Plug prices going through the roof

[Iwannakeeper]

It has been eluded to or addressed already in here, but my opinion is two-fold

1. Supply and demand. As long as there is a demand, people would be crazy not to supply that demand.

2. There are people that think that more expensive = more fish.

Did anyone see what Al McRenold caught his record fish with? Times haven't changed that much. I am far from an expert, but I have fished along side some guys that catch fish reliably. And they aren't fishing $30+ dollar plugs. they are not using zziplex rods or Van Staals, or Calcuttas.

The flip side of the arguement is you have to have confidence in what you are fishing with. If fishing a custom zziplex and Saltiga with a $35 plug and you are confident or it increases your enjoyment of the sport - than you have done the right thing.

I know I buy the best of what I can afford to buy. Using that logic, if I had more money, I would likely have a better rod and reel, but I still doubt, I would ever drop $35 on a plug.

And lastly not eveyone is using these plugs casting from shore for stripers. If you are trolling some of them in deep water or casting to off shore fish with a lower likelihood of getting snagged or you could chase and retrieve a break-off casting, $35 is not unreasonable. there have been a number of photos posted that show these plugs catching other species off-shore. Ever look at the cost of big-game lures? $35 is not unreasonable - high, but not unreasonable.

-IWK

[PurpelNoon]

I've begun picking up doubles on plugs so I can fish one and save one. In other words I've sort of become a collector now. Like I dont "collect" enough stuff already!

What really shocks me about ebay is how a select few are buying HUNDREDS of plugs at premium -no, outrageous prices. Some builders can even stand to profit from a handful of guys, the way they have been buying. I try and pick up stuff at reasonable prices, and sometimes I succeed, but when you have to bid against some of the monsters, you always lose, because they will pay any price!

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Iwannakeeper

I am far from an expert, but I have fished along side some guys that catch fish reliably. And they aren't fishing $30+ dollar plugs. they are not using zziplex rods or Van Staals, or Calcuttas.

I understand what you are saying but some places that I fish, you need a Calcutta, or a modded Abu, or a 704 to fish - and a VS doesn't hurt - really depends on how and where you fish. I don't know what your friends are using or where they are using it but a few trips in some more difficult places to fish and they might see their gear start breaking down. Go run out with a Corsair or some of the other lower end reels and you can melt one in an afternoon. Same thing with spinning. I thoroughly destroyed a Nautil 6500 (black) in four days on 22-25 inch Albies. My Stradic would have been fine. But now if I dunked my Stradic all night it may or may not be fine. So in case I was fishing Albies submerged, I suppose a small Van Staal would have been great.

I also know that in some of the places I fish you can certainly use at least a Tica rod to throw around insteadof the overweight underperforming gear from S.A. and Wally World. Now getting into the higher end gear when applied to a more specialized type of fishing, you will usually reap benefit.

And it is not a money thing, a nice modded ABU can be had for less than a hundred (TCST + Smoothies) and you can get a 704/6 here or on FleeBay for short money and a handful of shops still have new. But it is knowing enough to make the right choices. For rods, you can get a 10' Tica for under $100 or into a custom fit 10 foot Batson or Patriot around $200 and not need to by an off the shelf Arra for $350, but the gear matches the condition. Some people can get along just fine with a Poncho, a Shakespeare or Zebco reel, and a "Blue Runner" or whatever they call those WallyWorld rods - more power to them. As long as THEY are happy. But they might be miserable after a week of fishing that stuff in more demanding conditions. I know I'm usually miserable when someone shows up with last years 3 dollar line on a less than maintained Penn 105 and line winder froze viscious wind knot blocking out everyone else on the drift. Ooopps - rambling...

While I can see issues with buying (then losing) $30 plugs, I can appreciate (but not always afford) the higher end gear. I got a Freak/Mac Flag Pikie this weekend that is PRICELESS. Someone new to fishing would probably be ill suited to an 11.5 Allstar and a Newell reel or for that matter an old Honey Lami and a Sqidder.

Now with plugs, I don't see myself buying $30 plugs for regular fishing. Perhaps if I really wanted one, I might but I'd be scared to fish it until after Clammer depletes the bluefish population. But I will spend $20 and change for the RIGHT plug. I will also be happy with $20 worth of eels for a night (nore to self, fish more eels this year)...

I agree with the Supply & Demand. I also agree with building plugs to catch fishermen. But I also appreciate the work that sometimes goes into these real custom plugs. Besides, when was the last time you could call Gibbs or SuperStrike or Bomber and have them make an adjustment or change for you... Or custom paint some plugs in a different scheme. SWE did that a few years ago with a Bomber color out of production - minimum order was SIX HUNDRED

[TheSpecialist]

My Stradic would have been fine. But now if I dunked my Stradic all night it may or may not be fine.

Why not buy a Sustain, at least you would'nt have to worry about the drag getting wet. Better yet why does'nt Shimano offer the waterproof drag on the Stradic??

I know I have caught some nice fis on wooden plugs. Do you need wood, absolutely not. I like using them, so I use them. Stetzko's fish was taken on a black teaser fly, McReynolds on a bomber, Cinto's on a wooden plug. I say use what you have confidence in, or what has worked for you in the past. I think the biggest rip were the plugs without hooks, going for close to $20 a plug. Some guys like them that way so they can just put on their own hooks. I think those plugs should go fo $13- $15. just my opinion.

Yes Ebay can suck. I see things on ebay selling for regular price or more all the time.

[MartinD18]

Watching the people line up for certain wooden plugs at the show last weekend kind of reminded me of the ladies lining up to buy Beenie Babies a few years ago.

[Skip N]

Originally Posted by MartinD18

Watching the people line up for certain wooden plugs at the show last weekend kind of reminded me of the ladies lining up to buy Beenie Babies a few years ago.

[Saltheart]

Plugs are now Market Priced. that means the price is whatever the market will bear. If people will pay $30 people will charge $30.

the thing I don't get is all the work that goes into the paint jobs. the plkugs are beautiful but a lot of the work is in the flawless 10 coat paint jobs and the sanding etc. I think the plug needs good action but i don't think they need 15 coats of perfect paint to catch fish.

Anyway , market pricing to answere you questions.

What's the answere , well until they are protected and you can't get anymore....eels.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by TheSpecialist

Better yet why does'nt Shimano offer the waterproof drag on the Stradic??

Because you would not need the Sustain

[SeaWolf]

if you can't pay, don't play. 'nuff said.

how many times can you beat a dead horse?

[tlapinski]

I'm out of this one. I should not have made it personal.

[capesams]

anyone making plug's right now could make them cheap,old spruce 2x4''s...no sealer...primer...one coat of paint...no clearcoat...cheap swivel's...galv. wire,,,cost?..$4.50 please.....then everyone would complain cause they only lasted for one trip or on one fish.....quanity or quality? you can't have both anymore,Those day's are long gone.

[Backbeach Jake]

I buy what I can afford. Tica rods are light years beyond my Uglystik collection. They served me well, but are heavy. 704zs are my heavy reel of choice. They work hard and when I break 'em I, repeat even I can fix 'em. 35 dollar plugs? Glad I bought a lathe. Wish I had the bucks to spend, God knows that I would, but I don't.

[Redsoxticket]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Now with plugs, I don't see myself buying $30 plugs for regular fishing. Perhaps if I really wanted one, I might but I'd be scared to fish it until after Clammer depletes the bluefish population. But I will spend $20 and change for the RIGHT plug. I will also be happy with $20 worth of eels for a night (nore to self, fish more eels this year)...

Originally Posted by Pete_G

I think right now there is an awful lot of demand and not enough product, with time it will equalize. Surf fishing right now is saltwater fly fishing 5 years ago. The mentality is you HAVE to have expensive wood to catch fish. Everyone is a surf fishing shop now, and everyone is building plugs. The market will change, threads like this make me think it already is. The cream will rise from the new crowd of builders and/or current builders will evolve and equalize or lower pricing as they add plugs to the market and demand decreases. Imagine if Gibbs stepped up their hardware and didn't change their pricing. On top of that the people who got into surf casting because it was all the rage and bought hundreds or thousands in plugs will be dumping their stuff. Prepare to score when that starts happening...

I agree 100%.

We'll you heard of the expression "hook, line and sinker"

[wahlie]

Seawolf,
it has nothing to do with not being able to pay at all... It comes down to a limit.... I'm sure that on your budget you aren't shelling out 35 bucks a pop for these plugs. like I stated earlier, I'm glad, i've got my stash of wood.

[mrmacey]

maybe a couple colors though $7.00 SMACKITS!!! best plug out there. only my opinion though then its eels.

[choggieman]

Tlap and wahlie-
Bringing someones personal budget and employment record into an open forum like this is very, very wrong. You should watch what you say, especially about people you claim to be friends with.
Insinuating that seawolf uses other methods to aquire plugs is also very insulting. I have known him for a long time and that boy has never taken a hand out or gotten anything from anyone that he did not deserve. He works hard for everything he has and never has had a dishonest bone to him.
The price of plugs is steep, but you get what you pay for. I have caught more fish on a $5.00 bomber that any other plug, but if I can afford and think a custom $35.00 plug will bring me luck, then I will pay for it. That is my perogative. We seem to forget that these guys are busting their butts to produce these plugs as a way to pay bills, as a livelyhood in some cases. Last time I looked, there wasn't a custom plug maker I knew driving a mercedes. If the plug builder has to charge $35.00 a plug to put food on the table for his children, then more power to him. If the price tag is too steep, then I guess you'll just have to save up to buy a custom plug. You do not need to use a big dollar lure to catch fish, and there are millions of lures out there that work for a heck of a lot less money. Crying about the price of plugs is pointless, and the last time I checked nobody was holding a gun to anyones head forcing him/her to buy an expensive plug. If the price is too much- don't buy it, or whine about it either.

[Mike P]

bump

[Iwannakeeper]

Originally Posted by choggieman

Tlap and wahlie-
Bringing someones personal budget and employment record into an open forum like this is very, very wrong. You should watch what you say, especially about people you claim to be friends with.
Insinuating that seawolf uses other methods to aquire plugs is also very insulting. I have known him for a long time and that boy has never taken a hand out or gotten anything from anyone that he did not deserve. He works hard for everything he has and never has had a dishonest bone to him.
The price of plugs is steep, but you get what you pay for. I have caught more fish on a $5.00 bomber that any other plug, but if I can afford and think a custom $35.00 plug will bring me luck, then I will pay for it. That is my perogative. We seem to forget that these guys are busting their butts to produce these plugs as a way to pay bills, as a livelyhood in some cases. Last time I looked, there wasn't a custom plug maker I knew driving a mercedes. If the plug builder has to charge $35.00 a plug to put food on the table for his children, then more power to him. If the price tag is too steep, then I guess you'll just have to save up to buy a custom plug. You do not need to use a big dollar lure to catch fish, and there are millions of lures out there that work for a heck of a lot less money. Crying about the price of plugs is pointless, and the last time I checked nobody was holding a gun to anyones head forcing him/her to buy an expensive plug. If the price is too much- don't buy it, or whine about it either.

This is a great point. Everything we buy has a fair market value. Apparently, the fair market value on these plugs is $35, because there is a demand for these lures. That means whether I or you choose to purchase a $20-$30-$40 lure, it is an individual choice. I would love some custom $30 plugs, but I view loosing one of those to the ocean as a serious loss. Which means I would be very careful about where and when I would use that lure. Which translates to me, not fishing that lure because of time or tide, that i deem more likely to get a hangup. So I choose not to purchase them.

I guess I am not sure why there is upset over this. If you think they are too expensive to be practicle you do not buy them. Just like every bit of tackle we purchase, there are varying degrees of quality on every product. You could pick up a cheapy combo at Wally-mart, an off the shelf ugly stick, a Loomis Rod or have a custom build. you can buy the cheapest reel you can find or a Van Staal or Saltiga. You can buy no-name or premium line, and terminal tackle. Why shouldn't there be a range of lures.

Buy the way - I feel extremely lucky to own a handful of very nice custom plugs that I won at various msba events. Including a treasured handful of Salty Buggers. I cannot wait to fish them, and guess what, if I am really succcessful, I will be buying some more custom built wood by a quality plug builder.

I guess I can step off my soap box now.
-IWK

The beauty of the situation is that they are available to everyone, but no one has to buy them. There are many choices out there, if you cannot or choose not to buy a $35 plug, fine. But for now there sure seems to be a big demand for these plugs. I am not a plug maker, nor do I care to be. but I was able to produce a well built, consistent, and predictable production of high quality plugs, and the market