Best way to save money on tackle 2024
TylerT123 reply :
Would a tackle subscription such as MTB save money? I’m on a budget, I don’t have many baits and I want to stock up but tackle adds up quick. Are companies like this cost effective? I’m pretty much looking for the most bang for my buck, tackle wise. Any tips or suggestions are much appreciated.
BrackishBassin reply :
In my opinion, not really. It’s a good way to get exposed to new baits/companies, but it’s literally a grab bag. Never know what’s going to be in there. That being said, I’ve been happier with my LTB than I was with the MTB. I’m a bank beater and I kept getting lures that were of little to no use to me with MTB (one ounce jigging fish thing, super deep diving cranks, etc.). Much less of an issue with that since I swapped over to LTB.
Finnz922 reply :
Look for swap meets that bass clubs put on. Usually 2 or 3 around my neck of the woods. Maybe some near you
fishwizzard reply :
Hunt around eBay for lures sold in lots, you can get stuff pretty cheaply that way.
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
Imo the most economical and effective tackle system employs the K.I.S.S. philosophy. Cover the water column, top (pop r), mid(jerkbait/fluke), bottom(jigs/worms/t rigs, cranks)
keep colors to a minimum, white, black, green pumpkin, watermelon red plus chrome and chartreuse for cranks.
Senko/yum dinger, twist tail grub, fluke, tubes ,craws for plastics/trailers.
3.0 Gamakatzu wide gap hooks & sharpener. 1/4 1/2 bullet weights split shot.
Everyone will have have their favorite must have bait to add including myself but these simple baits will get you bites. You can experiment and expand as circumstances allow.
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/15/2018 at 9:41 AM, Finnz922 said:Look for swap meets that bass clubs put on. Usually 2 or 3 around my neck of the woods. Maybe some near you
Like swapping baits? We don’t have any bass clubs at all around here
Angry John reply :
Buy stuff on line, no tax. Look for the sales tw and many others have 20% black Friday and other good sales on top of having good prices already. Scrub the for sale threads here. Lots of deals to be had most people do fall clean outs to stock up during winter. Go used...
Fishin' Fool reply :
On 2/15/2018 at 9:35 AM, TylerT123 said:Would a tackle subscription such as MTB save money? I’m on a budget, I don’t have many baits and I want to stock up but tackle adds up quick. Are companies like this cost effective? I’m pretty much looking for the most bang for my buck, tackle wise. Any tips or suggestions are much appreciated.
I did MTB and I think it's a great way for someone who doesn't have much to start to stock up. My suggestion would be to get the Pro box if you can afford it.
iaYakker reply :
1. Fishing Flea Market on Facebook
2. Post and tell them exactly what you need/Search for what you need
Numerous fishermen are willing to cut you a great deal on new/slightly used stuff
CroakHunter reply :
In had one of the subscription based boxes for awhile not sure which one. It was cool getting a box of tackle every month, butbi have literally given or thrown away everything I have gotten from them. It's not like you get a pack of senkos, rage craws, quality hooks, a war eagle spinner bait, lucky craft crankbait etc. You get off the wall baits from mostly no name companies that are trying to clear out hard to sell colors. I'm with dvt, put back 12-15 dollars a week and then every 4 weeks you can buy a good amount of what you know works in your area and what you like with free shipping or possible promotional deals. Definitely keep it simple, it's about location and presentation rather than color and "coolness". Also buy versatile baits like trick worms, can be used for dropshot, shaky head, Texas rig, carolina rigged, and twitched like a fluke. Flapping craw baits can be Texas rigfed, jig and chatterbait trailered and topwater. There are lots of baits that can be multipurpose and that alone can save money on the long run. Buying only even or odd sides of hooks will save money too. The flea market here always has some good deal to be had as well
RyneB reply :
I don't believe those boxes through the mail will give you bang for buck. I had MTB, I did enjoy it, and have 2 baits that are now staples in my boat. Other than those 2 baits, I either sold everything else or it's laying around and will never see the water.
Best bang for buck is finding sales online. Most online tackle stores have seasonal sales, and some have daily sales on certain items. You can find guys making baits in their garage selling bulk packs of plastics for a lot cheaper than a big box store. I've seen some 50 packs of soft baits for sale for under $20.
As mentioned above, don't just buy tackle to be buying tackle. When I first got serious about bass fishing, I bought way too much stuff I didnt use. I used to have every color rage craw, dozens of colors of Senkos, etc. Now I just use the basic 4 or 5 colors and just buy when I need to replenish.
TheNickFlair reply :
I got three boxes from MTB in the fall months and some baits would catch fish but some other baits I haven’t even used yet. I think the best way to save money on baits is to definitely buy a lure retriever and like you said just buy versatile baits!
bigturtle reply :
buy used and sell any lure that didnt touch the water for a year
BassWhole! reply :
Yes, having someone with a profit motive periodically send you a box of lures that may or may not be applicable to where and how you fish is going to lead to having the lures you want/need and save you money. Or you can buy a bridge, and use the profits from it to buy all the lures you could ever need.
thinkingredneck reply :
Start with worm fishing. Green Pumpkin, watermelon red fake and junebug trickworms. Some 3-0 straight or offset hooks and a variety pack of worm weights. Buy a couple spinner baits with a combo of Willow and Colorado blades in white or white cartreuse. A couple poppers or Jitterbugs. Go master those before branching out. There are several tackle outlets on line. Walmart in my area has some deals. Bass pro Classic sale starts tomorrow.
NYWayfarer reply :
Wait for your tackle store to have deals on baits.
My favorite DSG sale is buy 5 packs of Yum Dingers for $2 a pack. Those 5 packs go a long way.
bobbyg reply :
I have thought about those before. My dad did the MTB for 3 months and liked some of the stuff because it was stuff he normally wouldn't buy. I think the monthly boxes are more for people who have an establish assortment already and those kind of fill in the gaps of your collection.
IMO - BPS Spring Classic has some good deals that I am going after on Monday. 5 for $10 Booyah Spinners that are normally 6-7 each. Also, they have a large assortment of $2 crankbaits, from poppers, to lipless crankbaits, to deep divers. Lots of soft gear on sale.
Not part of the Spring Sale, but Bass Pro also has XPS kits that in my opinion are a great value for someone trying to build a collection inexpensively. They are each a 5 bait collection and they sell them for 15.99, so it is 3.20 per lure. I like this approach because if you don't own many lipless crankbaits it is a way to get 5 different colors of that type. So for $64 dollars you can go from having nothing to have 5 variations of lipless, poppers, crankbaits of different depths and squarebills.
So between the 5 spinners, 20 XPS lures, and a few bags of worms, a few $2 skirted football jigs, you could have a full tackle bow for less than $100.00!!
ZebcoZak reply :
On 2/15/2018 at 9:48 AM, fishwizzard said:Hunt around eBay for lures sold in lots, you can get stuff pretty cheaply that way.
I have done this several times before. I forget th ename but there was a guy who would sell Rapala lots for much cheaper than buying single baits. I have more shad raps now than I will ever need.
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
Flemarket is my main shopping area for lures, then a few website with good sale. As @Delaware Valley TackleMentioned about KISS, I too try to minimize myself to a few on each category, but it is hard.
Another tip for you is to stop checking out those two threads "latest sale thread" and "fishing report" every time I check those I want to spend some money.
NYWayfarer reply :
Don't forget some brick and mortar stores offer price match.
At DSG I can show them a price I found online with my phone and get the item in question reduced to that cost. I have never had them deny a price, including ones I found on Ebay. They just check (sometimes) if the item on Ebay is used or not.
smithy97 reply :
I considered joining up with MTB, but decided against it for all the reasons posted above. I'm way too picky on what few lures I buy to get a bunch of randoms that I'll end up selling in the near future.
TOXIC reply :
Absolute cheapest......Garage Sales, Estate Sales. Look in your local publications and find where they are selling fishing items. Not to be condescending but most of the time they don't know the value of what they are selling. There are guys I know who make a living buying baits/gear from these type of sales and reselling it at market.
WI_Angler1989 reply :
I've never had any real interest in the monthly subscriptions out there. It's just too much of a crap shoot for my taste. If you're really interested in stocking up, outside of shopping the sales, your best bet is gonna be to pick the must haves withing your spending limit and pick some up. Slow and steady may not be as exciting, but it sure does "win the race".
LCG reply :
Focus on proven and affordable baits. Zoom trick worm and zman TRD. TRD last forever due to elaztech.
Avoid the bait monkey and marketing hype. Easier said than done sometimes, but try your best.
TylerT123 reply :
No real tackle stores nearby, closest is about 60 miles away. I do have 2 Walmarts close but they have limited tackle and not enough to put on sale. They have the typical stuff though, yum dingers, cranks, lipless, jerkbaits, soft baits, terminal tackle but that’s about it.
TOXIC reply :
Don't laugh but my tournament partner who also was a guide on the Potomac buys all of his baits from WalMart. If you know what will work, you can usually find something close enough at Wally World and at a better price that most other retail outlets.
Fishin' Fool reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 12:00 AM, TOXIC said:Don't laugh but my tournament partner who also was a guide on the Potomac buys all of his baits from WalMart. If you know what will work, you can usually find something close enough at Wally World and at a better price that most other retail outlets.
I agree buying your baits from BPS, Cabelas, Field and Stream if it's not on sale you are going to pay more. Been there, done that when I heard they were biting on a certain bait that I had to have before a tournament.
NYWayfarer reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 12:00 AM, TOXIC said:Don't laugh but my tournament partner who also was a guide on the Potomac buys all of his baits from WalMart. If you know what will work, you can usually find something close enough at Wally World and at a better price that most other retail outlets.
I could survive a long time on just buying my baits from Walmart. They have Yum Dingers, Z-Man TRD's and Strike King Red Eye Shads.
tholmes reply :
I'll second what others have said. Buy used, either from ebay, the Flea Market on this site (there are other forums with the same type of thing), garage/estate sales, thrift stores, etc. About the only baits that I buy new are soft plastics, and even with those, you can find people selling their extra/unused baits for cheap.
Tom
Team9nine reply :
Best way to save money on tackle is to not buy it in the first place 
As DVT alluded to, you can catch plenty of bass, and get by on a whole lot less than you think. Take inventory of what you already have, then fill in a couple gaps and learn to fish what you have well before stocking up on more stuff. Avoid MTB and all similar things at this point. Ask for gift certificates (to any sporting goods stores) from family and friends for gifts, holidays, etc., then only buy things when they're on sale. Check out the clearance section of all major online retailers.
Choporoz reply :
On 2/15/2018 at 9:35 AM, TylerT123 said:Best way to save money on tackle
Steer clear of BR.....just kidding...sort of 
It's easy to get caught up in the excitement here.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 2/15/2018 at 11:21 PM, TOXIC said:Absolute cheapest......Garage Sales, Estate Sales. Look in your local publications and find where they are selling fishing items. Not to be condescending but most of the time they don't know the value of what they are selling. There are guys I know who make a living buying baits/gear from these type of sales and reselling it at market.
My "issue" with garage and estate sales is that, around here, anyway, the decent fishing gear gets snatched up right away and I'd have to get up at the crack of dawn to find anything worth having. I have a hard enough time doing that-even for fishing. But maybe if you're willing to get up early....
Further North reply :
Best way to save money on tackle?
Switch to a different hobby...like knitting... 
bigfruits reply :
lure retriever
elaztech
o-rings on stick baits
make your own jigs with quality jigheads, skirts, bands and two dollar skirt tool
LionHeart reply :
Best way is to invest in a lure retriever. Took me 4 lost 10xd's and countless other lures to break down and spend a few bucks on one. If I had back all the $ that will forever be snagged at the bottom of a lake.....
the reel ess reply :
We (most people on this board) buy a lot more baits than we need. Most of us have some baits we've never caught a fish on-rainly day baits. And most of us have multiple brands and models of the same type bait. I went through my baits a while back and gave some baits away and to Goodwill. You can buy a few proven baits and not spend a fortune on everything out there. Before I started bass fishing I used a Rooster Tail or a Mepp's Comet or a small crappie grub to catch everything that swims. When I got into bass fishing I only used a medium diving Rebel Wee R crankbait and a 6" plastic worm and we caught fish. I added a spinnerbait to that arsenal later to get the reaction bite in the medium depth range. I caught my PB on a BPS Uncle Buck's brand spinnerbait that probably cost less than $2. So you can do it on a shoestring budget and add a lure every now and then if a new technique interests you.
http://www.wideopenspaces.com/seven-lures-you-need-and-three-you-dont/
http://bestbassfishinglures.com/
Bruce424 reply :
Some fishing flea markets are where I can rake up a bunch for a few bucks. Ebay is my best friend. Lookout for sales at stores. Even Wal-Mart has discount bins full of tackle a couple bucks. Check the flea market sales on this site too.
the reel ess reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 5:39 AM, Ratherbfishing said:My "issue" with garage and estate sales is that, around here, anyway, the decent fishing gear gets snatched up right away and I'd have to get up at the crack of dawn to find anything worth having. I have a hard enough time doing that-even for fishing. But maybe if you're willing to get up early....
I give stuff that I don't use to the local charity thrift store and they love me. They know that man stuff doesn't last a New York Minute. I gave them a use baitcaster a while back and they price it to sell.
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 9:07 AM, the reel ess said:We (most people on this board) buy a lot more baits than we need. Most of us have some baits we've never caught a fish on-rainly day baits. And most of us have multiple brands and models of the same type bait. I went through my baits a while back and gave some baits away and to Goodwill. You can buy a few proven baits and not spend a fortune on everything out there. Before I started bass fishing I used a Rooster Tail or a Mepp's Comet or a small crappie grub to catch everything that swims. When I got into bass fishing I only used a medium diving Rebel Wee R crankbait and a 6" plastic worm and we caught fish. I added a spinnerbait to that arsenal later to get the reaction bite in the medium depth range. I caught my PB on a BPS Uncle Buck's brand spinnerbait that probably cost less than $2. So you can do it on a shoestring budget and add a lure every now and then if a new technique interests you.
http://www.wideopenspaces.com/seven-lures-you-need-and-three-you-dont/
http://bestbassfishinglures.com/
Thanks for the websites! I actually bookmarked best bass fishing lures just the other day.
Again just to reinerate, the Walmart’s around here are limited on tackle. They don’t have any sales, at all, ever. I live in a small town, no one has garage sales either. I’ll be honest, I know my options are limited but I was just looking for ideas. Your answers are appreciated!
Riazuli reply :
I bought most of my stuff during black friday sales, and I hunt around online for the lowest prices when buying lures. I never buy lures at full price because I know I can always find them somewhere usually for a couple bucks less than that. I wait until there are ~20% off sales and then I load up on tackle.
bowhunter22 reply :
On 2/15/2018 at 9:59 PM, bobbyg said:I have thought about those before. My dad did the MTB for 3 months and liked some of the stuff because it was stuff he normally wouldn't buy. I think the monthly boxes are more for people who have an establish assortment already and those kind of fill in the gaps of your collection.
IMO - BPS Spring Classic has some good deals that I am going after on Monday. 5 for $10 Booyah Spinners that are normally 6-7 each. Also, they have a large assortment of $2 crankbaits, from poppers, to lipless crankbaits, to deep divers. Lots of soft gear on sale.
Not part of the Spring Sale, but Bass Pro also has XPS kits that in my opinion are a great value for someone trying to build a collection inexpensively. They are each a 5 bait collection and they sell them for 15.99, so it is 3.20 per lure. I like this approach because if you don't own many lipless crankbaits it is a way to get 5 different colors of that type. So for $64 dollars you can go from having nothing to have 5 variations of lipless, poppers, crankbaits of different depths and squarebills.
So between the 5 spinners, 20 XPS lures, and a few bags of worms, a few $2 skirted football jigs, you could have a full tackle bow for less than $100.00!!
I can't find this 5 for 10 spinners deal
the reel ess reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 9:36 AM, TylerT123 said:Thanks for the websites! I actually bookmarked best bass fishing lures just the other day.
Welcome. And I might add that I caught more bass in the last year on two baits than probably all others combined (because I have the most faith in these baits). The Zoom Trick Worm and Booyah Pad Crasher. I admit I carry 6-7 rods and I do catch fish on other baits. But that's mostly because I like to fish those baits and catch fish that way, not because I have to.
And there are killer deals at BPS at the spring classic sale if you'll brave the crowd.
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 9:46 AM, the reel ess said:Welcome. And I might add that I caught more bass in the last year on two baits than probably all others combine (because I have the most faith in these baits). The Zoom Trick Worm and Booyah Pad Crasher. I admit I carry 6-7 rods and I do catch fish on other baits. But that's mostly because I like to fish those baits and catch fish that way, not because I have to.
I have yet to use my Pad Crasher, and I’ve heard great things from Zoom branded baits. I really want the Booyah Prank Lipped Popper.
the reel ess reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 9:45 AM, bowhunter22 said:I can't find this 5 for 10 spinners deal
Here's a dirty secret. Those cheap Wahoo! brand spinnerbaits and buzzbaits work well too. Take some wire and wrap the skirt around the body to make it last longer. You can thread on a swimbait when the skirt falls off and catch fish. You can put a toad on the buzzbait.
Trey J reply :
Honestly, a lot of the stuff you get may get you more for your money but if you don't really use much of the stuff it doesn't matter. I would recommend getting the $5 box discount code to start off and see if you like it and go from there. Another way will be just buying baits during sales, for example, I'm going to go stock up tomorrow at bass pro shops spring classic sale, that is a good way to get what you want for a discount.
LxVE Bassin reply :
Keep it simple. Shop on line and take advantage of sales like the one Bass Pro has. I did a monthly subscription for 8 months. It was nice getting new baits and things that you would never think to be buy but this was also a negative as a lot of the baits sent to me were not suited for waters I fish locally. Also be aware of filler baits, I received the same exact squarebill 3 times packaged by different companies. It’s a good way to accumulate tackle by doing a monthly subscription but most of the stuff I received I sitting around in the original packaging.
bobbyg reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 9:45 AM, bowhunter22 said:I can't find this 5 for 10 spinners deal
It is on the back page of the ad. It's an in-store only item.
I should also say that some regions might have different ads. . .if it isn't on the back. I checked a couple of stores after I posted this and they were slightly different ads, but they all had this on the back page.
Edited by bobbygClarifying possibility of regional ads.
Further North reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 8:49 AM, bigfruits said:lure retriever
elaztech
o-rings on stick baits
make your own jigs with quality jigheads, skirts, bands and two dollar skirt tool
Here's one: Take up fly fishing and tie your own flies.
The flies (tackle) will be cheap...
...everything else (rods, reels, line, you name it) will cost 4x what gear fishing costs...and that's if you stay in the shallow water...
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 10:46 AM, Further North said:Here's one: Take up fly fishing and tie your own flies.
The flies (tackle) will be cheap...
...everything else (rods, reels, line, you name it) will cost 4x what gear fishing costs...and that's if you stay in the shallow water...
Already bought a cheap fly rod, $35 for rod, line and flies, I just wanted to try it. Don’t even get me started on bowfishing. I have spent more than I’d like to admit on it. $20 an arrow makes me wince and those are the cheap ones. I hope the fish like the couple that I’ve lost already!
Further North reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 10:54 AM, TylerT123 said:Already bought a cheap fly rod, $35 for rod, line and flies, I just wanted to try it. Don’t even get me started on bowfishing. I have spent more than I’d like to admit on it. $20 an arrow makes me wince and those are the cheap ones. I hope the fish like the couple that I’ve lost already!
Yeah...I started with a $35 fly rod, reel and line...about 5 years ago...you don't want to know the damage since then...
One comment: Don't base how much you like fly fishing on on well that rig works...it'd be like basing how much you like gear fishing on a $19.99 Snoopy rod and reel from Walmart...
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 11:01 AM, Further North said:Yeah...I started with a $35 fly rod, reel and line...about 5 years ago...you don't want to know the damage since then...
One comment: Don't base how much you like fly fishing on on well that rig works...it'd be like basing how much you like gear fishing on a $19.99 Snoopy rod and reel from Walmart...
Never even thought of that, I knew it was cheap but I’m pretty persistent though. I fished everyday for at least a month, with a crappy setup, before I shot anything. Thanks for the comment!
Bankbeater reply :
Auctions, and garage sales. I also bought a lure retriever that paid for itself within a month.
Catt reply :
#1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet.
Bass don't care whose name is on the lure!
Quite thinking ya need name brand lures!
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 9:26 PM, Catt said:#1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet.
Bass don't care whose name is on the lure!
Quite thinking ya need name brand lures!
But it takes money to buy any lure.
Edited by TylerT123Drew03cmc reply :
I sent you a PM Tyler.
Catt reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 10:28 PM, TylerT123 said:But it takes money to buy any lure.
Yeah they do but they totally useless if ya don't know where to throw em!
IndianaFinesse reply :
Here's a few:
1st off, do not ever, ever look at the latest sale thread. That thing is the bait monkey incarnated, and deadly for your wallet. Steer clear.
2nd, buy a pole style lure retriever. Best $30 purchase I have ever made, except for Spoonplugging.
3rd, pour your own shaky heads/ned rig heads etc. if you use a lot of them. I can pour a mushroom head for 70¢ with a premium owner hook, or 6¢ with a decent lil' nasty.
4th Don't try high end gear. If you don't know what you're missing, you won't want it. And once you've bought your first higher end combo, there is no going back as suddenly your more budget friendly combos don't feel so nice anymore. But what fun is that?
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/17/2018 at 8:24 AM, IndianaFinesse said:Here's a few:
1st off, do not ever, ever look at the latest sale thread. That thing is the bait monkey incarnated, and deadly for your wallet. Steer clear.
2nd, buy a pole style lure retriever. Best $30 purchase I have ever made, except for Spoonplugging.
3rd, pour your own shaky heads/ned rig heads etc. if you use a lot of them. I can pour a mushroom head for 70¢ with a premium owner hook, or 6¢ with a decent lil' nasty.
4th Don't try high end gear. If you don't know what you're missing, you won't want it. And once you've bought your first higher end combo, there is no going back as suddenly your more budget friendly combos don't feel so nice anymore. But what fun is that?
How much was start up cost for pouring your own heads?
ClackerBuzz reply :
tltr: my immediate thought is you are a bank angler.
if so buy a kayak. it will pay for itself in 2 season. if that is not an option switch to braid as main line. do not use a leader and you should be able to bend the majority of hooks out and get ur lures back. an adjustment is need when battling bass. when fighting 3+lb bass you can easily bend out the hooks and lose them. adjust the drag and finesse them to shore.
forget treble baits. focus on lures you can rig weedless: texas rig, weightless senko, drop shot, C rig. spinner/chatterbaits with upward facing hooks. weedless swimbaits. frogs and buzzbaits
IndianaFinesse reply :
On 2/17/2018 at 9:34 AM, TylerT123 said:How much was start up cost for pouring your own heads?
About $65 for 1 mold, a few packs of hooks, a pot for melting lead in, a ladle, and shipping. I melt lead on my stove, but most guys use an electric pot, which costs a good bit more.
TylerT123 reply :
On 2/17/2018 at 11:09 AM, ClackerBuzz said:tltr: my immediate thought is you are a bank angler.
if so buy a kayak. it will pay for itself in 2 season. if that is not an option switch to braid as main line. do not use a leader and you should be able to bend the majority of hooks out and get ur lures back. an adjustment is need when battling bass. when fighting 3+lb bass you can easily bend out the hooks and lose them. adjust the drag and finesse them to shore.
forget treble baits. focus on lures you can rig weedless: texas rig, weightless senko, drop shot, C rig. spinner/chatterbaits with upward facing hooks. weedless swimbaits. frogs and buzzbaits
I’m not an exclusive bank angler, if I’m looking for ways to save on tackle, I won’t be buying a kayak anytime soon.
PatrickKnight reply :
I would find out what 3-4 lures produce fairly consistently on what ever body of what you fish then work on mastering those baits. Doing this will keep you from buying stuff you wont really use. A lot of baits out there are meant to catch fisherman more than fish.
I did this and now I carry tubes, grubs, swim baits, jerk baits, and a couple top water baits with me. I also have it narrowed down to 3-4 colors of each.
You don't need one of everything from Bass Pro to catch a lot of bass you just need to find out what works in your area and what you enjoy fishing.
blongfishing reply :
If I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t have bought half the stuff I did. I bought colors that I will never use and stuff that just looked cool (yes, the whole “catching the fishermen instead of the fish” got me a couple times).
I am a student on a budget so I have a small amount I can spend each month. The best thing that ever happened to me was a sale the day after Christmas at academy. I ended up spending about $100-$150 all from the clearance rack that would usually be about $400!
The best thing is to watch for sales. I get the sale paper for most stores either by mail or email so I can see what’s on sale and what I can get a good deal on. One goal I made was to keep it simple this year. I know what I can catch fish on and what works for me. I am also looking to buy lure lots off of eBay too because those seem to be good deals. Biggest thing is keeping your eyes open for good deals.
Will1248 reply :
@TylerT123 I made an excel sheet for the basics stick to Green Pumpkin, White, Black and Watermelon for soft plastics and Chartreuse/firetiger , Shad(forage like bass and bluegill if you prefer), and Red Craw for most hard plastics. You really only need two colors something white/clear and natural looking and something crazy like pink, chartreuse, firetiger etc for dark water or cloudy days. Hope the sheet helps.
Fishing Inventory .xlsx
TylerT123 reply :
On 3/12/2018 at 12:48 PM, Will1248 said:@TylerT123 I made an excel sheet for the basics stick to Green Pumpkin, White, Black and Watermelon for soft plastics and Chartreuse/firetiger , Shad(forage like bass and bluegill if you prefer), and Red Craw for most hard plastics. You really only need two colors something white/clear and natural looking and something crazy like pink, chartreuse, firetiger etc for dark water or cloudy days. Hope the sheet helps.
Fishing Inventory .xlsxFetching info...
Wow! That’s really helpful, thank you!
Will1248 reply :
@TylerT123 The top few rows are pretty much all the basics. The gray increases by how often I use the lures with dark gray being the most common. The bottom rows are things that I need to either replace or acquire. Since you are starting off dont over invest, try to pick up things for $5 or under. When in doubt get Green Pumpkin or Black for worms. And a simple white Shad color with a single dot on each side for every hard plastic in all depths. Those dots are important I even carry Sharpies with me in case they chip or come off. Shad have evolved those since bass target the eyes of the fish... so they hit the belly instead of their head. I for one, was just attracted to certain things and wasted a lot of money on things that now as a seasoned angler, I dont even entertain, so I give it to little kids or friends I fish with if they want it.
Only thing I would actually buy full price is a Zoom Salty Super Fluke in white pearl, and Baby Bass Storm Chug Bug. Everything else get whatever brand you like but those specifically in those colors produce more for me. If you look at wally world then Norman is usually on sale and two colors you NEED to have Rootbeer and Mountain Dew, but only for the Deep Little N. Those two colors cover everything besides a crawdad color and they are an instant confidence bait, fish the first in clear water and/or sunny weather and the later in murky water and cloudy weather.
TylerT123 reply :
On 3/12/2018 at 10:20 PM, Will1248 said:@TylerT123 The top few rows are pretty much all the basics. The gray increases by how often I use the lures with dark gray being the most common. The bottom rows are things that I need to either replace or acquire. Since you are starting off dont over invest, try to pick up things for $5 or under. When in doubt get Green Pumpkin or Black for worms. And a simple white Shad color with a single dot on each side for every hard plastic in all depths. Those dots are important I even carry Sharpies with me in case they chip or come off. Shad have evolved those since bass target the eyes of the fish... so they hit the belly instead of their head. I for one, was just attracted to certain things and wasted a lot of money on things that now as a seasoned angler, I dont even entertain, so I give it to little kids or friends I fish with if they want it.
Only thing I would actually buy full price is a Zoom Salty Super Fluke in white pearl, and Baby Bass Storm Chug Bug. Everything else get whatever brand you like but those specifically in those colors produce more for me. If you look at wally world then Norman is usually on sale and two colors you NEED to have Rootbeer and Mountain Dew, but only for the Deep Little N. Those two colors cover everything besides a crawdad color and they are an instant confidence bait, fish the first in clear water and/or sunny weather and the later in murky water and cloudy weather.
Super flukes have been on my list to pick up.
RB 77 reply :
The monthly subscriptions are a nice way to discover new baits, not so much to save money. To save money buy only what you "need", not what you "want". In the past i have been an impulse tackle buyer. Over the last few years I have curbed that back.
Hez reply :
On 3/13/2018 at 12:05 AM, RB 77 said:The monthly subscriptions are a nice way to discover new baits, not so much to save money. To save money buy only what you "need", not what you "want". In the past i have been an impulse tackle buyer. Over the last few years I have curbed that back.
+ 1
Fried Lemons reply :
Think back on previous seasons and make note of what actually worked and what you spent the most time using. I own several gallons in soft plastics and either didn’t touch or used once 90% of them. Stick with what you know works and don’t get suckered by the latest and greatest.
I also found color is highly overrated and probably the greatest marketing scheme the lure companies have come up with.
If you are looking at higher end gear from Daiwa/Shimano I highly recommend buying secondhand previous gen models. Lots of people feel the need to replace their gear each time companies come out with something new. Their loss your gain.
OnthePotomac reply :
I am always on the hunt for sales. Every spring Dicks will have a great sale on a variety of lures and I mean really knocking down the prices. Gander used to also, but they are gone. Cabelas will also have great sales. Sign up for all the tackle companies emails and keep informed. Yes, even BPS will offer sales and often offer free shipping with either no minimum purchase, or free shipping with at least $50 in purchases. I get email notices from six various companies. I do not like full prices purchases. Walmart may not have a big store selection, but their on line shopping site can offer some incredible items and prices.
Mobasser reply :
I'm with most of these guys. MTB is not the best way to go.Look for sales, or online discounts. And remember, a huge array of baits is not always needed. Some of the best fisherman use just a few "types" of baits but learn to use them well
blckshirt98 reply :
Don't get sucked in by the bait monkey! A local pro kills it using nothing but Zoom Trick worms most of the time. You don't need the expensive stuff from Japan, the relatively lower priced stuff here (Zoom, Yum) works fine. Look for sales online, especially when they have sitewide sales on holidays where the discount sometimes will also apply to already on-sale/clearance items, and if shopping Cabela's or another large online retailer, take advantage of gift card sale sites for another 10-20% off.
OperationEagle reply :
I have saved a ton checking the “latest sale thread” almost every day.
And thats part part of the problem too. The bait monkey uses the website to control me causing me to spend more than I need. Erasing all savings.
and if you are reading this and think it’s crazy I check every day, you are in denial....I know you all check it daily too.
Choporoz reply :
On 3/14/2018 at 10:43 AM, OperationEagle said:I have saved a ton checking the “latest sale thread” almost every day.
Ex-wife graduated from same school of logic. "Honey, I saved us $40 by getting this purse I don't need while it was on sale."
RPreeb reply :
On 2/16/2018 at 8:46 AM, Further North said:Best way to save money on tackle?
Switch to a different hobby...like knitting...
This might not be as good an idea as you think. My sister-in-law is an avid knitter, and you should see her knitting storage room (which is supposed to be her husband's pool room, but to get it ready to play pool, it takes her about 2 hours to move all of her stuff from on top and all around his beautiful antique pool table). Some of the exotic yarn she has bought surpasses the price of the most expensive lures I've seen.
Further North reply :
On 3/14/2018 at 11:46 PM, RPreeb said:This might not be as good an idea as you think. My sister-in-law is an avid knitter, and you should see her knitting storage room (which is supposed to be her husband's pool room, but to get it ready to play pool, it takes her about 2 hours to move all of her stuff from on top and all around his beautiful antique pool table). Some of the exotic yarn she has bought surpasses the price of the most expensive lures I've seen.
Who knew?
I get to learn something new every day, but that one was unexpected...
roadwarrior reply :
Well, for some of us "old geezers", we might have everything we "need". So for me and the other
guys in this category, NEVER buy ANYTHING that is not on sale! I try not to pay retail for any
product and with a little patience, it works pretty well.
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