criox Legend Elites, Diawa TD-Z's and steez's,  they are so light, sensative, and responsive (what a woman!!)

but when it comes to lures, I have to try everything, but if it don't catch bass it don't get bought again.

My best example of that would be the original  Bill Lewis Ratltrap.  Not an expensive lure at all.  Even when I trade out the stock trebles for owners.

But they are prominently featured in my Tacklebox and often found on the end of a rod.

They just plain work.

My favorite lipped crankbait is a storm wiggle/mag wart.   Also not pricey.  But definitely my go to crank.

Topwater?..............Sammy is great, but my #1 is a spook jr.

there are other examples.  Like bagley balsa cranks outfishing my custom balsa cranks

But then again, there are my Rick Clunn's which are killers, and my my mega bass pop-x and pop max.  -  dynomite.

So if it looks pretty or has the big buzz, i'll buy it

but to buy more it's gotta deliver.

[bass109]

Raul, i guess its never enough for that guy. 8-)

[grimlin]

I've been looking at the megabass pop max myself...Can't come to bring myself to buy it just yet.

[T-rig]

I can't fit these in any of my boxes ;D ;D.

[Sam]

I like the Bandits. The 100 and 200 series do very well for me.

Most expensive bait I have is the RICO.

It outperforms the Pop-R and Spook for me.

I have some Sammy's, too.

But $49 for a bait?

I don't think so.

I may be crazy but I ain't stuipd.

[fishing man]

GUILTY.

when ever i go out shopping for new lures with like a friend they will show me a cheap lure and i cant buy it, i can only buy the expensive (5-10$) lures like rapalas, strike king, etc.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

I dont see any reason that the "cheaper baits made by reputable companies cant catch fish just as well as a 25 dollar plus megabass.Not the dollar bin knock off specials though.its well documented that those really suck.Then again I guess the point of this thread is that once you start with the expensive ones thats all you want to buy. I guess it is nice to own nice stuff,but if you cant afford it or dont have sponsors buying it all then you you dont need it, and can still catch plenty of fish.

When I was younger I used to swear by my uglystick LMAO.Now I wont touch a rod unles its a st croix,loomis,or kistler.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Just to add a point to my other post.

I cant stand the guys that somehow think they are sooo much better of a basser just because they have a box full of ultra expensive baits and use 500+ dollar rod/reel combos.I dont think they have an edge up on anyone else because of nicer equipment.It all about how you use it.

I have a friend who makes much much more than me and buys all the topp of the line stuff but has no clue whatsoever how to use any of it.He just like to have nice stuff I guess.It seems that he is doing all the bragging when it comes to catching,but i am the one putting us on the fish and telling him which bait he should be using.

[roadwarrior]

Better equipment will not make a poor fisherman good,

but it will help a good fisherman become better.

8-)

[T-rig]

Better equipment will not make a poor fisherman good,

but it will help a good fisherman become better.

8-)

So true!

[Avalonjohn44]

I buy a lot of expensive baits, but don't think I am a bait snob... My favorite and best producing crankbait is still a Bandit 100 pearl with chartreuse back, got them on promotion at wal-mart a couple of years ago for a buck apiece, bought them all... And I will buy Gambler Ace's or Tiki Sticks before Senkos because it makes me angry to pay $6+ for 10 soft plastics...

But I love Megabass baits - can't get enough of them.  Unfortunately I can only rationalize one per paycheck on ebay...

I also love Bagley cranks, and they are easier to get at 6-10 bucks apiece...

I have some Lucky Craft lures, but they don't 'do it' for me for some reason, I have not found them to be as great as some have.

[Shadcranker]

I buy the Sammy's and Cavitron Buzzbaits (around $6 vs. $3-4 for others), but that's about it. With the LC topwaters, you should keep them forever, b/c they're almost impossible to lose.

I just can't see throwing a $20 crankbait 15ft deep, banging off stumps on 10lb line. My Norman DD14 and DD22's work just fine for me.

As far as other cranks go, a $5 shad rap, a $3 Rattle Trap, and a $4 Bandit 200 and 300 series works just fine for me.

I may buy some higher end topwater stuff, but that's about it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did buy some high end plastic swimbaits (only around 10) to try in 08, but I haven't sold out on them yet. Got soem 3:16 shads and California Swimbabe Baby E's. They look great, but we'll see.

[bocabasser]

guilty as charged. i am so frugal, that the other day i was throwing a LC slender pointer (best hard jerkbait on the market IMO) and it got hung up on something under water. without hesitation, i shed my shirt and flipflops, and dove off the boat to get it. it sure is spooky under stained water. retrieved it, retied and continued fishing.

[Olebiker]

In the bicycling world we call the guys who own expensive bikes but can't keep up on the rides "poseurs."  It's French for poser.

Reminds me of the guy back in Knoxville with the Allison bass boat and the 225 Mariner.  He was always bragging about how fast it would run but I don't think I ever saw him weigh a fish at a tournament.  He was a poseur.

To me, anything over $5 is an expensive bait.  I will admit to buying a few SPRO lures at $7-8, but that is as high as I have gone so far.

[smallfry]

I've got my share of expensive baits, but I have to admit that a $2.99 crankbait figured into a money finish in 5 of the 7 tournaments I fished this year.  That included every keeper fish and 3 culls in what wound up being a limit averaging 3.7 lbs/fish on a lake I'd never seen before blast off.  

[Guest avid]

I've been looking at the megabass pop max myself...Can't come to bring myself to buy it just yet.

I understand.

Buying a lure that will end up costing 30 bucks is a big step.

But consider this...........................It's a topwater so it's always visible, and It floats.  

So even if it breaks off you can retrieve it.

I had one snap off on a cast when I was night fishing.  I heard it splash down, so I had a general idea where it landed.

Then I sat still and got a good reading on the wind direction.

Next morning I went into the cove I lost it in and took another read on the wind.

It was blowing in the same direction.

I took a heading on the wind and motored slowly accross the cove.

I found the lure about 10 feet from where I calculated it should be.

Pretty cool eh?    

The moral to the story is that a well made hard bait should last a lifetime.  Yes it can get lost in the jaw of the bass, but often they will shake them loose within a minute or two and it will float to the surface not too far away.

I have what I call my "legacy collection"  these are all expensive Japanese hardbaits, that I will pass down to my grandchildren.

Now, with that in mind..............Just how expensive is $30.00  

[grimlin]

Thanks avid,I think i'll be on my way to pick one up soon. ;D

[Tokyo Tony]

I think you guys are being a little tough on the rich guys who get all the expensive stuff (I'm definitely not one of those, for the record).  If you have the money, by all means go buy all the most expensive equipment if it makes you happy, even if you're a lousy angler.  However, if you're a lousy angler with all the toys, once you start bragging and running your mouth, you lose your right not to be made fun of  8-)

Personally, I'm not a bait snob, but am slowly gravitating towards the more expensive baits.  I just like how they look, and the quality difference is definitely noticeable in the action and durability.

[Guest btlva]

Better equipment will not make a poor fisherman good,

but it will help a good fisherman become better.

8-)

yep exactly right.

My tackle and gear runs the gamut. I have cheap, expensive, and everything in between. I like it that way!

Raul, I don't know how you can leave those nice baits in the packages...first thing I do when I get a new toy is take it out and play with it. The best ones will often ride in the passenger seat of my truck for a couple days so I can ogle them on the way to and from work and think about where and how I'm going to use them. Yes I have a little problem