Basscaster Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 It seems like swimbaits hold their value or increase in value. is there a limited amount of swimbaits on the market ?? Are the manufacturers catching up ? Are they limiting their production to keep values high, quality control high or are just small companies. What about these weekend or 1 day sales(Why not just sell them all the time and make them when orders come in) ? ? Does anyone have any idea of how many they sold(just curious) ? Any info on the crazy way these guys make baits would be helpful to understand the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codywilsonfishing Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Welcome to swimbaiting man. Everything you mention takes place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanhick Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 You can buy bbz's all day long. Small garage bait builders are usually made to order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwimbaitNewEngland Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Swimbait prices are insane. Over priced IMO. With all my other bills, mortgage, ect. I only buy used baits. Except for the Pat's Perch that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIMBO Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 I disagree...the amount of time it takes them I feel most are fairly priced and the small bait companies seem to have way better customer service,I also like the fact that they are hard to come by....you have to be pretty dedicated to keep up with it all..keeps the fly by night "I wanna throw swim baits for a week" guys away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilcatfish Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 All I know is I'd rather have 1 nice handmade smaller production swimbait like say, a Triple Trout, than 20 Rebel PopRs or Strike King Cranks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwimbaitNewEngland Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 All I know is I'd rather have 1 nice handmade smaller production swimbait like say, a Triple Trout, than 20 Rebel PopRs or Strike King Cranks I don't disagree. But $400 for a RM is pretty much assuring I'll never be able to get one. It's insane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanhick Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 I disagree...the amount of time it takes them I feel most are fairly priced and the small bait companies seem to have way better customer service,I also like the fact that they are hard to come by....you have to be pretty dedicated to keep up with it all..keeps the fly by night "I wanna throw swim baits for a week" guys away 100% converted no more sissy drop shottin for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilcatfish Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 All I know is I'd rather have 1 nice handmade smaller production swimbait like say, a Triple Trout, than 20 Rebel PopRs or Strike King Cranks I don't disagree. But $400 for a RM is pretty much assuring I'll never be able to get one. It's insane. I agree the Mother is a little ridiculous in price but none of my rods could handle it anyway. The other RM baits aren't too expensive, and quality is top nottch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJOE Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 From A baitmakers perspective (Real Prey Swimbaits ) Almost all the baits are custom made one at a time as the orders come in. There are far to many models, sink rates and color combinations to try to have an inventory of each. The cost of the materials I use along with the time it takes to make and paint the baits also makes it tough to hold an inventory. If I charged any less than I do know my own pay rate would drop below minimum wage. Most of the reward for me comes in the stories, pictures and phone calls I receive from customers who almost always end up as friends. If any bait makers are getting wealthy doing this I can tell you I'm not one of them. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basscaster Posted September 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 I am not complaining on swimbait prices. I want to know if the demand is higher than production. I also want to know if it is easier to get swimbaits today than it was 2 years ago ? 5 years ago ? Also how often are swimbait makers making their most popular models lately ? 1/2/3 times a year ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbass Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Welcome to swimbaiting man. Everything you mention takes place. +1 Find which baits work for your style of fishing and then buy them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilcatfish Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 Fact is, a lot of the coolest baits are made in small operations and unfortunately don't come easily. (Or cheap) To the OP, keep your eye on the Black Market forum. There have been some nice baits and good deals lately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Power Swimbaits Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 I am not complaining on swimbait prices. I want to know if the demand is higher than production. I also want to know if it is easier to get swimbaits today than it was 2 years ago ? 5 years ago ? Also how often are swimbait makers making their most popular models lately ? 1/2/3 times a year ?? For high quality baits the demand is much higher than production. The biggest reason is people fishing swimbaits still want stuff that's not even being produced yet. The people know what they want but nobody is making it or making it as a high quality bait. Look at the Mattlures guess the bait threads and you can see a lot of baits and sizes people want that nobody even makes. But 5- 10 years ago it was much worse. You were stuck with junk baits or the few quality baits that were out there. Very few companies made anything other than trout baits. The few new companies that started up wanted to make nothing but triple trout knockoffs to meet the "demand". In the end none of them really met the demand because they just made inferior knockoffs. Junk baits still sit in tackle shops until they get marked down so low people can't refuse them. I know where there is a small tackle shop that still has Reaction Strike baits that have been there for years nobody will ever buy at retail and they got those baits from another larger tackle shop on clearance that that shop couldn't sell. The biggest demand in the swimbait business isn't for the baits themselves but for people/companies who will make a high quality bait that isn't a copy or real close to something else. There is still a real shortage there. Perfect example is I just got my first lipless rat from Jason Kincanon this week although I have needed a lipless one for a while but nobody made one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJOE Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 I am not complaining on swimbait prices. I want to know if the demand is higher than production. I also want to know if it is easier to get swimbaits today than it was 2 years ago ? 5 years ago ? Also how often are swimbait makers making their most popular models lately ? 1/2/3 times a year ?? I spend time every week building baits for orders, developing new baits and testing baits. Some bait makers have gone to the release date system and I don't know much about this way of doing things but it does seem to create a certain anticipation factor. I am more comfortable getting orders in and shipping baits out on a more consistent basis. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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