medal lip prices

[stripercrazy]

seen needles going for 30 and dannys 35...wow...great plugs and a great place that sells them...but holy cow 3 plugs for a 100 plus where do we go from here half a hundredI thought fly fishing was expensive..nothing against anyone but I won't be buying any of these at those prices, lots of great plugs in the 20-25 dollar range. to me its getting nuts...at what price don't you fish a lure...to lose a 20 dollar plug so what... but a forty...I'm still fishing Mac's plugs...I'm not a collector...I can't see myself droping 35 beans..I'm just shocked

[stripercrazy]

don't know why this is got my goat...maybe because I allways liked them and wanted them and couldn't find them when I wanted to. and now there past my price

[Clogston29]

the 30 for needles came from BM directly. some shops didn't order any because of the cost.

the 35 dannys were bought from a collector which is why the price was so high

[flyvice11787]

Supply & demand
Some of the reasons:
-More collectors looking for every paint scheme (some of which get better and better ) put out by a plug maker
-Ease of use of fleabay and buy/sell forums
-Zeno's book , which demystified the use of plugs
-The boutique nature of the plug making business (lots of hand crafting)
Anything you plug makers want to add?

[Nebe]

Plugs have turned into baseball cards..

Thankfully I am into hello kitty

[Crafty Angler]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Plugs have turned into baseball cards..

Thankfully I am into hello kitty

I dunno, Nebe - Hello Kitty this week....seems like only yesterday you were into My Little Pony or whatever the hell those homoerotic horses were...

Kids today....I can't understand them....they grow up so fast....

[Gobi]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Plugs have turned into baseball cards..

Thankfully I am into hello kitty

I have lots of worthless baseball cards... maybe over a hundred thousand from the eighties... At that time they were hot and lots of interest... now they're junk. Just because the plugs are hot now doesn't mean much in 10 years if the demand drops or there is oversupply in the market. Now, Hello Kitty, that's another story. Should be over today Eben.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Making my Lathe Investment look better and better.

[Mr. Krinkle]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

Making my Lathe Investment look better and better.

Ain't that the truth. The only plugs that I use that I don't make are bombers and superstrikes.

[RIROCKHOUND]

PeteG;
Yup!

Remember, $35.00 buys a lot of eels!

[Saltheart]

I loaded up years ago , about when Gibbs was to change hands for the first time. I bought many different styles and large quantities. I paid about $7.50 each (average).

I figured it was a lifetime supply. I ended up parting with about half to make up a new surf bag for smokey when his was stolen the night his girlfriends son was paralized (talk about bad luck , he gets ripped off while he's taking his girlfriend to the hospital. Anyway , that cost me about half my stockpile.

When my stockpile is empty , I may never fish a plug again. I will not pay $30 or more for plugs. Who knows , maybe we'll start making our own like we did with jigs , teasers etc. but no $30 plugs for me.

[Mr. Krinkle]

Here's a little story about how bad ridiculous metal lip prices are.

Last winter I was able to get my hands on a bunch of Beachmasters, bout 30 of them. I gave the guy around 350 bucks I think for them, and he knew how much they were going for on ebay.

This Spring was my last semester in college and I was student teaching and couldn't work. So, I sold about 20+ of them and kept a few for myself and was able to pay my bills while I was student teaching.

The prices for plugs is crazy.

[gottog?]

Originally Posted by stripercrazy

seen needles going for 30 and dannys 35...wow...great plugs and a great place that sells them...but holy cow 3 plugs for a 100 plus where do we go from here half a hundredI thought fly fishing was expensive..nothing against anyone but I won't be buying any of these at those prices, lots of great plugs in the 20-25 dollar range. to me its getting nuts...at what price don't you fish a lure...to lose a 20 dollar plug so what... but a forty...I'm still fishing Mac's plugs...I'm not a collector...I can't see myself droping 35 beans..I'm just shocked

who buys them ? the same people who sit in there cars with the binoculars on you, when u catch a fish they run over or turn there headlights on you,one guy on the beach showed me this beautiful plug, not 1 scratch on it???? u get what u pay for , no u get one guy that loves the plug and it spreads.....what about dommsson .....or bob hahn gibbs ,,,theres a %$%$%$%$ load of plug makers that swim just as good,but i guess if u have the money to spend on binoculars ...40,50 dollarplugs arent a big deal

[gone fishin]

Scotty - got many of those kits you were selling at MSBA plug nite??? Aren't they on your Web site?

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by gottog?

who buys them ? the same people who sit in there cars with the binoculars on you, when u catch a fish they run over or turn there headlights on you,one guy on the beach showed me this beautiful plug, not 1 scratch on it???? u get what u pay for , no u get one guy that loves the plug and it spreads.....what about dommsson .....or bob hahn gibbs ,,,theres a %$%$%$%$ load of plug makers that swim just as good,but i guess if u have the money to spend on binoculars ...40,50 dollarplugs arent a big deal

Wow, you're really painting with a broad brush. I own plenty of $30 plugs and they are all used for catching fish, not being put on display. I also own plenty less expensive plugs made by guys who are sponsors here and they catch just as well and have just as good of finishes as more expensive plugs.

I use different plugs for different conditions and would rather fish with plugs I have confidence in. Sometimes it's a BM Danny, sometimes it's a Gibbs Polaris popper, sometimes it's a Hab's needle. Heck, I even use rubber storm shads if the conditions call for it.

As for Bob Hahn plugs, they are cheaper because they aren't as well made. I have a couple and the finishes aren't as durable and they come with crappy hooks.

By the way, I don't sit in my car looking through binoculars. My binoculars usually stay on the boat. They wouldn't work well for me when fishing the surf anyways because I can't see much through them when it's dark out.

[Joe]

$30 - $40 is not that much money to a lot of people.

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by Joe

$30 - $40 is not that much money to a lot of people.

thats goign to change VERY quickly

[Joe]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

thats goign to change VERY quickly

True. No more orders from guys who work for Lehman Brothers and don't care what the total is.

[magpie]

Hey,

It seems the plugs are being made to "catch" the angler and not the fish.
My feeling is you could fish with a 6 inch piece of broom stick if it has the correct action combined with the right retrieve. Fish don't care if it has blue paint with scales and sparkles and you can see your reflection on the side of it. A few times in the rocks and that shine is gone.

My current plugging bag is mostly home made, poppers and dannys. I have several metal lip swimmers from the mid 70's and they still catch fish. Here is a bunch I made and I used this year...nothing fancy.

The prices for some of those plugs are just too much. I can appreciate the hand made craftsmanship (also made here in US is good) but the prices are just too much for me.

Tight lines
Magpie

[Flaptail]

Yeah, it's getting ridiculous. I don't care if Jesus himself made them $35.00 for a Beachmaster is out of bounds. Cms in New Bedford told me of this a month or so ago and he isn't carrying them anymore. It was a hassle just to get them into the shop the way you have to do business..

To bad, I thought Bobby was a great guy and had many great phone conversations with him, don't know what could account for this.

[Crafty Angler]

Originally Posted by Joe

True. No more orders from guys who work for Lehman Brothers and don't care what the total is.

Yeah, the bubble has burst and the party is pretty much over. Looks like prices have stabilized and are actually beginning to drop a little. Like the man said, it's the economy, stupid.

To me it seems that there were three types of guys who were driving the plug market.

First there are the guys who appreciate the craftsmanship and skill of the plugmakers past and present. It really is an art form, much like carved duck decoys and I think there are those particular 'boutique' builders whose work will pretty much hold it's value. With the downturn it may drop a little but they will always have some worth from that perspective.

I always used to marvel watching Habs, the amount of time and care he took to produce his plugs. He loved what he did, he was proud of it and it showed. I never thought the hard work he put into his plugs then was reflected in the price he charged for them. If Habs could see what they fetch today, I think he'd just shake his head and laugh - but without a doubt he also would have been proud that people thought so much of them. For people who actually fish them - which includes me - they put fish on the beach like few others. And now it appears the same is true of John Jr. who has picked up where his Dad left off - it's that same level of committment and hard work.

Then there are the guys who swap them like commodities traders and they create their own market. Although it's increased somewhat, I don't see it as often here at S-B, but on some of the other sites it's a circus, largely driven by kids - oops, kids to me, anyway - who flip them like baseball cards, make a couple of bucks and then buy some more. It doesn't seem to me that they fish them, if at all, or intend to. I seriously doubt you'd find them in their bag if they have one. Also included in that group are perhaps older guys who don't have the chance to fish as much living away from the coast and maybe looking to buy a little extra mojo to up their odds.

The last group are the trust fund kids and broker types who have 'discovered' surf-casting, having moved on from windsurfing, which is now passe, or perhaps high-end fly-fishing. They're fairly easy to spot, with high-end reels in 'steal me' gold, all the accoutrements money can buy and the Brahman attitude to go with it. A lot of them will eventually get bored with it and move on to the next big thing, or suddenly find they have to divest themselves of some of this stuff now that the bubble has burst. A few may be able to duck and cover. Having dealt with that particular group in Newport all my life, I see very few in that last category, regardless of what they may think.

So...uhhh...what's the point?

Point is, it doesn't matter - whatever floats your boat.

Years ago I ran into Seldom Brown, an older gentleman in his late 70's at the time, who once fished with bamboo surf-rods and 12 thread linen line on a thumb-stall reel. He had also been a machinist and made his own molds for the tin squids he poured and fished with. I still have a couple of them today.

We were standing in the lot overlooking Graves Point on the Drive talking about the pick that morning and watching a fly-fisherman flail away into a head wind with little success and I commented on how unlikely he was to do anything at that point.

You know, Mr Brown told me, for him it doesn't really matter whether he catches or not. He spent all winter tying his flies, getting everything just right and thinking about today to pass his time just like we do. It's all about the anticipation. And if that's what helps him pass his time, there's nothing wrong with it.

Smart man.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by Joe

$30 - $40 is not that much money to a lot of people.

You sound like my Kids....

"That's not that bad"

[johnny ducketts]

"Come with me and be fishers of plugs."


was that the old testament or in the new one

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by johnny ducketts

"Come with me and be fishers of plugs."


was that the old testament or in the new one

It's from the book of Joe.

[Crafty Angler]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

It's from the book of Joe.

"Today's Gospel is from the Book of Joe, 4:16:

"What profiteth a man to sell a plug...."

Can I get an AMEN?

[Pete_G]

Wait till people get a look at '09 Lunker City pricing.

At least with wood one bluefish doesn't equal certain death.

Pretty much every new price sheet which has crossed my desk in the past few days is frightening.

[Clogston29]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

Wait till people get a look at '09 Lunker City pricing.

no surprise there. their prices were rediculous before, don't even want to know what they're going to charge for a 9 or 12" sluggo now. Its cheaper to buy eels and rig them, especially given that you can catch 10+ fish on a riggie compared to 1 or 2 on a rigged sluggo.

[AT Grimaldi]

FWIW, I bought about a dozen kits from Salty and they rock!!

They have allowed me and my 6 yr old to airbrush them and finish them to our liking. That kid is surprising good with an airbrush. I had visions of me with tiger stripe camo face after he got done.

I vote for salties!!

Any yes, I do have a lathe, I like his bodies. (Did I just say that? That's OK. I am comfortable with who I am. )

- ATG

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I finally had to deny myself a plug that i have been looking for for a while when it was 27.99. Price really isnt a big deal for me, but i finally felt like i was being taken advantage of. I know that the market is the market, and there are always a few that set the bar just a bit higher than others. Im not necessarily talking about the builders, the retailers play a role as well. Ive got bm's and i should have sold em for a profit, now the hook are rusted are battle scarred. Ive thought about collecting and flipping them, but they are in the water 5 minutes after i open the package.

[stripercrazy]

when the builder and the store...who ever they are...make less than the guy who buys them to resell them...the jiggy/smiths are selling out so fast there stronger than the dollar..people useing them to trade stoping people who will fish them from getting them...its all crazy