Vision 110 knockoffs

[Ben Ott]

I felt the itch to paint this afternoon. I got some blanks in the mail Monday, but just haven't been in the mood I guess. But I present to you, the MegaBen Vision 110.

[Lipripper]

Nice looking paint job.

[Oldfart9999]

Very nice!
Rodney

[bigjim5589]

Another awesome painter! Ben, that color pattern looks great! 

It's sometimes hard to tell with different monitors, but does it have a bit of pink in it?
It looks that way on my screen.

And the back color looks to be a gray/blue.

I could see it matching various baitfish I've seen in both fresh & saltwater.

Nice! 

[Ben Ott]

Thanks guys! It does have a gray and blue back with a gold accent line. Poor lighting and camera phones kinda throws the colors off.

[bigjim5589]

I've got some lure blanks similar to those, but have never tried painting them or fishing with them. Have you fished the knock-offs & if so, how's the action? Have you caught fish on them?

I'm a firm believer, that even "cheap" lures will catch fish eventually. I see a lot of "knock off style" custom painted & listed on eBay, and some guys seem to sell a lot of them. So, I'm guessing, it's not just because of the nice paint that folks buy them? 

[Ben Ott]

I started with some knockoff LuckyCraft 1.5 square bills. I was like you, kinda doubting the action, quality, ect. Well let me tell you, they made a believer out of me. They are the only squarebills I fish anymore with the exception of a few Bagleys. I've compared them to real LuckyCrafts, and I can't tell a difference. They are tough too. I don't baby them, I beat grass off of them, I've casted them into dock pilings, not on purpose, and I haven't broken one yet. Oh and they do catch fish lol. I'll keep you posted on the 110s.

[bigjim5589]

Thanks Ben! That's encouraging! 

I learned many years ago, that a lure doesn't have to have a big name brand on it to catch fish. I've caught plenty of fish on my own lures and done well with BPS house brand lures, Renegade, Academy Sports H2O lures, Cabelas house brand, plus some that didn't have a brand name on them at all. It also seems to me that some "name brand" lures are the same as some of those no brands, likely even made in the same factory, except they have a "name" imprinted on them. Last time I checked, names didn't catch fish. 

There are brands that I like a lot, they catch fish, but when I can find other lures that work as well & are priced a lot less, well, my Momma didn't raise no fool! 

Yes, please post again once you have the chance to use them. 

[Lipripper]

Jim years ago when I repaired TV's I found out once I took the back off them that some of the lesser know brands were made by one of the Big name brands cause they had the same works and Boards on the inside.
I would use a non big name brand if it worked.

[bigjim5589]

Lip, I would guess that type of thing happens with a lot of products. However, fishing lures are not that hi tech, and folks caught fish on lures whittled from broom handles at one time. 

I agree with you! If it works, I'm all for it! 

[Ben Ott]

All these knock offs are made in China, but a lot of the Japanese plugs are designed in Japan, but made in China. I wonder if it's the same factory. I got those 110 blanks for$2.75 a piece versus a $27.00 Megabass. Makes you think.

[bigjim5589]

Sure does Ben!

I have some lures that are identical to Lucky Craft's I have, except no name on them. I've wondered if they came from the same factory as the LC's.

[Dreamchaser]

Many are from same factories but often minor things are changed to either not upset the named companies or just to purely save cost. Sometimes these changes doesn't matter, sometimes the changes ruin the product eg using lower grade plastic that breaks easier or ball bearings that have different weight and sound that changes action. Other times, it's identical. They just make more since it cost more to change the manufacturing and just not brand them.

So personally I buy, try and if it works buy more. My 110 China seems identical to Lucky-E-Strike RC rip baits. $2 vs $8. Just different / less good colours.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Luck-E-Strike_Rick_Clunn_STX_Jerkbait/descpage-LKRCSTK.html?gclid=CNqhz5Lw9MgCFUGSfgodAsoEqA

My 110 China doesn't look nor has action of my Made in Japan (not China) Megabass $27.

I use both.

[bigjim5589]

Thanks Dreamchaser! In some cases, even between individual lures they don't always have the same action or sound. That's always been the case with some of the older brands, but maybe not as bad with some of the "better" brands. Still, IMO it's highly doubtful any two lures are going to fish exactly the same anyway.

It's also probable, that any two anglers fishing the same lure are going to be doing something different that affects the lures action so we really shouldn't only consider the lure itself as far as it's productivity.

There was a past discussion about crankbaits where someone mentioned buying several of the same model & those that had a certain action became their tournament lures, while the rest were put aside.
That to me says, not all of the same model are created equal anyway. 

As I said before, I've had some cheap brands that caught very well for me, so I'm all for trying anything that I think will work, regardless of the cheap price or the name. 

[Pferox]

Not lures, but I buy a lot of rigging components from a couple of Chinese distributors.  Sometimes shipping takes a while, but the dramatic difference in cost is worth the wait.

One time recently, I ordered a bulk package of swivels, they are usually sent with generic packaging, but a few were in a widely known major company's packaging which makes me tend to believe that some of the cheap stuff is actually overruns, or some kind of extras being gotten rid of.

[bigjim5589]

Jim, it's funny, but back when I was making & selling tackle I was contacted by a Chinese company that made lures. They sent me a nice catalog & some of their lures were very similar to name brand lures sold today. That was before such brands as Lucky Craft became popular here in the US. If I had the funding at that time I would have given some of them a try with my own brand on them. Who knows were that might have led. Of course "if" is a big word! 

IMO, some of the products, and particularly some fishing tackle being produced in China, Korea & a few other places are quite good in quality. Those countries are simply catching up with us & the Japanese.

The unfortunate part is that not all fishing products made here or in Japan are the best quality, so regardless of country of manufacture, if a product provides both good quality & value, it's worth trying.

I used to be big on made in the USA, but the worlds changing quickly & as much as I try to stick with that, in some cases it's not very practical. 

So far, the only items I've purchased direct from China have been fly boxes & some synthetics for tying flies. Both are being sold here & there's a big difference in prices and I have been very satisfied with the quality of what I received. 

[Ben Ott]

Still messing with these things. Only ordered 5 and only one left. I think the last one is gonna be good ole yellow perch, Rapala style. It'll have to wait til tomorrow though. The boy is about to go to sleep.

[BassBUFF]

Great work Ben!

[Ben Ott]

Thanks you sir!

[Dreamchaser]

Still messing with these things. Only ordered 5 and only one left. I think the last one is gonna be good ole yellow perch, Rapala style. It'll have to wait til tomorrow though. The boy is about to go to sleep.

These look good. Where do you order them?

[Ben Ott]

I get the blanks from Predator Bass Baits.

[Ben Ott]

There's the perch one I painted. Forgot to post a pic.

[bigjim5589]

Ben, that's another great looking lure!

[SFL BassHunter]

Great looking lures! Man I wish I knew how to paint with air and had a place to do it. I do mine hand painted with a brush they don't look nearly as nice as these but they do work. I've caught fish on them.

[Ben Ott]

Thanks! I can't draw a smiley face much less paint with a brush. Lol