$8 and gone!

[hanson]

This is where I draw the line.

I was in the EGF Cabelas store this weekend checking out stuff and stumbled across the brand new small Chubby Darter on the shelves. Guess what the price tag on this little beauty was??? $7.99! Guess what the price tag on the rest of the Chubby Darter line was? $6.99 That doesn't make any sense to me at all??

Either something got seriously mislabeled at Cabelas, or one my favorite architect's Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was right when he coined the term "less is more".

Holy smokes! $8 for a hard plastic bait that is 1 1/4" long. A Rapala Husky Jerk (size 14) which is nearly 6" costs around $6.00!

If I do fish these small Salmo Chubby's this winter, two words will be in my head the entire time- Eight Dollars & Northern Pike! Snip! Snip!

[calli4120]

I was at the Maple Grove Gander Mountain today and they had all of the chubby darters priced at $7.99

I guess I need to stop at Cabelas and pick up a couple to save a few bucks.

[bassNspear]

wow, that is out of control. Maybe we need to go into that business.

[zamboni]

I love Cabelas- someone has to pay for the waterfall in the middle of the store

[hanson]

Funny thing about Chubby Darters...

I'll be the first person to tell you these lures are dynamite when you run into fish that are in the mood to eat these things.

I'll also be the first to tell you I don't like spending that kind of money on a lure I might not get back after its below the ice.

Its a catch 22. They work! But... big toothy critters like them too!

[icehousebob]

A couple years ago, I found a small shop that was closing them out at about three bucks a pop and I bought a few. I guess I should have wiped them out. There's been times when they're the only thing that worked. Other times they bombed. That's why I have a biiiig tackle box.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Quote:

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I'll be the first person to tell you these lures are dynamite when you run into fish that are in the mood to eat these things.

I'll also be the first to tell you I don't like spending that kind of money on a lure I might not get back after its below the ice.

---

USE A THIN STEEL LEADER SO YOU DON'T LOSE THE DARTER IF YOUR SCARED ABOUT PIKE. ALSO I'D RATHER TAKE THE CHANCE OF LOSING $8 THEN SITTING ON THE ICE ALL DAY WITHOUT A BITE. PLUS IF YOU LOSE A DARTER IT ALLOWS YOU TO GO SHOPPING FOR TACKLE AGAIN. WE ALL LIKE TO SHOP FOR LURES

[MASON38]

I brought that price issue up on another site, couple of them actually. Specially this point, if my 10" muskie bait, prorated by the inch, would actually cost in the neighborhood of $80 bucks. I really believe this is a case where a company priced themselves right out of the market, and anglers might actually stand up and say, enough is enough.

With the hit and miss track record of the larger sizes, the only way this lil gem will find its way into my bag is from an end of the season blow out sale!

[Bushwacker]

Its a Salmo lure. I have used many different models of Salmo's for summer fishing for years and they all cost at least that much. When the Chubby Darter first came out, Salmo was mostly an overseas company that was nearly impossible to find anywhere domestically. I always ordered mine online. Now they are more readily available in the US, and they are actually cheaper than they used to be. Salmo is a fishing company that would be comparable to Mercedes Benz in the auto industry. Not everyone wants to spend that kind of money for something they could spend 1/3 on for close to the same thing. Some days that price is justified, other days it doesn't work even close to as well as a $.99 jig.

[Scott M]

Economists will say that the Chubby Darter is worth what you are willing to pay for it. The market corrects itself. If its too spendy for the masses, things will change. I know their production costs aren't that high....

[Kylersk]

How much does a dozen shiners cost? And those you are guaranteed to lose.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I dont care to pay $8-9 for an ice lure but ive got some cranks that I payed upwards of $15-20 for. go figure...

[slipperybob]

I'd sure wish, I can get a taxidermist to put fish skin over some wood!

[LMITOUT]

Yeah, but shiners catch fish!

I've never had luck with the Chubby Darters and I feel I've given them a fair shake (pun intended).

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I'm a sucker for buying expensive lures like that, or I should say that I was. I still buy a few here and there.

I found out about 2 years ago that a plain hook many times will out fish the pretty lures. Of course that depends on a lot of factors, but as a whole I've had more success on a jig or plain hook.

[slipperybob]

I'd figure if a lure was that pretty and attractive enough to get me to buy it in the store, it sure must have some of the same effect on a fish too.

Other than that, if my buddy from the next tent over asks to see what I'm using to catch fish, I just show him the pretty lure dangling from my pole...then tell him it cost me $XX.XX's to make him jealous and fish harder for the both of us.

[McGurk]

A lure's first job is to hook a buyer, and it's second job is to then hook a fish. In my limited experience, most lures are better at the former than the latter.

That being said I do have 3 chubby darters, and no fish due to their use. I will try them again this winter, though, and may try a #3 or two if the mood strikes me. It looks to me like they are good at hooking buyers.

[blueroof]

I'll certainly admit that they don't have any chance of outfishing a plain hook, or pink jig. Nonetheless, they are my first choice 50% of the time to go down a fresh hole. If something is frisky, they will hit them hard. I've had decent success with late season perch and caught a few walleye last year. I throw the darters on once in a while for a try in a stale rental hole, most of my catches have been on fresh holes though.

I got lucky, I bought a few, my dad bought a bunch and then quickly decided they were worthless. He's not doing much run and gun fishing. I've got a bunch of them now!

I personally prefer the jiggin rap over the darter for an attention grabber to attract fish into an area.

$8 is expensive. I'll splurge, but end out tying them to 8lb test. LB

[Scott M]

I can't believe how many people are striking out on these things. I had good luck with them using them for the first time last winter and also did really well using them for eater walleyes jigging a steep dropoff in the boundary waters.

[MASON38]

Ok, sorry but couldnt resist this one , but which one are you using for bait

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I had an interesting experience with a Jigging Rapala. Last year I was fishing a lake near Brainerd and was getting bite after bite on a jig and also a plain hook, but nothing would commit. There were constantly fish on the Vexilar, but I couldn't figure out what was going on. I tied on a perch colored Jigging Rapala, and caught 20-25 walleyes in the next 5 or 6 hours. They really enjoyed that lure!

[MuleShack]

For $8 bucks a crack, they should have a replacement warranty like craftsman...

[iffwalleyes]

Quote:

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I can't believe how many people are striking out on these things. I had good luck with them using them for the first time last winter and also did really well using them for eater walleyes jigging a steep dropoff in the boundary waters.

---

Keep fishing them and you will realize they aren't a mircale lure they claim. They have a great marketing campain. I used the think they were great but I will tell you this I catch more fish every year on Jigging spoons like angel eye jr. and JR crushers. These by far put more fish on the ice and don't cost 8 dollars. If the fish are bitting on Chubby darters there is a good chance other things will work just as well. Sure you should have some and I have several but the fish have to be really aggresive in my findings with them.

[Skeets]

I have seen them for $7.49 at Fleet Farm.

The new #3 size looks good for crappies.

Still expensive for my taste!

[Kyle Sandberg]

I will not have any in my tackle box. I thought 4$ for a buckshot was a little high. Well, the industry has to make money somehow. I'll take the money from that one lure and buy two or three of another.