A Little Bass-Bait Sticker Shock

I was talking to my friend John Goodman the other day when he asked, "Why don't you do a blog article about the ridiculous prices we pay for bass lures nowadays?" Little did I know the kind of sticker shock that would be revealed in my research.

I have to admit, however, that I wasn't completely in the dark when I started this venture. For example, I still cringe a little when I think about the price I paid a few years ago for the Deps Buzzjet Jr. topwater baits you see in this first photograph. They retailed for $25 a pop at the time--still did, too, the last time I checked. And consider that the ones you see in this photograph are just a "sampling" of the total number I ended up paying this much for until I found Richard Praeger, who custom paints knockoff models for about half the regular price.

While my lunacy still was running rampant, I also invested in the assortment of Sebile Magic Swimmer swimbaits that you see in this photo. If my recollection serves me correctly, they were priced at about $17 apiece when I took the plunge. You don't have to look very closely to figure out that these particular baits have seen very limited service. Why? Because I'm scared to death to use them in the kind of water we fish around here.

I don't hesitate to throw the tad more expensive BJ Jrs.. After all, they float. But these swimbaits sink, and I figure with my luck, it just would be a matter of time before I'd leave one or more of them hung in some kind of trash on the bottom. There's an area down in Albright's Creek that I'd love to throw these swimbaits in, one in which I've nailed some nice fish over the years, but my fear exceeds my desire to use them. Maybe one of these days, I can conquer that fear--I certainly hope so. The baits always are in one of my tackleboxes on board the boat, just in case I ever decide "this is the day."

Imagine my surprise, though, when I learned that the prices I paid for these lures come in at the low end of the spectrum, compared to what some other anglers are willing to spend for baits. Anyone, for example, who buys a CL8 Bait Possum Wake Bait will have to fork over about $58 for each one of the 6-inch, 4.5-oz. versions that he buys. And if he wants the 8-inch, 7.5-oz. model, the price tag jumps to nearly $79 apiece.

Then there's the 3:16 Lure Co. Wake Jr. wake bait that retails for almost $120 each. This lure measures 7.5 inches and weighs 3.1 ozs.

If those prices don't have you talking to yourself, I found one more that maybe will. How would you like to spend $410 for a Roman Made Mother swimbait? You heard me right--$410 for just one of these Japanese jewels. The bait is 12 inches long and weighs 10.5 ozs. Here's a little piece of motivation that'll perhaps make you run right out and buy a whole bunch of these lures: Manuba Kurita, the Japanese angler who landed the world-record largemouth in July 2009, regularly fishes this swimbait.

Let's face it: The great majority of anglers never would drop the kind of coins it would take to buy these high-dollar toys. After all, the lures don't make the fisherman. I know several guys who clean house at local tournaments on a regular basis, and I'll bet you none of them are throwing baits like the ones described in this article.

I'll readily admit I like throwing certain colors in my Buzzjet Jr. lineup. Several of them have produced regularly for me, and in some cases, nice fish, but I'd be hard-pressed to make a case for the quantity and/or quality justifying the price I paid for them. What bothers me most about this situation is knowing that, if my wife outlives me, somebody undoubtedly is going to get all these lures--for that matter, all my tackle period--for only a very small fraction of what I paid for it. I've had recurring nightmares over this matter for a long time now... if you know what I mean.