WoW, I guess this guy knew what he was talking about

[carolina-rig-01]

In order for a bait, hook, or whatever to be priced much higher than its counterparts and still find its way into customers shopping carts time after time, it has to have something that sets it apart from the rest. Take a look at Senkos. This is probably the most copied and immitated bait in the world. Every fishing site I have been on has several threads asking whether the Yum Dinger, or Strike King Ocho, or Bass Pro Stick-O is better bang for the buck than Senkos. The reason is because the Senko has set the standard in stick baits. All other brands are doing their dead level best to come up with a bait that will have the success that the Senko has. While I won't get into the argument, at least not in this thread that is why the Senko is priced higher than its competition but yet is selling better. They have a fall rate that is unmatched and an action that no other stick bait can compete with. Will the other baits catch fish? Of course. As many fish? That's the part that is open to discussion, but the bottom line is the other baits are not as successful as the Senko on the water because if they were they would be more successful than the Senko on the shelf as well.

Look at the Megabass Vision jerkbaits. Hell it kinda surprises me that the guy didn't bash Megabass in his rant because they are higher priced that Lucky Crafts. The Vision has a known problem with the bills breaking on them. The idea that a $25 bait can have so many problems with bills breaking on them is insane. And if there was another bait out there that could produce the same results as the Vision, Megabass would have no choice but to take more drastic actions to fix the problem. But as it is, there isn't another jerkbait out there that can provide the same action/results as the Vision so people just keep buying them and complaining when the bills break........and then buy more of them. In neither case of the Senko or Vision is the quality of the bait superior to its competition but the results from using them are, so they are selling them like crazy and at high prices. The Smithwick Rogue is a great jerkbait, but if it had the same problems as the Vision they would sell much fewer of them because at that price an angler has many more options and most of them will give the same results as the next one. But the case is different with the Vision because it is the jerkbait that most jerkbaits are measured against so it's worth a little more money to most guys. Luck E Strike has the Rick Clunn jerkbait that looks almost identical to the Vision, but the first reports I heard about it were complaints about the junk hardware that came on the bait. That is a complaint I have never heard with the Vision so more money for the Vision equals not having to spend more money to replace the hardware. Bottom line for me, is if a bait is either better quality with good quality components it is going to be a good seller even at a higher price point. If a bait outfishes the competition because of its action, it can even have quality issues and still be successful at a higher price point. That's probably why so many people still buy the Reaction Innovations beavers, every soft plastic company out there makes a version of this bait now, and all of them will catch fish. But they are all compared to the Reaction Innovations baits for a reason.

I am all for buying American when you can. But sadly you really don't have many choices in fishing when it comes to that because even the brands that are American owned are still made overseas.