They are how much??

[Bob Widmaier]

So I am looking through the fishing catalog of one of those big box stores at the crankbaits and top water baits. Its been a long time since I fished other than flies so I thought I would check them out. WOWWW! Some of those things are getting in the $15 - 20 a piece range. I think I just figured out what a bad day fishing is. When you are casting for bass with these things and you lose 6 or 7 of them in one day. OUCH!! I think I will stick with flies.

Dr Bob

[Host Ray]

Man, I've got boxes of those old crank baits. Many of the Bagley's are balsa too. Time to go to ebay!

[Bass_Bug]

Here's one for you. As embarrassing as this was at the time I still laugh (at myself) when I think about this and have to share.

I fished with a spinning rod before I crossed over from (or is it to?) the dark side. I was fishing the spillway about 50 yards from the base of our local State Park Dam where the water was smoothing out. I just tied on a brand new bass jig, size 2/0 or so with a 3/8oz painted lead jig head, silicon skirt and rattle. The kind that ride hook up with a nylon fiber weed guard molded into the lead. About $3 bucks at the time. I cast out across the spillway. The water was about 50 or 60 yards across. I always aimed for about half way so as not to get into any lines from the other side. I watched the jig start to sail out across the water and when it appeared it was going farther than halfway I locked the bale and pulled back on the rod to stop the forward momentum. That was all well and good except the knot on the new jig must not have been cinched tight enough because the jig kept going forward even as my rod and now very slack line was being pulled back. All I could do was watch the jig hit the water a few yards from the opposite bank. That was one of those moments when you think "Oh no that did NOT just happen to me!" then you have to laugh at yourself knowing it means you now have to replaced it.

[Buddy Sanders]

Hard baits for bass have certainly had dramatic price increases. The angler's are demanding new finishes, premium hooks, finely tuned actions, reliable running depths. All of that requires R&D, which costs money.

The 'new' swimbait genre has really pushed the lure price threshold upwards. Some of these monsters, many weighing in at over 1/2 pound, can cost well over a hundred dollars.

Even the soft plastic have gone up significantly. Some of the name brand soft baits sell for over a dollar each. These are things that may only last through one fish. The sot version of many of he larger swinbait types will run around ten or twenty bucks eash, again, something the fish can and will tear up.

Many bass fishermen look at fly rod and reels and can't imagine paying that much for something that simple. A high end bass rod will run in the $300 range, a top end reel around $200 or so. But their boats go for around 30k and cost about $100/day to run. Most hard core guys have around 5K just in lures/terminal tackle (many much, much more). For those that keep it on a cheaper level, a reasonable battery of crankbaits will cost still over $300 (you need a variety of colors and running depths, etc, got to have about 50-60 of them to cover the options). Jigs are now about $3 each, spinnerbaits run around $6. Most topwater baits are in the $5-$10 range. And you need varieties of all of these to cover different situations.

Bass fishing ain't cheap.

Fly fishing, if you get past the initial Rod/Reel/wader purchase, is very economical in comparison. While many view fly fishing as very upper end, the realities are that we have it pretty good as far as cost per day on the water goes.

Add in that it's so much more fun, easier to do, and more soothing/less taxing on the mind, and you understand why so many folks are gravitating to it from the mainsteam.

I'll still pick up a spinning rod on occasion, but I've lost the skill I once had with a baitcasting reel due to lack of practice.

Don't miss it a bit, though.

Buddy

[chewydog]

Here's one for you. As embarrassing as this was at the time I still laugh (at myself) when I think about this and have to share.

I fished with a spinning rod before I crossed over from (or is it to?) the dark side. I was fishing the spillway about 50 yards from the base of our local State Park Dam where the water was smoothing out. I just tied on a brand new bass jig, size 2/0 or so with a 3/8oz painted lead jig head, silicon skirt and rattle. The kind that ride hook up with a nylon fiber weed guard molded into the lead. About $3 bucks at the time. I cast out across the spillway. The water was about 50 or 60 yards across. I always aimed for about half way so as not to get into any lines from the other side. I watched the jig start to sail out across the water and when it appeared it was going farther than halfway I locked the bale and pulled back on the rod to stop the forward momentum. That was all well and good except the knot on the new jig must not have been cinched tight enough because the jig kept going forward even as my rod and now very slack line was being pulled back. All I could do was watch the jig hit the water a few yards from the opposite bank. That was one of those moments when you think "Oh no that did NOT just happen to me!" then you have to laugh at yourself knowing it means you now have to replaced it.

Ha ha. I did the same thing 'cept the pig n jig hit a guy standing in a bass boat right in the back.
I started paying closer attention to knots after that.

[redietz]

Bass fishing ain't cheap.

And yet it's the fly fishers for trout who are stereotyped as being rich elitists. I've never understood that.

[Big Bad Wulff]

Picked up a nice spinning rod/reel combo at Squander Mtn for $40 recently Regularly MUCH MUCH more than that.

I don't buy any lure over $5.00. I use relatively cheap line and that usually is good stuff marked down.

My bass boat is 20 years old. I WILL NOT..........EVER............. buy a new one. Just a replacement engine for it is a minimum of $12,000 !!! Fortunately I inherited it and am in the process of fixing it up. Engine is fine, thank God!

[Jeffblk72]

My bass boat is 20 years old. I WILL NOT..........EVER............. buy a new one. Just a replacement engine for it is a minimum of $12,000 !!! Fortunately I inherited it and am in the process of fixing it up. Engine is fine, thank God!

I suggest using Marine Formula Stabil at every gas up and be double sure that your ethanol content is no more than 10%. It seems tha outboards and their fuel lines hate ethanol. My dad just changed his lines and they were only 3 years old. He had to. Our merc dealer said they broke down and collapsed due to ethanol.

Good Luck, Jeff

[Big Bad Wulff]

Thanks for the advice. I try to gas without alcohol for it but sometimes that isn't possible. All my vehicles are diesel so gasoline is a 'new' thing for me

[Valhalla 1]

Wow, I had no idea things were that wildly inflated. Now I not only don't remember where my spinning rods are, I no longer actually care. Sounds like I'd need to chose between my boys education and bass fishing.