A lures true value!

[2manylures]

So its become quite clear that many see value of a $25 HB lure that is a consistent producer of barra - despite the fragility ........

Chris

Chris,

I have several hundred timber lures made specifically for Murray Cod that cost me less than 1/2 what you blokes are paying for X-raps. Very few of these hand made lures are worth what I paid for them and don't go the distance. I don't believe the luremakers who made them have used their own products very much as they are absolute rubbish. Now I have seen some of these lures in shops for over $30 a pop.

I'm pissed at having useless sticks in my possession at a fraction of what others can & do pay for as retail propositions.

For me, if a particular item is designed to do something then it bloody well should.

Obviously if things are being modified & used in excess of their breaking point then that's another issue. Having said that & being a big Rapala fan I would think with a reputation as big as Rapala has on a world-wide scale that the products they're selling should go the distance.

I will say though that I'm not a fan of their "glass' lures {their term for plastic} & never have been.

[2manylures]

I don't really have anything valuable to add to the discussion, but I'll buy in anyway. I find it funny with the amount of money we spend on boats, rods, reels, braided line etc, along with travel costs and accomodation, only to baulk at the price tag of a lure that's a bit higher than the norm. The lure is the only bit the fish cares about, the only thing the fish sees, the rest of the expense is purely to deliver that lure to a waiting fish. It strikes me as odd that we put all our money into stuff that the fish couldn't give a rats about, (hey, I'm as guilty of this as anyone else, just seems to be the way we are wired), not to say that there is no advantage in all the better, more expensive gear, but why compromise the money we have already spent by not putting the best possible offering on the end of it?



I've been watching this thread and enjoying the conversation for a while now, thanks for all the valuable info.

Cheers,
Dave.

Dave, bearing in mind I'm a huge Rapala fan, I feel the X-rap is a compromise, it is the weak link under the circumstances.

It doesn't matter what species of fish we target, we all check & double check leaders, knots, drags, rods, reels everything to make sure they're up to the task yet some are prepared to accept a lure that's not up to scratch.

It doesn't make a lot of sense.

[NAGG]

I don't really have anything valuable to add to the discussion, but I'll buy in anyway. I find it funny with the amount of money we spend on boats, rods, reels, braided line etc, along with travel costs and accomodation, only to baulk at the price tag of a lure that's a bit higher than the norm. The lure is the only bit the fish cares about, the only thing the fish sees, the rest of the expense is purely to deliver that lure to a waiting fish. It strikes me as odd that we put all our money into stuff that the fish couldn't give a rats about, (hey, I'm as guilty of this as anyone else, just seems to be the way we are wired), not to say that there is no advantage in all the better, more expensive gear, but why compromise the money we have already spent by not putting the best possible offering on the end of it? If an x-rap has the qualities that allow it to be fished in the right zone, at the right speed, with the right action to entice a barra to eat, then it's gotta be worth the purchase price. What value do you put on a 70-80cm barra when the fishing is tough? Certainly more than the cost of a couple of x-raps.

I'm only just getting back into the impoundment barra scene, so am a bit lost at the moment. Winter fishing never used to get a mention. The best we could hope for was some early spring fish up in the shallow gullys on bombers and B52's. Used to catch our fair share too. Maybe those tactics will still work when the warmer weather rolls around, but at the moment, I'm struggling. Nothing a bit of time on the water shouldn't fix though.

I've been watching this thread and enjoying the conversation for a while now, thanks for all the valuable info.

Cheers,
Dave.

Dave

mate , you've just made your contribution ....... & spot on with the intent of this thread :cool: A Lures true value
That little piece of plastic or wood ..... in combination with our instinct and technique is what will bring us success or failure.

Chris

[NAGG]

Chris,

I have several hundred timber lures made specifically for Murray Cod that cost me less than 1/2 what you blokes are paying for X-raps. Very few of these hand made lures are worth what I paid for them and don't go the distance. I don't believe the luremakers who made them have used their own products very much as they are absolute rubbish. Now I have seen some of these lures in shops for over $30 a pop.

I'm pissed at having useless sticks in my possession at a fraction of what others can & do pay for as retail propositions.

For me, if a particular item is designed to do something then it bloody well should.

Obviously if things are being modified & used in excess of their breaking point then that's another issue. Having said that & being a big Rapala fan I would think with a reputation as big as Rapala has on a world-wide scale that the products they're selling should go the distance.

I will say though that I'm not a fan of their "glass' lures {their term for plastic} & never have been.

Just a clarification Dave
We actually dont loose fish because of the failures - The failures come on the back of solidly hooked fish .
I did mention before - our hook upgrades play a major part in the failures - there is little or no give in our STN66s and so the ass end gets pulled out .

Chris

[2manylures]

Chris, I was aware of that mate.

Part of where I'm coming from is the fact that many lure manufacturers fit cheap substandard hardware to lures.

SXR is the saltwater version which are also dying in the rear along with the jointed lures splitting and leaking or merely failing for whatever reason.

We all know the salt has a lot of tougher, toothier fish that the fresh and in most cases the saltwater gear used is much heavier. Having said that I would feel comfortable that the upgrades being done would still fall in line with the lures capability to be used in much harsher conditions being the salt.

Unfortunately in many cases the only difference between a saltwater & freshwater lures is simply the hooks used.

Here's an example showing a couple of 14cm Husky Jerks the green mullet being a SW series whilst the glass minnow is a FW version. Only difference is hooks. Bomber do the same.

[brisbane_boy]

how much better do these rapalas work than the hollowbellys everyone raved about late last year?

[DEANO68]

how much better do these rapalas work than the hollowbellys everyone raved about late last year?

the x- raps willl work all year round, you have the option to vary your retrieve alot more with them...come winter when slow is the go , you can pause them for ever...where the hollows are more a constant wind......
dont get me wrong, i hooked fish on slow retrieved hollows last winter, and will throw them again this winter.

so this time of year yep, any suspending hb, especially the x - rap, are a go too..

deano..:cool:

[NAGG]

how much better do these rapalas work than the hollowbellys everyone raved about late last year?

There is the trouble BB - Both work extremely well & I would not like to say which worked better over the last 12 months
So much so - that I would have 1 rod rigged with each + another rigged with a slick rig

On last years ABT tour (prefish & comp) ..... plastics caught all my fish at Teemburra
only 1 fish was landed on an X Rap at Faust
My split was 50/50 at Awoonga
100% (4) fish were landed on X Raps at Mondy.

Chris

[Steve B]

how much better do these rapalas work than the hollowbellys everyone raved about late last year?

:grin::grin::grin: I like this one!!.....it cracks me each year theres new talk on different lures. Its a good thing, but I see the funny side of this. If the only lure thrown is an Xrap...what will the fish get caught on???

A BIG thing missed right from the start. Pete and Kyle fishing. Pete Xrap, Kyle B52.....who got the most fish, same area??? (sorry Pete!!)....point is, under same time same spot same conditions another lure outfished an Xrap.

I like Xraps about the same as hollowbellies. I will throw them on occassions. but they are far from a go to lure for me.

Whats the value in the lure??? about the same as the others that get rarely used, thus I only have 2 Xraps, X12's that is.

I am not digging at anything, I just think they are being 'overhyped' at the moment.

Steve

[NAGG]

:grin::grin::grin: I like this one!!.....it cracks me each year theres new talk on different lures. Its a good thing, but I see the funny side of this. If the only lure thrown is an Xrap...what will the fish get caught on???

A BIG thing missed right from the start. Pete and Kyle fishing. Pete Xrap, Kyle B52.....who got the most fish, same area??? (sorry Pete!!)....point is, under same time same spot same conditions another lure outfished an Xrap.

I like Xraps about the same as hollowbellies. I will throw them on occassions. but they are far from a go to lure for me.

Whats the value in the lure??? about the same as the others that get rarely used, thus I only have 2 Xraps, X12's that is.

I am not digging at anything, I just think they are being 'overhyped' at the moment.

Steve

Overhyped ?? ....... interesting Steve

maybe similar to a Mask Vibe on a bass , Evergreen little max on bass , nuc chicken on a snapper or SX40 on bream.

Yes there are now more people throwing raps at barra than there was 6 months ago ........ but thats only because those guys that thew the raps over the past 2 years were quietly catching fish ......... those that used the raps consistently caught fish on a regular basis ......... & the word got out ! -

Yes every now & then a lure is introduced that works that little bit better than the next lure!


Chris

[Peter4]

A BIG thing missed right from the start. Pete and Kyle fishing. Pete Xrap, Kyle B52.....who got the most fish, same area??? (sorry Pete!!)....point is, under same time same spot same conditions another lure outfished an Xrap.

Ahhhh but who got the most hook-ups Steve? I got 9 to Kyle's 8!:smiley:

In all seriousness though you are spot on...we were using Xraps as a trolling lure back in 2007 during another hot session. But we caught most of our fish on barra classics 3+ and predatek sandvipers!

Since then we have progressed (or regressed) through a huge range of hardbodies and plastics to end up throwing the same lure as three years ago. In fact 2 of the lost Xraps were over three years old!

Kyle has settled pretty much on bombers in shallow conditions while I like bombers, ridgeback torpedos and sarunas. In slightly deeper water I love Xraps and Richos extractors while Kyle still likes deeper barra classics or plastics.

When we fish for barra in June (for the first time) we will probably find something 'new' all over again. For me, it still comes back to confidence...

Regs

Pete

[Steve B]

Overhyped ?? ....... interesting Steve

maybe similar to a Mask Vibe on a bass , Evergreen little max on bass , nuc chicken on a snapper or SX40 on bream.

Yes there are now more people throwing raps at barra than there was 6 months ago ........ but thats only because those guys that thew the raps over the past 2 years were quietly catching fish ......... those that used the raps consistently caught fish on a regular basis ......... & the word got out ! -

Yes every now & then a lure is introduced that works that little bit better than the next lure!


Chris

Chris, Yes yes and yes on the bass and bream stuff. Regardless of lure, species or whatever....if the greatest percentage of lures chucked, the greater the numbers of fish caught on these lures. Just my thoughts.

Petes last line was the clincher 'for me it still comes back to confidence'

Give a man confidence in any lure...and he will catch fish. Well thats pretty bold assumption..but I believe it.

Steve

PS: I love trolling the X12's.....love them....nearly as much as a Viper!!:lipsrsealed::grin:

[NAGG]

Chris, Yes yes and yes on the bass and bream stuff. Regardless of lure, species or whatever....if the greatest percentage of lures chucked, the greater the numbers of fish caught on these lures. Just my thoughts.

Petes last line was the clincher 'for me it still comes back to confidence'

Give a man confidence in any lure...and he will catch fish. Well thats pretty bold assumption..but I believe it.

Steve

PS: I love trolling the X12's.....love them....nearly as much as a Viper!!:lipsrsealed::grin:

How often does one continue to cast a lure that they have no confidence in - serious question :huh:
I've even seen old mate throw his favorite slick rig & after a few casts cut it off , rummage through my tackle bag and choose another :rolleyes:

Without a doubt confidence is ultra important to all of us ...... otherwise we just wont throw it ( vipers with me)
Where does that confidence come from ? - my bet is that the lure / colour has caught you a fish. -

so where does perseverance come into it ? - My first 2 impoundment barra trips saw a lot of vipers cast for not a touch ...... it cast like a dog & was hard to work ....... then I caught a barra on a bobby dazzler classic & another on a gold river rat - all the sudden guess what is my confidence colour & lures :rolleyes: - Old mate bought himself a gold river rat for his first Mondy trip - bingo ! & that is his confidence barra HB ......... even though every other barra that he has caught since has been mostly on slick rigs.

Still on the perseverance thing - Storm suspending shads fell into that category for me. After seeing them used at Tinaroo in May 2008 ( Barraboss) and hearing how effective and popular they were up north
....... I grabbed some! Fortunately I got almost instant attention - though no hookups . This continued with about 10 missed fish over quite a few trips before I finally landed one after changing the hook configuration - my confidence was there , along with perseverance:smiley: Nowdays they are thrown on a regular basis.
Back to the X Rap thing ........ Since I constantly rotate through my lures / plastics (having 5 or even 6 rigged rods on hand) - success shines above confidence :tongue:

Chris

[NAGG]

BTW - A lure is only as good as the technique used! :wink:

Chris

[davez104]

BTW - A lure is only as good as the technique used! :wink:

Chris

And that comes into the confidence thing too Chris. Sometimes when you are throwing a lure that "supposedly" works, but you're not confident in, you go into a sort of autopilot mode when retrieving. You definitely won't put the most into it after the first few casts. Just think about the amount of effort you put into that first retrieve after a visible follow or missed strike, that's what we should be doing every cast.

Dave.