is there i difference between a real dardevle and a cheapie

[mrpike1973]

hello i started pike fishing was told the ole red and white is the best lure out there i bought 15 cheapies in various sizes you know the ones $1.75 each roughly i notice there very thin compared to the real dardevile i dont own one there $6 a pop is there a difference and should i buy some real ones or is it a waste of time i havent caught 1 pike on my cheapie yet thanks

[Nick Kuhn]

Just about every one comes in a different shape/thickness. Each one wobbles differently, some go deeper others stay shallow. The fish doesn't care about the price, and I have caught quite a few on cheapies. They all work, and I like having variety as sometimes I want one down in the water and other times I want them to stay above weeds. Just note which brands run at certain depths and at what speeds each brand has it's best wobble.

[wall_eye_assasin]

mrpike1973, There is a huge difference in a look alike dare devil than the original dare devil. First of all it reacts different in the water and it is made with better quality materials and dare devil has been around for many years.They are provend lures to use for northerns. Like it has been said many times before, you can catch a huge fish on a snoopy pole on a good night but do you want to trust it on a daily basis? I trust dare devil and its the only type of spoon I will cast. For me personaly, I use the yellow 5 of diamonds and the perch colored dare devils but be assured I have many red and whites in my tackle box that have alot of scars on them.....They are a little more spendy but you get what you pay for.........

[mainbutter]

mrpike as you said, the cheapies are thin. They don't cast like a daredevle, they don't have the same weight as a daredevle, they don't wobble like a daredevle.

This isn't to say that they aren't good lures, they are just different lures.

I use daredevles for pike fishing. I use cheapy spoons for certain streams when salmon fishing in AK though, for one reason or another. They have their place, but I don't use them for pike fishing.

[shortfatguy]

Definitely, there is a difference. The main difference I notice is that the cheapies tend to roll when retrieved while the real deal maintains a nice wobble action even at high retrieval speeds. Try one of the real ones for your self and if you dont see a difference then stick with the cheapos. the northland forage minnow spoon also is a good pike catcher and is cheaper than the dare devil.

[mainbutter]

The Blue Fox Pixee is a great spoon that costs less than a daredevle. I'd use it at different times than a daredevle, but I have caught more fish than I can count(mostly salmon though, but then again the pixee is one of my favorite stream spoons) on pixees.

It very well might work great for pike, I'd give it a try if I needed to buy a spoon or two on a budget.

[UdeLakeTom]

I have had lots of good luck using the Northland styles, and the Cleos. They just react a little differently and after a while can twist up your line. Other then that, the fish don't care. And I am not the best at catching fish, so if they work for me, they must be ok.

[love2fish4ever]

" after a while can twist up your line."

There is no substitute for a quality ball bearing swivel that will greatly reduce line twist, all sizes are about $2.00 a piece, but worth it (tie a palomar knot to it)

L2f

[pikedreams]

The difference is all genuine Eppinger Daredevils are stamped out of solid brass. Most knock off's are aluminum. They both have their place though depending on your application. I carry a few of each.

[UdeLakeTom]

" after a while can twist up your line."

There is no substitute for a quality ball bearing swivel that will greatly reduce line twist, all sizes are about $2.00 a piece, but worth it (tie a palomar knot to it)

L2f

Thanks for the info...that's kinda what my son-in-law has been trying to tell me.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I'd second what short fat guy said and the next post about Blue Fox. The Daredevil brand is just an overall better quality IMO, but I got a few of the knock-offs too

[roughfish29]

from what i have found, you can catch fish on any lure as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort.

but i like the real ones more than nock-offs

[b1gf1sh1]

i like dare develle. copper or brass they seem to work the same in my experience. but my all time favorite single spoon was a spoon i dragged in from the mississippi off a snag. the hook and rings were gone completly, the green and black scum on it made it almost unrecognizable. i ended up cleaning it off at home and found a pretty good blank. dull brass. i still don't know what kind it was. it wasn't a develle, the shape was off a little, and it was thicker. but the next ten years that lure out produced on pike more any other lure i used except spinnerbaits. but i fish spinnerbait most, lol. ironicly i ended up loseing it too a snag on the st.croix. i guess i'm trying to say try knock offs. they work too. kamloopers are decent spoons too. i use them a lot. good luck.

[chief]

MRpike,

As others have said, cheap spoons, regardless of composition, can be deadly on pike. Their reduced weight allows you (forces you, really) to fish them slowly. This reduced speed can be deadly in the spring, any time fish are sluggish. or any time you want to fish slowly above weeds or other cover.

Cheap spoons, however, usually include cheap hooks and split rings. I upgrade all stock treble hooks to a premium brand, and I increase the size of all split rings for better lure action. Of course, upgrading these components will cost you some initially, but soon enough you'll have a few quality spoons that you'll fish confidently.

Always use a high quality leader with a ball bearing, snap swivel.

[mrklean]

i have used the knockoff red eyes before and caught pike with them

[thedeadsea]

Blue Fox makes good lures like the Pixee and Trixee but IMO for a different application than a daredevle.

The cheap knock offs don't compare to a real Daredevle for Northerns or Lakers. Way different action and the fish can tell the difference. I look for real Daredevle's at swap meets and garage sales to keep the price down.

I keep some cheapies in my box for working an unknown piece of structure and also in case I need to snag something on the bottom like a dropped fishing pole, etc.

Steve

[BobT]

I'm in the same boat with Nick Kuhn and I'll totally agree with the red and white. In particular, red and white with copper on the back side. That combination has always seemed to outproduce any other for me.