Too Many Commercial Plug Builders Now?

[fishweewee]

What do you guys think?

Are there too many plug builders out there jumping into the game right now?

How many of you out there plan to buy more custom or semi-custom wooden plugs?

Are you at a saturation point where it's silly to keep buying?

Also... can anyone here name ALL of the contemporary plug builders who are selling right now? (Regardless of size).

Thanks.

-WW

[tynan19]

Is there a saturation point?

[fishweewee]

Originally posted by tynan19
Is there a saturation point?

I think so, unless most of us actively collect (as well as fish) lures.

I don't know about you, but after pigging out the last few years, I'm going to be very selective about what I buy going forward.

I'll still hog a Habs or two or three or four or five or six because they're not that easy to obtain and plug attrition takes its toll on the arsenal (damn rockpiles) but I honestly would be pressed to buy more plugs.

Custom builders (those guys who do it just for fun) are another story altogether. This is art and not commercial. My interest here is focused on the guys who do it just for the money.

[fishweewee]

Interesting thing about the commercial WOOD plug building business.

* It's highly fragmented (a lot of small-scale builders).

* Very low barriers to entry. If you have a lathe, a paint gun and a booth, (and the requisite knowledge/skill), you can start building and selling plugs.

* It's hyper-localized. Stuff that sells well in Newport, RI won't necessarily fly in Oshkosh, WI.

* The business is extremely labor intensive and doesn't necessarily lend itself to manufacturing economies of scale.

* Protection of intellectual property is not practical. So it's easy for others to copy a plug-builder's work.

* True innovation is rare. Most plugs nowadays are based on older designs. Builders differentiate themselves on quality - of fit and finish (e.g., paint job), durabilty, and swimming action.

[Christian]

i think its getting saturated. but thats a good thing. more varieties of plugs, actions, colors, finishes, all to fit different conditions or the way someone likes to fish.

one thing i see with the smaller builders and the bigger builders is the quality of their plugs. they are unbelieveable. everything is perfect, like mind blowing.

i say, bring on more builders if they are up to the task of keeping them at the quality they are at now.

ive considered getting into selling them, but i cant stand putting that much work into things and just selling them to people i dont know. of the probly 2 dozen plugs ive sold in my life, ive either fished with, or known, or have seen around in shops and clubs , the people i have sold to.

maybe in a few years, ill try it, but right now im not mature enough to handle a buisness run by myself. ill never get any work done and when i do ill cry when i have to sell all these lures i just spent hours and hours building and worrying about to strangers.

[fishweewee]

Christian, don't you owe me a plug?

[Joe]

For those who have yet to reach their saturation point...

New Tattoo 2.5oz Swimmers

[Saltheart]

Low barrier to entry , lots of hand work , easily copied styles....They'll all be made in China in 10 years!!

[Nebe]

Mr Wiggley is made in the Phillipenes(sp?) already. Since Gibbs has just been sold, I can imagine that they will be made over seas now

[JohnR]

I think ours is an intersting market with few if any actually getting rich. I do think they the custom guy who wants to start up a business should do so and time will tell if something works or not and if someone's product works or not. I have received oodles of plugs from people here, in business and not and I can honestly say that few don't catch (bluefish don't count ). Some will fish a little better than others, some are built more consistently than others, some are marketed better than others and some combine all three. people truly persuing their dream, I wish them well...

The market will correct itself with this stuff - if too many are in it or building junk, it will work itself out. Those that build a reputation for quality, consistency, and catchability will continue to benefit from premium plugs.

This issue of how many is too many is a very contentious issue and sadly can be polarizing between various camps. Like with fishing websites, there is enough room for everyone. You will succeed or fail based on your work, the success and satisfaction of the users of your product, and comparing to websites and in the case of this site, the quality of the community (top notch IMO).

Now if you want to talk saturation, two words - Ballston's Beach. That's SATURATED WITH PEOPLE

[Nebe]

Dont forget the builders who dont seal their plugs... Now thats a saturation problem

[wahlie]

I think it's great that there are multiple builders on the market now. After all it is us(the consumer) that drive up the demand for a product.. We aren't forced into buying 1 product because that person has a corner on the market. A little competition is always healthy. Besides, the proof is in the pudding. If a plug works, we will obviously drive up the demand more... I mean after all, we all like to try whatever we can get our hands on... Some of the stuff that I've tried from custom makers has been incredible where others either didn't swim right or the lips would bend too easily.... My only stink with customs is that if I'm paying 20 bucks or so for a plug I want it to swim correctly out of the bag... I don't want to have to tune it to get it to swim right. It's all about the consumer at the end of the day... In our current society we are saturated with everything from clothing ads to pop up windows while surfing the web. Why should fishing be any different? Granted we all do it because we enjoy it and would enjoy simpler times when it was just an atom 40 on the end of your line and 3 more loaded up into your old ww2 surplus make shift plug bag.

[Flaptail]

I don't know exactly what is up with Gibbs but I did just get an e-mail from Dan Smalley saying they had new products coming out, a new color ( really an old one but thier take on it) and they will be at the RISSA Show and they are sending me a box o' goodies to try as they have done each and every year.

As for it being saturated, well it's not a bad thing per say. Let them come. The knowledgable fishermen will continue to by the good ones stuff and the others will come and go. I thought about buying Gibbs a few years back but it is a business based on a seasonal ( a short season at that) sport. It's also very regionalized and that kind of business is not the business to get into if you dream of owning your own and making money to boot. You are better off, if you are going to jump into it, being a small part time business. Just selling to a certain number of shops and making maybe a couple thousand each year. You ship in the spring and thats it. Besides there are a lot of shops that don't exactly pay on schedule as you were promised. No money coming in while you have bills to cover ain't good. You don't take outrageous orders you can't fill because you cannot possibly build them all without help and getting help is a problem and with that you risk dropping the standards you and your limited customer base have come to expect. Something like lefty's I guess. You make so many and when they are gone they are gone. A specialized business like that can consume you in a short time and then you get burned out and things begin to slip. Try it if you want but there are other things like fishing and families and making a good living. Ask Johnny HAB'S. I admire him for sticking with it but I am sure it's got to involve a lot of self motivation and sacrifice. I couldn't make that committment, not for a regionalized specialty market such as Striper Plugs. As a side enterprise maybe for the fun of it with little real financial risk on a very limited production basis but not as a full time only income deal, no way.

[BigFish]

John....shhhhhhhhhhh! No spot burning!

[Slipknot]

FWW, I think the bandwagons wheels are going flat because of overload. That's all I have to say.

[Zeno]

Originally posted by Eben
Since Gibbs has just been sold, I can imagine that they will be made over seas now

is it possible for their plugs to be any worse than they are ?I think China would be an improvement

[chris L]

fish eels they are cheap , last quite awhile and catch large fishies

[BigFish]

What are eels?

[chris L]

they are smaller than a bread box but bigger than a pencil and they breath and swim . there are also frogs but they have legs and are hard to keep in a bucket .

[fishweewee]

Eels are better eating than frogs. Believe me, I know.

[Pete F.]

Originally posted by Saltheart
Low barrier to entry , lots of hand work , easily copied styles....They'll all be made in China in 10 years!!

Don't know as I'd agree with China but I would say Asia and the timeframe is less than that.

[chris L]

nothing like a little frog tail

[CowHunter]

Sorry but there is no way I am going to pay 20-30 bucks for a plug that I am going to be banging around on the rocks. I think the price of plugs have gotten outragous just over the last 2-3 years. I know alot of people are fighting their way to buy these plugs up only to have them sitting around and look pretty in their basement or garage, I know I was and still am guilty of it, actually sold a hell of alot of plugs this past season and still have plenty more to sell when I get around to it. Im Done. I figured Im only gonna keep what I am going to use when Im going to throw plugs, and If Im going to throw plugs, Ill stick to a $11 Superstrike! Heck alot of guys turning wood are trying to duplicate them only to sell them for $20+++ They have been around forever and they catch plenty....Me personally, I like to fish for large, If Im fishing of the surf, Im slinging eels, If Im off the boat Im fishing Eels, Bunker, Scup and other baits...Just my thoughts!

[snake slinger]

the more plug builders the better.you should be able to go into a shop and get the plugs you want.you shouldnt have to wate for them.

[ThrowingTimber]

Just for fun Everyone is on their own time and everyone does their own thing More power to them if they can enjoy what they do and make some $ as well good for them. I think the pie is plenty big, and no one guy wants the whole pie, I mean hell they still wanna get out and fish... right?

[CowHunter]

And I agree totally Snake slinger, I know people have put down lots of $$$ only to be waiting around for weeks, months for plugs that may never even be in stock...

[CowHunter]

And just for info, if I really enjoyed throwing plugs, I would buy my own lathe and learn how to build them the way I like em. I did that with jigs years ago when I was into jigging alot of South shore long Island Inlets, I got tired of spending $4-5 bugs for a 4-5oz bucktail jig. Over the winter I had the heads poured, bulk ordered a hell of alot bucktails and hooks and ended up making far nicer jigs than those mass produced for about .50 cents a piece! Hell I had all winter to do em...

[MikeToole]

Most of the custom plug builders I’ve met are just selling plugs to support their hobby and because people are asking them for the plugs. It’s hard to make any real money, even at $20.00 a plug. When you factor in the cost of material, and the labor time to shape, seal, finish, and assemble the plug your talking third world wages with the equipment the average home plug builder is using.

Another point is these custom builders will help to push the real commercial builders to improve their products. Who knows, maybe one of the builders on this site will become the next Stan Gibbs. Any way it goes it's great to see people enjoying their hobby and at the same time giving the rest of us an opportunity to obtain some quality products if we want.

[Flaptail]

The Gibbs Company sent these to me. They came today. I think they are fine.

[Zeno]

cause they were free ?