To all involved in the lure industry:
There are the big names, the Kings of the business. We all know and have purchased their items, no matter what the cost. Then there are the middle Princes, the companies who are producing great lures, but are charging more than modest markups. Finally there are the Jokers. The guys who are either just starting out, or have been at it for a while but are just breaking even or still losing money.
Ask anyone who makes their own lures and they'll tell you that it's no picnic! Try it yourself, then you'll understand, but just because a lure is the hottest thing at the moment, there is no reason for the markups.
We anglers make or break these company's. Yet we still pay 20 plus dollars for a single lure.. Oh sure, we will moan and groan about the price of gas, taxes and just about anything else. With that said, Lucky Craft reported more than average earnings for their last 3 years and are now in the rod business.
Just try to fill your box up with 100 dollars worth of Megabass lures. You are lucky if you get 5 lures for your money. The Japanese lure companies are making the most of our mighty dollar. We spend more money on Japanese lures than any other country in the world. When it comes down to it, there are only a handful of American lure companies making it in the black. Most of the companies must sell every type of lure, from Crank to plastic. They must have the entire range in order to make money, but the catch 22 is these are the people who then charge for that 20 dollar jerkbait.
I have been researching some smaller companies that make the best lures in the world. Most are a one or two person operation. These companies really need our help in order to be able to give us these high quality lures at reasonable prices. If we don't support these companies, we will continue to pay ridiculous amounts of hard earned cash for their lures. The best thing is that most of these smaller American companies make only one or two types of baits but of the highest quality. I would rather shop at 10 different sites but get the best of each than shop a retailer and pay out the nose. With this said, I will be writing a new series of articles, exposing these companies that make these high quality lures.
Scott Perratti
"The Rockin' Angler"
scott.perratti@ultimatebass.com
