I was getting ready to go fishing the other day and I was searching through my tackle boxes for a black spinnerbait. Like most fishermen, I have more tackle than a bait shop, but the bass have been hitting dark colored spinnerbaits and I had lost all my Booyahs and Strike Kings. The only black one I could find was an old 99 cent special from Wally World. No ballbearing swivel, no premium hook, no vibra-flex wire, but guess what? That cheap spinnerbait KILLED the bass! That was when it dawned on me...if I were a young angler or on a budget, I would be a lot farther ahead to go to Wal-mart and buy a selection of those 99 cent spinnerbaits than order one premium brand from Bass Pro Shops and pay another 5 or 6 bucks shipping. One spinnerbait in one color aint gonna catch fish every time out. You need a selection of colors, sizes, and blade styles. I hear anglers on here say they don't have the right tackle or can't afford it...maybe they're driving right past it on their way to the bait shop or BPS! I prefer the high dollar tackle, but this week I proved to myself there's more than one way to skin a fish!

I have a bunch of those $.99 spinners in my tackle box next to all the Terminator titanium baits. The cheapies don't hold up as well, but they do catch fish and if the choice is 5 different cheapies or 1 premium bait I vote for variety!

I also have a tackle box full of both expensive and cheapos. There are times I spend the money and times I don't. I think some lures are definitely worth the extra money but some are not.

Another thought- the cheaper tackle seems prone to poor quality hooks and most often replacement or sharpening is required before use. On the other hand, some of the "name brands" have been known to come out of the package with dull hooks also. I bought a bunch of crankbaits on sale and spent an afternoon changing the hooks. So much for saving money!

I think a lot of kids and first time fishermen are getting turned off because they think they have to have a bunch of high dollar tackle from BPS just to catch a fish. I know for a fact if I had nothing but a Zebco 202 and a 6" plastic worm I could catch a bass! CONFIDENCE, that's what they need, so that's what we need to teach them...sounds easy on paper, doesn't it?


                                                                                                                                                                                 

It's kinda like teaching a kid to play guitar. If they learn on a poorly made guitar that sells for under 100, they can possibly become discouraged because of the poor sound, the action, weight, difficulty fingering the strings. Learning on a middle of the road guitar is alot easier. Fast action, smooth fretboad, straight neck, better tone...Same thing applies to fishing gear and lures/baits. I taught my son how to cast with my Quantum Energy PTS and Boca Inshore MH rod. He thinks it's his...Thats the only rod and reel he wants to use. And he has his own set up, just not as good as the Quantum set up.

have you considered buying a few different skirts, and a few spinner blades , or buy a few tandem spinner baits open up the arm remove the top blade slide the lower blade off if you want a single bladed one get a good quality ball bearing snap swivel and use that instead of the ball bearing swivel now you can change blades with ease.
i use a safety pin to to hold the spare blades together in my tackle box .

Another thing you can do is buy the parts and put them together your self . JANS NETCRAFT sells every thing you need as dose other places.
you may spend a bit more up front for the stuff but after you have the stuff your per bait price is lower .

Rodtosser: What you stated here are all good tips but I think you missed the point. I don't need tackle options for myself, I've got more spinnerbaits than Jimmy Houston! I was saying a particular color I needed one day was only available in a cheap 99 cent version and it fished just as well as a $5 spinnerbait, hence my idea that someone financially challenged would be better off buying half a dozen 99 centers vs 1 $5 lure. By the way, that cheapo I used that day didn't have a ballbearing swivel, just one of those ones we've all been told doesn't spin well. That thing spun flawlessly all day and that is what prompted me to post about it in the first place.

Perhaps investing in some magic markers is the answer. Shapie has a pak of [8] different colors I believe. A black magic maker could change just about any colored spinner bait tail to black.

I was in a situation once with davesett2000 and all I had was a solid white spinner bait by Strike King The fish were biting on blue and white. Would loved to have had a blue magic marker that day and changed part of the skirt to blue striping.

Magic markers work well on other lures, plugs, and crank baits too, if a small color change is needed.

I guess you could call me a "lure snob" in that I only buy expensive, high end tackle. I wouldn't put a cheap knock off lure by one of my 20 dollar Lucky Crafts just out of respect for the nicer lure! But I agree the cheap ones will catch fish. But not as consistently as a more expensive, quality lure will.

you can also use nail polish to change the colors it holds up well. you can get a small bottle at wal-mart for about .50 cents or just take your wives...JOHN

I don't know fellas. I still say a fisherman on a budget is much better off going to Wally World and spending $10 on 10 different spinnerbaits vs buying one from BPS for $5, paying shipping, then buying assorted skirts, blades, magic markers and fingernail polish. While you guys are sifting through parts and paint, he's gonna be catchin' fish!  


                                                                                                                      

Posted By mo65 on 22 Sep 2011 02:31 PM
I don't know fellas. I still say a fisherman on a budget is much better off going to Wally World and spending $10 on 10 different spinnerbaits vs buying one from BPS for $5, paying shipping, then buying assorted skirts, blades, magic markers and fingernail polish. While you guys are sifting through parts and paint, he's gonna be catchin' fish!  


                 I totally agree . I have used knock-offs and cheap lures for years and they work just as consistantly as expensive ones.     Do they last as long? I've been using some for over 3-4 years and they still catch fish.   I think sometimes people think that because they pay more money for something its better. Well, I  have some expensive CRAP in my tackle selection that I regret buying. I have never regretted buying someting cheap.                                                                                          

Yep, that's a big 10-4 mkotolski...I have some expensive "crap"(as you put it) in my tacklebox too. What's worse that a $15 to $20 lure that has never caught a fish? It's pretty easy to get over if you only paid $3 bucks for it. For someone to seriously say that a Lucky Craft or Jackall crankbait will work better than a Bomber or Cotton Cordell is absolutely ridiculous! Do you know that you can buy SIX Bomber Square A's for the price of ONE Lucky Craft Pointer? I'm not afraid to throw a $3 bait into the cover where the fish are, but I've caught myself casting short of a snag while using the $15 bait. Now don't get me wrong...I'm not sayin' I don't use expensive tackle. I just bought a Quantum Smoke PT combo over $300 and ordered some more of those $5 Booyah spinnerbaits. But like I said earlier, this thread was started to let kids or people on a budget know they don't need big money to catch fish. By taking these low cost alternatives, they're gonna get there a lot quicker!  


                                                                 


                                                                  

I am an all-out budget fisherman.I currently have 15 rod/reel combos that I use for different species. I have...3 walleye rigs, each identicle, 3 panfish rigs, each different, 4 catfish rigs, 3 the same, one heavy duty, 2 bass rigs, each different, 3 misc rigs, each different. I have not paid more than $30-$40 for each rig. Stiil good brands like Rapala, Okuma, Quantum, Shakespeare, Mitchell, Daiwa. Most of my tackle comes from wally world, fleet farm, or one of several closeout discounters in my area. I've been fishing about 40 of my 51 years. This type of gear has worked extremely well for me all these years and I see no reason to stop using it. I personally see no sence of having a $100 reel and a $200 rod to fling a $25 hunk of plastic to catch a bass that I can catch on a $15 rod, $15 reel and a nightcrawler. And believe me, I catch a lot of smallies around here ( as well as walleye, cats and other species, even a few muskies on 6# mono while bass and walleye fishing).
When I get to talking to someone who is starting out, I always suggest alternatives, both cheap and more costly, and then let them decide for themselves. They always appreciate a cheaper option than that which sporting goods stores try to steer them to.

I agree with you MO, I have some really expensive lures and also some not so expensive ones,if you blind fold some one and have them throw the cheap ones or the more expensive ones they will more then likely not know the diff. ( if they are both in fine tune ) fish do not know how much this crankbait or that one cost. JOHN

I have caught fish on both types the cheapo's at wally world and the expensive one's. In my opinion a fish in the boat is a fish in the boat it don't matter how it got there.

I would say one could sum it up by saying that if it works it is good, no matter what the price.

ha well the fish dont know how much it cost. If something is working stick with it and i would get some more of those bad boys.