Please explain

[AlbyDogGone]

Hey guys, just wanted to ask a quick question. I look around often on the net at plastic baits, swimbaits, worms, etc., and one thing I have noticed is how high priced certain brands of swimbaits are. Most of them are the heavy larger ones and mostly used in CA, where I am from, and I cant understand why some are fairly priced and some are outrageous?? Most brands of swimbaits that you put on a leadhead are around 3 or 4 dollars for like 3 or 4 in a pack. But some of them that I have seen are arguably better looking but cost 5 times as much for just one?!? Some are even like $20 bucks for just one bait ?!?!? These are not Marlin lures either. I was just curious why a 7" Storm swimbait is like 2 bucks for one of them and some of the other brands are soo high?? Just curious as to other peoples opinions to see how other people feel about this subject.

Thanks

Alby

[Tubeman]

Alby, its either the baits are handpoured in Cali with some serious detailing vs mass production injection baits. As far as I can figure, if those baits come from Cali, thats were the swimbait craze started because of the bass/trout forage relationship...I get stocked, therefore I get eaten ...poor trouties... Seriously though, I think if you live in the area and have fished those lakes, you know what kind of bait it takes to catch a 18-20 lb bass and guys are willing to pay big dollars. As for the rest of us, we have heard about those swimbaits and would like to try them. Not for that kind of money, thats why Storm and the other bigger companies are cashing in on the newest trend in soft plastics....swimbaits are not that new really....just a trend and they will come and go like many others.

[siebler_custom_baits]

well it is a thing of the amount of time and how cheap the company is getting product + store price raises. storm getts the materials in HUGE quantities and others arnt therefor the smaller company is paying more per unit. also injection involves a lot less work then hanpour. for instance i would say 1 guy with an injection machine is doing the work of 5 or more handpour guys.

[alsworms]

I don't think material prices has much to do with it. You can figure that most companies (who are any size at all) are getting their plastic at about 8 to 10 bucks per gallon; some lower than that. Let's just say they can only make 50 swimbaits with 1 gallon of plastic; their material costs might be 15 to 20 bucks for those 50 swimbaits (glitter and color costs included). They sell each individual swimbait for 25 bucks. They have just turned 20 bucks into 500. That's a darn good profit! Now that number is just something I'm throwing out there because I don't make those monster swimbaits, but I'll bet they can make more than 50 baits per gallon. Someone please chime in if I'm wrong, but I believe the answer to your question......"why do hand-pour companies sell the swimbaits at such high prices?" is the same reason Yamamoto can sell their Senkos at sky high rates. Because they can!! One guy catches a trophy bass on a 9 inch swimbait and now everyone wants to toss one. That's the name of the game.

It's sad, but unfortunately true.

Chris

[cflbasser]

I think it all boils down to marketing and money... If people believe that a $20 bait will catch bigger/more fish than a $2 bait, they are going to pay $20. And, as a business owner, if I have marketed my $20 product well enough, then people will believe that my bait catches more fish, and therefore pay more money.

It's like that with any product, not just lures. Look at clothing. Do you really thing that a $30 Tommy Hilfiger T-Shirt is any better than a $10 Walmart T-shirt. Not really, but TH has marketed it so that people believe they are cooler if they are wearing a TH shirt. And therefore TH can charge $30 for a $10 shirt. And, obviously, people pay the $30.

This same concept holds true with cars, boats, motorcycles, etc...

Now don't get me wrong, I understand that certain products are of a better quality than others, and the cost of goods sold are higher for those products, but all in all, I think it boils down to marketing and product perceptions.

(Hmm... This makes it sound like I was paying attention in my Marketing class in college... That can't be right... )

[SRPLASTICS]

Its all very simple, Supply and Demand, the market here in Calif. dictates what ones will to pay for baits, yes, the storms are sheaper, but as for quality and softness, c'mon, nothing beats hand pours. I have one swimbait that retails for $33 buck, they are extremely time consuming and the CnC molds were not cheap, plus the labor installing the lexan, balancing, realistic action etc... demand a higher price, on the other hand I have 7" swimbaits that I can knock out all day long and they retail for $13. These baits are high in demand out here because the big fish eat trout etc, fish in some parts of the country are still competing in the Mr. Puenyverse contest. IF YOU WANT BIG FISH, THROW BIG BAITS, attached is just one example.

[Mattlures]

If you look at the storms you can see they are junk. A lot of us hand pour guys are making superior baits that WORK! thats the bottom line.

if the bait has proven its self to catch big fish then there is a demand and people will pay more for a quality bait. If the bait doesn't work then the demand will die quickly. If you seen a 15lb bass on a bed what would you rather use some cheap bait or a quality one that has already caught a lot of big fish?

[AlbyDogGone]

Yeah I think that all these are good points, especially when you think about the time and energy put into them. Its also true that the bait is worth whatever you can get for them and if they work that well then the fisherman will pay, just like anything else. Thanks for all the input from everyone. To each his own, if someone wants to pay the money and believes in what he's throwin, then that is what counts!!

[BigZ]

Personally I love the storm baits....for saltwater. I would hate to hang a 20 dollar plastic fish in the rocks. I think I paid 40? ea for storm baits out of the bargain bin somewhere. 2 bucks a bag or so. Can't beat that. The lings and halibut love em! I sure wouldn't bother fishing them in freshwater, but hey they have their purpose. As do the expensive swimbaits, as long as people buy them and have faith in them , more power to whoever is making them. As far as 'fishing' for a 15lber on a bed goes...That would be kind of like hunting a boar staked out on a 3 foot chain with a rifle. Sporting? If you say so.