The steepest and most difficult learning curve in surf fishing is jigging the Canal. Anyone who is a capable caster can land a popper close enough to a breaking fish to get it to eat it. At night, swimming plugs account for a fraction of what jigs and their ilk catch. If that is what you mean by adding a significant level of difficulty, well, I guess you have a point. But it has nothing to do with one's versatility or ability to fish a plug. It has to do with playing the percentages, especially for those who target large fish. Catching 20-30 schoolies on small swimmers or shads isn't really indicative of any particular skill level.

When it comes to large fish--say over 20# or 40"--10 fall to jigs, skins, or plastics on lead in the Canal for every one that falls to a plug, over the course of a season. At night. The public only hears about a very small percentage of them. Guys fish the Canal at night for two reasons--better shot at a truly large fish for a longer stage of the tide, and no audience.

Hey Slip
 

What are you doing fishing in front of my house?



:rotflmao:

like any other area, and industry for that matter, you have a variety of choices. sticking w/ the custom wood lures you have many manufacturers out there now and each has their own unique paint, type of lure, quality, etc., to them and of course the price. some market to different customers than others. many build a similar lure to another builders so you have choices. some are loyal to some builders due to their reputation or the angler's own success with that lure(s). if each manufacturer is selling out what they build then they must be doing something right. if they are selling out and making a profit, good for them.

as already mentioned costs associated with manufacturing these lures has increase. paints go up, oil prices for heating goes up, electricity goes up, etc., mainly due to oil prices. so, manufacturers prices sometimes go up as well. but, many times the price increase is due to supply and demand. if a manufacturer can sell a lure for $30/each and sell out, good for them. that doesnt mean you have to condemn that manufacterer. they have a choice of how to price their lures. you dont have to buy them. if a manufacturer can sell a lure at $13/ea and make a profit, good for them. as mentioned, there are other options. buy what fits into your budget or what you have success with. if the demand falls, prices will lower or it'll be survival of the fittest.

like pete, i have spent $18-25 for lures before. do i like it, no not really, but on most occasions i am buying a lure that i have had great success with. so, i am willing to spend more on it. not so much for collection purposes. on the same note, i dont like waiting or searching for lures that come out from time to time. i have streamlined my lure bag selection to lures that produce for me and i am usually find on walls when i am in a pinch due to a blitz or a fish's appetite of the day.

ultimately, it is a buyer's decision on what they need and what they want. buyer's control the market for the most part. manufactuer's control is limited.

i can understand the price of the custom plugs being $20.00 or so. i cannot understand the china plastic imports being the same price. how many guys on the site are not making the 20. an hour?

Precisely, and it requires substantial skill to do it. But put the same guy in the rocks at Gay Head and his attitude about plugs would change very quickly. To suggest the opinion of a guy who fishes where plugs are not needed is a good indication of the value of plugs in general seems misguided. It also overlooks the real value of plugs, namely that getting a large fish to eat a plug provides a greater sense of accomplishment to many of us than fooling the same (or multiples thereof) fish with bait or lead. Not everyone feels that way, but those that do are happy to have such quality plugs available even at high cost.

I think there are 3 levels of plug buying. You got guys that buy buctails, jigs plastics, bomber and redfins and can catch much better than me for $3-$6 an item. Thats about catching fish and you don't need anything else.

Then there are guys like me that go to the RISAA show and don't mind paying in the mid 20's for a Habs or Tattoo plug. When I load my plug bag, rip open the packaging and insert that Tattoo darter slowly into the tube (maybe too graphic) before heading to the Vineyard or Cuttyhunk for a special trip, I get the passion going like nothing else. It adds to my surfcasting enjoyment. With Mag Darters going for like $14. Its not crazy money.

Then there are the guys that bid $100 for a Pichney Troller on Ebay because they are collectors. They are not going to fish them, but collecting something is a passion also. I don't get it when guys get pissed off when they see vintage plugs going for alot of money. To me it means our sport is being recognized. I do not begrudge anyone from collecting older plugs.

speaking of custom stuff anyone got their grubby little hands on one of these?


Attachment 22935

Swimmer, you gave me permission to fish there , remember? :)










George, maybe we are giving you the wrong impression of Jim, he jokes about only needing one plug. He is obsessed with the canal, it's the only place he fishes, I couldn't even get him to go out to Orleans to fish with Stetzko that's how stuck on the canal he is. He really loves the idea of catching large out in the middle down on bottom with a jig and having to fight it to shore. If he were on the rocks at Gay Head or Cutty, I'm certain he would appreciate a wooden plug and all that it can do. I'll see you tom. night :)

i really dont mind paying alot for plugs anymore after the spring i had. i was throwing my expensive plugs and they were outfishing my friends cheaper plugs all night

Interesting thread which bring up another question...wood people pay /buy a plug if all the correct steps in building said plug were there, but the outter shell was rough,,mill marks[no sanding] plainly painted[two or three colors] no scales etc. etc. Wood they buy these at a much[?] lower price or wood they stick to the fine art style they can have today at a higher price??

I think so,, if this said plug swam and did the job it was meant to do - sure....
I'm bad when it comes to buying the fancy air-brushed "baitfish" patterns,but I'll take a plain old yellow,black or white hunk of wood
anyday also.... Good Quality Doesn't Always Have To Be Pretty To Work...

Bottom line is, if you can afford it and want it, buy a custom plug. You don't need $20 + plugs to catch fish, but you don't need a $300 rod or $900 reel either. You can go out and catch a 50lb bass on a $30 rod and $40 reel if you know what you are doing. It's just like buying a car. When I was a kid in college, I bought a piece of junk car because it was what I could afford. It got me to work and classes, but was not much to look at. Now that I am in a position to spend more on things, I buy much nicer vehicles for my wife and I. It is still just transportation, but it makes getting to where we are going a little more enjoyable. I still use cheap plugs as I mentioned earlier in the thread, but I get real sense of enjoyment out of catching a nice fish on a custom plug. Maybe it's because it validates the price I've paid, or maybe it's because I just appreciate the talent it takes to produce these works of art.

plugs are like match box cars, gotta have all the ones u think are cool and purdy =)

I will pay more for a custom plug if it is better. By better I mean better at catching fish. For example Habs Needlefish are worth every penny. LIfishinVT Darters just swim better and therefore catch fish. Bob Hahn metal lip swimmers catch fish and are half the price of most custom, so I choose to fish Hahns. I know they don't have the fancy finish or scaled paint job, but (and I hope RM does not mind if I quote something he posted on another site about plug colors) as RM Smith says "Dark, medium and light is all you really need. Everything else fancy, is more for you than the fish
I'm guilty of fancy myself, makes it more funner."

$20 buys a lot of snag hooks....:smash:

You all make a valid points, but I think the only thing a flashy expensive plug catches is the fisherman.

Plug prices indicate what people will pay.That's all, they could be tulips. It's about desire and the ability or need to pay.

On Canal fishing; I'm gaining a real appreciation of the ART of that craft. It ain't easy. At first I thought it was, then I realized that bumping a jig across the bottom is the most mentally challenging thing that I've done for fun ever. And when the current changes direction the game changes,too. So many subtleties in that art, cool as all hell though.

You can still find well made customs for $15.00 and under. Most are made by smaller builders that are not the star attractions for the must have crowd. Most don't advertise, it's more a word of mouth thing. You just have to find these guys, they are out there.

This has been one interesting thread. I do think some of the commercial plugs are way overpriced compared to the work of the plugbuilders on this site. When I say that I have to back up my feelings. It takes a lot of effort to turn a plug and put the hunk of wood thru a process to finsh it. A properly turned plug is made from quality stock, turned, drilled, sanded and sealed. Then the artistry takes over. Custom paint is time consuming let alone all the fancy stuff many builders throw in. Through wiring and quality hardware contributes to a fine end product.
If the plug is a swimmer, proper tuning comes into play. I have purchased swimmers at a premium and on first use I find the plug is junk. As an example there are a couple of builders whose plugs swim right from the first cast on - Karl for one and also Rockfish 9. If one takes the time and swaps a few plugs they will be amazed at the difference. The plugbuilders here not only turn out plugs - they fish them. If the price of the plug was to reflect the true time and cost a fancy plug is well worth the 25 to 35 buks. A hand carved plug like numbskull, RM and a few others make is worth far more than 20 buks. Look at the smile on slips face and that tells it all.

It's all about perception and perceived value ... but the work that goes into them and the way they work, I feel they are worth the money. Say you spend $20-$25 on a plug, you catch a 30-pounder on it, would you pay that much to catch a 30 pounder? Absolutely.

These guys work hard to build what they are selling, a lot goes into it. Also, everything costs money ... even fishing from a boat, snagging bunker ...the boat, fuel, insurance, etc. all adds up to extra money during a trip.

The old vision of fishing being a cheap pastime isn't as true as it once was, but again, it's still cheaper than many other things, so it's all worth it IMHO.

I bought a lot of plugs out of inexperience and from listening to other people's opinions - people with moe experience. Now I'm not saying I'm done buying lures, but my attitude has definitely changed. I have enough to last me a while.

I'm not surprised prices are going up. If you're a plug maker and your stuff sells out of a shop in a day, why wouldn't you raise prices? After all, you're obviously not charging enough. I can't believe Habs doesn't charge $45 a plug.