Plug prices going through the roof - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

wahlie · 03-21-2005, 03:10 PM

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 · 03-21-2005, 07:49 PM

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

choggieman · 03-21-2005, 10:39 PM

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 · 03-22-2005, 01:46 PM

Iwannakeeper · 03-22-2005, 02:07 PM

Quote:

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

wahlie · 03-22-2005, 02:32 PM

I wasn't attacking seawolf and I don't claim to be his friend. I just think it's arrogant how people come out saying "if you don't have the money for a plug then find another hobby".... Yes, it's supply/demand but just like everything else in life there needs to be a balance... Hell, there will be people that will pay 60 bucks for a fishable.. that doesn't mean it's the fair market price....

fishweewee · 03-22-2005, 02:55 PM

Pffft.

Guns or plugs Wahlie, which will it be?

wahlie · 03-22-2005, 03:05 PM

hahahahha....

i can't even comment on that...

choggieman · 03-22-2005, 03:07 PM

Unfortuneately some people cannot express their exact thoughts in words. As I said, I know Seawolf well and i know for a fact that he is not suggesting that if you are less fortunate that you need to find a new hobby. He is simply stating that if you cannot afford a habatat, then do not buy one. To sit here and say that plug prices are excluding some people from fishing is ridiculous. There are lots of options from 5 dollar rebels to 35 dollar beachmasters. It is the individuals choice to set their own budget and buy what you can afford, not give up fishing because you cannot buy the best of the best. There are dozens of lines of affordable fishing gear that catch, you need not spend thousands to get into the game. If you cannot afford a Rolls Royce does that mean you can't drive? I think not.
If I chose to spend $40 on a plug, it is because I can afford and want to, not because I need it to catch a fish. Lets stop making this personal, because the men that build those plugs earn every red cent they get and never truly get what they are worth. I know some of these guys, and in no way are they rolling in cash. They work hard to produce high quality products and when you put that kind of quality into it, the price will rise. This is not price gouging, this is providing quality for what it is worth. Are we slapping them in the faces by complaining about the prices? I think so. By btchn about the price it sounds to me like you are saying that the plugs are not worth it and that their work isn't worth the money. If that is your opinion then do not buy them.

Joe · 03-22-2005, 03:29 PM

I would not worry too much about the younger generation not being able to afford to fish....
These are the same people who will be shopping for $300,000 starter homes.

Its younger consumers from regions where wages are high that are looking for high-end stuff. If they can afford the house, the SUV, the gas, the high-maintenance wife - believe me - da' plug ain't much of a stretch.

Pete F. · 03-22-2005, 03:54 PM

I think it boils down to "He who dies with the most toys wins"
I have the "best (fill in the blank)" and it does'nt matter what sport or hobby you are talking about.
Fishing
Hunting
Golf
Cars
Model railroads
It also has to do with the elimination of the middle of the market, it's either Zebco or Van Stall. (That's a whole other story)
I know I still like my toys at 50.
I don't have the most expensive or shiniest but they work FOR ME.
And you are welcome to do whatever floats your boat.
On another related topic a guy on SOL is starting to build plugs as a hobby(I think) and is worried about going over budget, his # is 7500 Now thats scary