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Price Considerations


Ray Esboldt

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There is a post in the open water forum regarding how much money one needs to spend to get into fishing nowadays. The common thread in the answers is you spend what you can for what you need. Good answer. But, I don't think I ever really thought too much about price until this year. Other than equipment, I need gas to go fishing. For the first time in my life it is on my mind when stocking my tackle boxes.

So, my question for you, has it been a consideration this year in your purchases?

For example, I use more stick baits than I even care to admit and have used probably 20 different brands over the last few years. I have happily settled on Mister Twister Comidas over the last two years because of their durability and weight. However, I am now happy that they are my bait of choice because of their price ($3.99 a bag versus $6.99 a bag for some). If you figure you use 20 bags a year of stick baits (and that might be conservative), that's $60 more dollars I can "invest" in gas. That's a couple extra short trips this year just because I went into Thorne Brothers, Fleet Farm, or Reeds (if I'm in Walker) and chose a Comida over another brand almost double in price.

Same story with X-Raps over a Lucky Craft Pointer. The X-Rap makes sense because of its price and it is a bait of high quality. I don't want junk, but if I can save some money at the time of purchase, I am going to do that.

I will admit that this was not an orginal thought by me, more of a realization after an email discussion with a friend. But, it is reality this year for me. $60 dollars because I am choosing a Comida over another brand of soft stick bait!

Anyone else here have this mindset this year?

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Ray,

This is a awesome topic. You bring up a great point in your post comparing the baits and how you can use that extra money for gas. In my opinion, there is not reason why i would want to go out and spend the extra 3 dollors per bag, when the comida are less money. I use alot of these as well, and all that money adds up alot when you are talking 10-15 bags in a few weeks.

The thing that you have to remember, is Comida is a awesome product, and its going to perform just as well as anything else. Why spend the extra money if you dont have to. Its Like anything else right now. If you usta bring the good beer, im sure most of us, including myself, have switch to miller high life becuase you get alot more for the money.

Great points Ray. I agree 100%

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I'm with you Ray. Regardless of all the hype and sparkle we see on TV fishing now days. Fishing is a very cheap activity if we want it to be. If you have a spinning combo, a box of jigs and some plastic trailers. You can catch just about any fish that swims. I own a dozen or more rods and a tackle box that contains enough tackle for an army. I catch 75% of my fish every year on a .25 cent jig and some kind of trailer. I caught just as many fish out of my old 14 foot boat that cost me $800 bucks as the 17 footer I have now that cost considerably more. I think the bottom line is that fishing is only as expensive as we want to make it. If a person has access to rivers. I'd say you can get into fishing for less than $100 bucks. If you need to get on a lake, you might have to spend a $1,000 or so on an old used boat. Twenty years ago everybody fished out of a 14' Lund with a 15 horse motor and loved fishing every bit as much as the rest of us. If the choice comes between some new bait or pole or sticking with that jig and being able to afford the gas to fish as much as I want to. I'll take that .25 cent jig every time.

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I use the o-rings on my senkos and I really dont go through many of them at all. The occasional snag and snap, but thats rare. Found a few packs mispriced at a store here and got them for 4$ a bag!

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Great post Ray! With gas prices like they are, we need to start putting into consideration the ways we can save money in other areas. Not only do certain products allow us to save money by choosing certain brands, but certain brands also provide a more durable product. Comidas in my opinion are about as durable as it gets in regards to soft stick-baits. So now not only are you saving money in terms of comparision against other brands, but you're also using less plastics due to wear and tear... which in turn saves you even more money and puts more gas in the tank smile

The overall point here... is that there are products and ways to maintain your fishing success yet save on cash. The crank-bait like Ray mentioned is another excellent choice because of its durablility... and you can bet it catches fish!

For me, I spend most of the day pitching Comidas, Ribbon Tail Worms and Finesse Worms. Toss a Finesse Worm on a shaky-head jig and have at it! Especially with cooler water right now...

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Here is where I've been getting my stick baits ( and other types of plastics ) for the last 4 years, I like to buy in bulk and the price is pretty darn good

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I have been reading as a guest for sometime. I am fairly new to bass fishing. With getting to Minnesota on a regular basis and having an out of state yearly license, I do most of my fishing tackel shopping there too.

I have read a lot about the Comida and it has been very good. They are made by Mister Twister, correct? I have not checked the Mister Twister HSOforum yet. What are other products that I should look to find from Mister Twister? Saving money on good products is what I am interested in. I know Mister Twister from walleye fishing with their grubs (and they are great). I figure if their walleye stuff is that good, their bass stuff has to be what I am really looking for.

Where should I look for the best selection of Mister Twister bass plastics? Do they have everything I need? Can I order from the Mister Twister site if I can't find what I need at stores? Will these stores special order items for me?

Sorry for all of the questions. Like my name says, I am pretty much all new to bass. I also like to keep as much of my purchasing at stores I can visit and rather not have to go over the web to order.

Thanks for all the help guys!!! This site is GREAT!!!

N2B

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New2Bass, if you want to visit one store that has all the info you need, the place to go is Thorne Bros . They do have a great HSOforum, as well as being a site sponsor. If you make it to the metro area and just happen to be cruising along 694, take a right on University and head north a couple miles, you will see the store on your left. With gas prices the way they are right now, it is hard to justify a special trip, but even then it would be worth it. They have a great selection of bass and muskie baits there, and some pretty cool deals with Mister Twister products. I think just about every person that works at that store fishes for a living, so they know what they are talking about.

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Thanks polarsus, I will try to get over there in the near future. Also, if they fish for a living, why are they working there? LOL Just have to give you a hard time, sorry.

Does Thorne Bros really have the best selection of Mister Twister products? What kind of deals do they have on the stuff? I would really like to see what a lot of their stuff is like. Do they carry all of the different products? I would like to eventually get a good selection of plastics, cranks, spinner baits and some jigs.

Oh yeah, does any dealer have speakers or seminars? They may not during the summer. I would really like to hear some guys speak on bass fishing; maybe shorten my learning curve a little.

Thanks,

N2B

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Thorne Bros has the best selection of Mister Twister in the Metro Area, actually even state-wide. They have more options than anywhere else across the state in regards to available Mister Twister product...

We have seminars at Thorne Bros on a regular basis. We've been having them every Wednesday since January. We are going to cut-back on the seminars though, so pay attention to our website for more info on seminars... www.thornebros.com

If you're looking for more info on bass, feel free to stop in at the store and I'll give you a one-on-one on the Mister Twister products smile

Another excellent Mister Twister bang-for-your-buck is the Finesse Worms. You get 20 for only $3.50 and they are also very durable. A great option for finesse fishing as well as shaky-worming...

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N2B- yes Thorne Brothers does have the best selection of Mister Twister products in the metro... They have weekly seminars there as well, but not sure when their bass seminars are... If we get enough people willing to travel somewhere, I'm sure we could get one of our prostaff to do a seminar as well?.. .I'm usually willing to chat.. Many say I talk too much. .LMAO

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Rather than cheaper lures - I am driving 55(or slower) while pulling the boat and not hammering the throttle while driving the boat. Saving that gas can buy alot of tackle.

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For general freshwater fishing, pricing for me is usually <$50 a year for hooks/lures/line, involving spooling a reel or two, a few bags of artificial plastics if I need 'em, and a handful of lures(almost always a rapala or two, and whatever strikes my fancy from jigs to spoons or whatnot)

I have a policy for whenever I've needed rods/reels(that I've only broken once, when I got my saltwater setup to fish for shark/snook/redfish): Buy cheaper rods, and put the money I save into reels. I've never had problems with <$30 rods, and the couple of times I've used a friends/family member's really expensive rods, I've never noticed any difference that would make me want to spend that kind of money on one, when I could save that much and get a reel. I've had enough problems with cheap reels to convince me that it's worth it to put a little more money into a reel that 1) casts nicely 2) reels nicely and 3) most importantly will last for years.

Right now I'm almost exclusively using a very nice shimano 2000 that i got from my dad, and I can't remember when he bought it. It could very well be 10 years or older.

The couple of week long trips to Canada fishing with dad/uncles/grandpa I've been on warranted a bit more spending(luckily provided by parents, I love them so much), because if you're going to spend the kind of money for that sort of thing, and you can afford it, you might as well make sure you're equipped for it so that time isn't wasted(especially if it curtails next year's spending).

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Nice Money saving tips everyone.

I do my best to really use up a worm when fishing, cut the tip off it and re-rig, rig it a different way ect...I seldom go full throttle with the boat... But I do spend the money on rods and reels... I like quality equip.. and the rods I buy have lifetime warrenties.. so even if they do break, I have a new rod coming!

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Right on, ptkane.

I have really been light on the accelerator in the truck and backing off the throttle in the boat. That helps a ton. I even squeaked 14 mpg out of my f-150 towing my boat a few weeks ago. That's unheard of for a Ford. grin

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Does Thorne Bros really have the best selection of Mister Twister products? What kind of deals do they have on the stuff? I would really like to see what a lot of their stuff is like. Do they carry all of the different products? I would like to eventually get a good selection of plastics, cranks, spinner baits and some jigs.

I know I caught this thread a few days after your post, and after Matt J replied being a Thorne Bros. staffer, but I will also attest that Thorne's is the place to go and get your Mister Twister products. As a matter of fact, I picked up a couple packs of the Tubo's, and RT Slugs a few days ago.The Funky Chicken color Mister Twister offers on the RT Slugs is way cool, and I had to buy a pack. grin Two days ago I stopped in to pick up some All Terrain jigs for jig worming, and a couple packs of the Jumbo sized Beaver baits that are from Reaction Innovations. Point is Thorne Bros. has the baits/lures,tackle,and equipment an angler needs to chase bass. Stop in to see Matt, Pat Smith, and the rest of the crew there at Thorne's to get what you need.

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lol @ deitz

Everyone is starting to figure you out bud. Its awesome to see that alot of people are getting to fall in love with Mr. Twister. I myself, have been a big fan of there product, just because its not prices so high, and you get awesome quality baits.

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I know this is a little late and sledneck has already mentioned it but I am still on my first dinger fot the year because I've been using an O ring. It has probably caught 15 fish already and I've reapplied scent juice a few times but the O ring has kept it secured. I can't think of any negative consequences from using these on stick baits and its been working well for me so far.

Also, I have to agree with Deitz on the quality rods. I really believe that investing around $100 on a rod with a lifetime warranty really pays off. Just got a new St.Croix rod back after my friend stepped on mine.

Dan

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I must be the ghetto style guy here cause I use the guide series rods and everytime MY KID breaks one we bring em in and get credit or the same fishing rod. All of the ones I use Ive never had to bring back...but he broke 2 rods off 2 straight years on logs on the bottom...due to operator error!

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Sled,

In other words, he needed a lesson on how to properly bust the line when hung up. smile

If anyone is old enough to remember the carbon rods made by Shakespere, they could probably tell you some amazing stories about how those things use to break. I was once left with a handle, 6 inches of the tip, 5 guides, and shrapnel everywhere after hanging a jig in the rocks on Lake of the Woods.

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