Relativity of lure costs 2024
Munkin reply :
Just wanted to post this based on some people saying they would never buy a lure over X amount. For me it is relative to what the lure is and how it is used. Lets take topwaters for example in this scenario, yes a $20 topwater is an expensive initial investment but answer me this. How many topwater baits do you lose? I have been bass fishing since 1986 and have lost exactly 4. Taking that into account how many senkos or Keitech baits do you go through and what do they cost? Jerkbaits are another bait, besides losing them to toothy fish how many do you lose? I have lost 3 in 10 years and broke 3 more hitting something usually the TM head. For me a LC jerkbait costs as much as 2 bags of senkos and while the senkos I can go through in a day the LC I will have for years. Throwing this though out there because it has been on my mind for a little while now. Honestly my main expense is gas and I spend more in Optimax oil a year that I do on lost or broken lures.
PS: Buy a good lure retriever.
Allen
Derek1 reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 9:17 AM, Munkin said:Just wanted to post this based on some people saying they would never buy a lure over X amount. For me it is relative to what the lure is and how it is used. Lets take topwaters for example in this scenario, yes a $20 topwater is an expensive initial investment but answer me this. How many topwater baits do you lose? I have been bass fishing since 1986 and have lost exactly 4. Taking that into account how many senkos or Keitech baits do you go through and what do they cost? Jerkbaits are another bait, besides losing them to toothy fish how many do you lose? I have lost 3 in 10 years and broke 3 more hitting something usually the TM head. For me a LC jerkbait costs as much as 2 bags of senkos and while the senkos I can go through in a day the LC I will have for years. Throwing this though out there because it has been on my mind for a little while now. Honestly my main expense is gas and I spend more in Optimax oil a year that I do on lost or broken lures.
PS: Buy a good lure retriever.
Allen
Great post, my hardbait collection is tarting to grow but a years worth of softplastics Is definitely more then buying a few quality hardbaits every season.
jbsoonerfan reply :
A MB vision 110 is worth EVERY penny when it comes to catching fish. If you are worried about losing it, don't be.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
I lose more terminal tackle than anything
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:10 AM, NittyGrittyBoy said:I lose more terminal tackle than anything
Yep, I have more tungsten and trokars at the bottom of a lake than a 110.
Pickle_Power reply :
Very good point. I lose a fair amount of cranks in the river going after smallies so you'd never see me throwing a $15 bait there. Other than that, I also believe I toss more money at plastics than hard baits.
Munkin reply :
Just trying to put things into perspective.
Allen
microotter reply :
I have lost a lot of hardbaits this year already. I think it is because I am fishing new (rocky) water from shore. That being said, I agree with your post—especially topwaters.
Munkin reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:23 AM, microotter said:I have lost a lot of hardbaits this year already. I think it is because I am fishing new (rocky) water from shore. That being said, I agree with your post—especially topwaters.
Buy a telescopic light bulb changer from Lowes, etc. pull the spring ring off the end and swap the metal fingers in electrical tape. You can use this to get back most lures from the bank and it will pay for itself after a trip or two.
Allen
Glaucus reply :
Good thread.
However I will say that I lost 3 Whopper Ploppers to trees last year alone. I lose a lot of stuff. This is because I have no fear of putting my lures into a messy situation or making high risk casts because these areas are where the fish are.
Actually one of the Ploppers was lost to a concrete bridge piling. I was trying to cast right next to it and instead hit it and it broke the Plopper.
EGbassing reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 9:50 AM, jbsoonerfan said:A MB vision 110 is worth EVERY penny when it comes to catching fish. If you are worried about losing it, don't be.
Do they make a shallow version?
Edit: Actually it looks like the regular version is 4 - 6 feet. I thought it was 10 feet for some reason.
gimruis reply :
Ya’ll must not have an endless amount of pike trying to steal your lures.
Munkin reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:31 AM, Glaucus said:Good thread.
However I will say that I lost 3 Whopper Ploppers to trees last year alone. I lose a lot of stuff. This is because I have no fear of putting my lures into a messy situation or making high risk casts because these areas are where the fish are.
I have never caught a fish in the trees they were all in the water, just sayin.
Allen
Glaucus reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:39 AM, Munkin said:
I have never caught a fish in the trees they were all in the water, just sayin.
Allen
Yeah well when you're trying to get under trees or between trees, sometimes you miss. So many overhanging trees have eaten a lot of my stuff.
Munkin reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:38 AM, gimruis said:Ya’ll must not have an endless amount of pike trying to steal your lures.
Deep Creek Lake Merryland; Pickerel, Pike, Musky, Walleye all of which have teeth and love to steal lures whenever they can. The last club tournament I fished there I caught 2 Pike over 36" on a 1/2oz black jig flippin docks. Worst was one hit a jerkbait then spasmed in the net which wrapped teeth and 3 sets of teeth everywhere.
Allen
On 4/8/2019 at 10:43 AM, Glaucus said:Yeah well when you're trying to get under trees or between trees, sometimes you miss. So many overhanging trees have eaten a lot of my stuff.
See my post above about the light bulb changer. I have a buddy that can cast a lure into the only tree on the lake from 300 yards away. I am the expert at retrieving his lures from trees with my light bulb retriever.
Allen
king fisher reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:39 AM, Munkin said:
I have never caught a fish in the trees they were all in the water, just sayin.
Allen
I have never caught a fish in a tree, or on land, but I keep trying . I even tried to catch a fish on a power line once. Thanks to the bait monkey, I buy more lures than I loose, the more expensive the lure, the faster I loose it. Must be a law of physics.
Jrob78 reply :
Buying lures is part of the enjoyment of fishing for me. I use a lot of Megabass, Lucky Craft, Ima, Jackall etc and balsa crankbaits but always have a lure retriever handy. Swimbaits are what get really expensive though. Easy come, easy go....but I do my best not to lose them.
Munkin reply :
I actually caught a bass once that wasn't in the water. Casted a power hawg over this branch that was about 12" above the water. Shook the bait and it slowly moved down the branch toward the water then when it was about 6" above the water a bass jumped up and grabbed it. Fish was only about 15" but to catch one not in the water was a new for me.
Allen
Angry John reply :
I have caught several frog fish in trees. Getting them back over the limb is almost impossible
Bluebasser86 reply :
I lose more jerkbaits than any other hard bait by far. I fish them a lot for smallmouth and all of our smallmouth lakes have zebra mussels, so any slight touch of the line to a shell and my bait is gone, either while fighting a fish or sometimes on the next cast. I also deal with a lot of wipers, which take off so sometimes they'll pop the line unless the drag is set very loose. Also fishing in extreme cold I believe is taxing on a bait. Getting a bait we and then bringing it into teen or single digit air temps at times has to be hard on the plastic. Combine that with fishing around rocks a lot, I end up with a lot of broken bills and baits.
This was just 1 day, I also lost a Slender Pointer that was obviously not available for the picture. 2 RC STX and 2 custom 110s.
For that reason I have no issue dropping 50-100 on a swimbait, but I can't drop $25 on a Vision 110 because I know it probably isn't going to last me long. I've only ever lost 2 swimbaits, and one of those was because of zebra mussels too.
The Maestro reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 12:08 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I lose more jerkbaits than any other hard bait by far. I fish them a lot for smallmouth and all of our smallmouth lakes have zebra mussels, so any slight touch of the line to a shell and my bait is gone, either while fighting a fish or sometimes on the next cast. I also deal with a lot of wipers, which take off so sometimes they'll pop the line unless the drag is set very loose. Also fishing in extreme cold I believe is taxing on a bait. Getting a bait we and then bringing it into teen or single digit air temps at times has to be hard on the plastic. Combine that with fishing around rocks a lot, I end up with a lot of broken bills and baits.
This was just 1 day, I also lost a Slender Pointer that was obviously not available for the picture. 2 RC STX and 2 custom 110s.
For that reason I have no issue dropping 50-100 on a swimbait, but I can't drop $25 on a Vision 110 because I know it probably isn't going to last me long. I've only ever lost 2 swimbaits, and one of those was because of zebra mussels too.
I started using this stuff in 13lb. It's extremely thin diameter and flexible. It will prevent bite offs and line nick's without affecting the baits action.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:35 PM, The Maestro said:I started using this stuff in 13lb. It's extremely thin diameter and flexible. It will prevent bite offs and line nick's without affecting the baits action.
The water is also very clear because of the zebra mussels. Using anything that's very visible isn't an option without costing lots of bites.
blckshirt98 reply :
Frequest donations to the fishing gods is something I've just accepted as part of the "hobby sport". If you think about it, once you get your big up front costs taken care of (rods, reels, boat), the rest (terminal tackle, line, lures) is fairly cheap compared to other "hobby sports". Things like golf green fees/cart fees, ammunition, are all much more expensive on a "per outing" basis.
FryDog62 reply :
On 4/8/2019 at 10:43 AM, Glaucus said:Yeah well when you're trying to get under trees or between trees, sometimes you miss. So many overhanging trees have eaten a lot of my stuff.
That being said, my best River Smallmouth in years was caught with the line wrapped around a branch (not that I was trying to fish that way of course..)
BassWhole! reply :
Oh good, so it's not just me. Some days I go through almost a bag of JBs, 2 if they are Shadow Raps®...
Log Catcher reply :
The only way anything in Mega Bass price range would end up in my tackle box would be if some body gave it to me. I have several L. C. suspending jerk baits. That is my limit on what I would spend on a bait.
ww2farmer reply :
What a lot of people don't take into account with inexpensive baits is the stuff you have to change out on them.
For example:
Strike King KVD 1.5 square bill = $6 @ TW
Good quality replacement hooks ~ $1 to $2 EACH
Good quality replacement split rings ~ $4 -$6 a pack
Your $6 bait is now an $8-$10 bait.....with hit or miss quality control...OR you could just buy a Lucky Craft LC Squarebill that's ready to go out of the box for $7
I used to buy the SK stuff...now I buy baits that I don't have to fuss with to fish, or worry about duds...even if they cost more.
Manly Studson reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 8:54 AM, ww2farmer said:What a lot of people don't take into account with inexpensive baits is the stuff you have to change out on them.
For example:
Strike King KVD 1.5 square bill = $6 @ TW
Good quality replacement hooks ~ $1 to $2 EACH
Good quality replacement split rings ~ $4 -$6 a pack
Your $6 bait is now an $8-$10 bait.....with hit or miss quality control...OR you could just buy a Lucky Craft LC Squarebill that's ready to go out of the box for $7
I used to buy the SK stuff...now I buy baits that I don't have to fuss with to fish, or worry about duds...even if they cost more.
You’re right about “duds.” I grew tired of cheaper lures not working very well. As far as replacing hooks and split rings go, is this necessary because of rust or some other reason?
ww2farmer reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 9:07 AM, Manly Studson said:You’re right about “duds.” I grew tired of cheaper lures not working very well. As far as replacing hooks and split rings go, is this necessary because of rust or some other reason?
Stock hooks and rings on SK baits are about worthless. The hooks rust, bend, break, get dull in short order. The rings are not much better. Randomly you ill get a run of baits with SUPER strength split rings that dampen the action of the bait and you just about need dynamite to spread open to change hooks...then also randomly they will come with rings with the strength of a wet noodle, that a stiff breeze will split open. I had ZERO confidence using the stock hardware on those baits. I did, but only in a pinch.
As for the baits....they are mehhh to begin with. When they first came out quality was good, and it's gone WAY down. The last bunch I bought 2-3 years ago, I had MORE problem baits than good ones. Stupid stuff ...like lipless baits that leaked from the first cast, rattles that were stuck in place and caused baits to run funny, body halves that were not glued together straight. It was comically bad.
Manly Studson reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 9:14 AM, ww2farmer said:Stock hooks and rings on SK baits are about worthless. The hooks rust, bend, break, get dull in short order. The rings are not much better. Randomly you ill get a run of baits with SUPER strength split rings that dampen the action of the bait and you just about need dynamite to spread open to change hooks...then also randomly they will come with rings with the strength of a wet noodle, that a stiff breeze will split open. I had ZERO confidence using the stock hardware on those baits. I did, but only in a pinch.
As for the baits....they are mehhh to begin with. When they first came out quality was good, and it's gone WAY down. The last bunch I bought 2-3 years ago, I had MORE problem baits than good ones. Stupid stuff ...like lipless baits that leaked from the first cast, rattles that were stuck in place and caused baits to run funny, body halves that were not glued together straight. It was comically bad.
I’m tempted to dive into a discussion about brands, costs, and quality of their components, but may I do that here? Will the site let me talk freely about brands?
Jrob78 reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 9:35 AM, Manly Studson said:I’m tempted to dive into a discussion about brands, costs, and quality of their components, but may I do that here? Will the site let me talk freely about brands?
You should always start a new thread when changing topics.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 9:35 AM, Manly Studson said:I’m tempted to dive into a discussion about brands, costs, and quality of their components, but may I do that here? Will the site let me talk freely about brands?
You can talk about their quality and such as long as it isn't "brand X is junk" type stuff that is just straightforward bashing the brand. Like @Jrob78 said though, start a new topic to do so.
Munkin reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 8:54 AM, ww2farmer said:What a lot of people don't take into account with inexpensive baits is the stuff you have to change out on them.
For example:
Strike King KVD 1.5 square bill = $6 @ TW
Good quality replacement hooks ~ $1 to $2 EACH
Good quality replacement split rings ~ $4 -$6 a pack
Your $6 bait is now an $8-$10 bait.....with hit or miss quality control...OR you could just buy a Lucky Craft LC Squarebill that's ready to go out of the box for $7
I used to buy the SK stuff...now I buy baits that I don't have to fuss with to fish, or worry about duds...even if they cost more.
This gets me to point number 2, what value do you place on time on the water. When I was a broke teenager I could spend 2 hours tuning a bait or modifying it. Now if it takes me more than 5 minutes it is sold or given away as I do not have time to mess with it.
Allen
cgolf reply :
River fishing, toothy critters, and a medium sized budget keep me from jumping into the high cost lure market.
Right now now I tend to go with brands like Bandit, Norman, Strike King, Rapala, and then dabble with other brands to see if they make the rotation. These lures catch a lot of fish for me. That said while I don’t agree with some about the quality of SK baits, their lineup has some duds for me. The 1.5 and 2.5 square bills just don’t catch fish for me. The RES however is a Magic bait for me.
I do have a nice collection of whopper ploppers but also got them on sale, so not that big of hit to the budget.
Jerkbaits get carried away by Musky so no Vision 110s for me. Some jerkbaits don’t even last a handful of casts.
NYWayfarer reply :
The Whopper Plopper is the most economical bait I own. Dozens of fish caught on it and it's still going strong.
cgolf reply :
The one thing we shouldn’t forget is that the standard brands that are in the 6 to 10 buck range have some great lures in there. The Bandit 100 for example has caught me more fish than all other cranks combined. They are consistent too, never had one not catch fish.
Spending more obviously doesn’t mean catching more.
That said I stay away from the ultra cheap store brand cranks, they have always had issues with running straight and catching fish.
OCdockskipper reply :
Same topic, just a bend in the path - I don't know how ZMan stays in business with how long their plastics (Elaztech) last. If I am skipping docks all day and using a soft plastic jerkbait like a Slug-go or Senko T-Rigged weightless, I end up with a bag full of damaged baits. I end up using Mend it on them, so they get a second go round, but it is typically 1 or 2 fish per bait. On the other hand, if I am skipping a ZMan TRD, it will last me all day, often multiple trips. In fact, the TRD often outlasts the jighead (at least the paint on the jighead).
As far as the cost per fish caught, if a TRD is not the champ, he definitely is a contender.
Manly Studson reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 8:58 PM, NYWayfarer said:The Whopper Plopper is the most economical bait I own. Dozens of fish caught on it and it's still going strong.
This is good to hear. I purchased one and will fish it for the first time soon. It is the most expensive lure I own. Besides the R2S WP, Rapala is probably at the high end of my price range, but have you noticed better longevity with pricier lures?
Manly Studson reply :
On 4/9/2019 at 12:30 PM, Bluebasser86 said:You can talk about their quality and such as long as it isn't "brand X is junk" type stuff that is just straightforward bashing the brand. Like @Jrob78 said though, start a new topic to do so.
This is helpful. Thanks.
microotter reply :
I lost a brand new whopper plopper 110 about 20’ from shore on Saturday. Was trying to retrieve it right next to a fallen tree and the treble got stuck. Spent like ten minutes trying to get it free.
Harold Scoggins reply :
Megabass, LC, etc., I don't even think about it when I throw em, but try explaining to your wife that you dropped a Calcutta reel and a nice rod in 60' of water. Then watch the expression on her face when you tell her you want to order another one.
Choporoz reply :
On 4/30/2019 at 1:32 AM, Choporoz said:Looking at it a little differently, my most expensive lures are blade baits; silver buddies, Vaults, Vibes, etc. I lose so many, that the lure-cost to fish-caught ratio far exceeds anything else I use. I get many more fish per cast out of Pointers, Visions, Huds, etc.
Pickle_Power reply :
On 4/10/2019 at 5:31 AM, Manly Studson said:This is good to hear. I purchased one and will fish it for the first time soon. It is the most expensive lure I own. Besides the R2S WP, Rapala is probably at the high end of my price range, but have you noticed better longevity with pricier lures?
To some degree, I have noticed that higher quality=longevity. Not exactly "high end", but I have a Rapala Husky Jerk that has caught dozens of bass and walleyes, and it still runs true, and still catches fish. My Whopper Plopper has survived some crushing strikes from big bass and muskies alike.
I've broken the wire on many cheap spinnerbaits, and some of the more spendy ones definitely seem to last through more fish.
FryDog62 reply :
I lost a Vision 110 jerkbait 2 weeks ago and spent an hour looking for it... to no avail - -????
GReb reply :
Be careful assuming baits that cost $10+ have quality components. Many do not. There are also some dirt cheap baits that come with nice hooks.
Bankbeater reply :
I lose a lot of jigs to rip rap. Other than that I tend to lose more baits fishing from the bank than fishing from a boat. On the flip side of that I find a lot of baits with rusted off hooks while walking the bank so I guess it works out in the end.
Munkin reply :
Generally I find more baits than I lose every year based on cost. Found a Spro BBZ swimbait once that sells for like $30 along with several nice topwaters one day.
Allen
GreenPig reply :
On 5/20/2019 at 9:54 PM, Harold Scoggins said:Megabass, LC, etc., I don't even think about it when I throw em, but try explaining to your wife that you dropped a Calcutta reel and a nice rod in 60' of water. Then watch the expression on her face when you tell her you want to order another one.
Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Munkin reply :
If we go buy number of fish caught compared to price my best bait is a LC Pointer 65sp in Baitfish silver. While these baits cost like $16 I have one that has 287 fish to its name. Paint is gone, eyes have been replaced several times, hook like 12x and I finally had to retire it once the teeth marks made it through the plastic and it took on water. I will see if I can find it as it looks like someone took a wire wheel to the bait. Now I do have about a dozen spares and the closest only has 73 fish to its name. Number 2 was at 60 when a pike took it but I feel I am getting my moneys worth out of these baits.
Allen
scaleface reply :
I have worn out four spinnerbaits and a buzzbait since last fall . I save the blades and skirts and put them on freshly poured frames .
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