A lures true value!

[NAGG]

Hi All

To quote a few lines by Pete4 from another thread
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I got a 51cm barra on a SXR12 last time at Mondy.....

Also discovered that the arse had been ripped out of my white (glass ghost?) Xrap by a feisty 67cm fish....

They are certainly not robust lures

This is a common notion / fact about the Rapala X Rap range when it comes to our beloved barra ........
So with the knowledge that even a small fish can destroy a $25 lure , do you continue to buy them or do you stick with more robust options :huh:. or do you look for something else ?

......... I've heard the same thing said about hollowbellies - placcys that are destroyed easily and a relatively expensive!

So - what value/ criteria do you place on a barra lure

*is it cost
*is it longevity
*is it effectiveness
*is it a combination of all the above
*is it something else

[BR65]

effectiveness, pure and simple
durability and cost is secondary

[NAGG]

effectiveness, pure and simple
durability and cost is secondary

Would it surprise you that I've had fishoes tell me that they wont fork out $25 on a lure (I mentioned the X Rap ..... & how successful they were) -
both these guys were doing a 1400km haul .... to try to catch a barra!

Chris

[finga]

How common is the destruction of the lure??
If it was one lure every now again I'd chance it but if it was 1 lure in 2 then no.

[NAGG]

What other lures over $20 are consistent barra catchers

I know a few that have paid big bucks for lures like the ES drives & flats but have caught bugger all on them!

Two that I like are the Smiths Sauruna ( nice shallow water lure) but well over $30 ...... and the Ecogear barra twitch baits also around $30 but with the advantage of not requiring a hook upgrade:cool:

Chris

[NAGG]

How common is the destruction of the lure??
If it was one lure every now again I'd chance it but if it was 1 lure in 2 then no.

The XR/SXR 12s are often destroyed by any 90cm + fish
During the ABT awoonga evening championship 3 were destroyed on our boat in a short time frame.


Chris

[Peter4]

Would it surprise you that I've had fishoes tell me that they wont fork out $25 on a lure

I agree with Brian, Chris - effectiveness is the most important criteria. All else is secondary. These lures do catch barra...

As for durability, well if I get two barra out of the one lure without having to make some running repairs then that is a great outcome. Remember they still require upgrading and tuning before they are effective and this adds another $5 to the cost of each lure...

We think very little about all the money we spend chasing barra as it is a life passion....

Anyway, you source your Xraps from the US for $11 - $12 each don't you? That is less than half the Aussie price! Recently BCF had a 15% off Rapala sale and I restocked my Xraps for $18.66 each.

How did you go in your communication with Rapala in regards to 'toughening up' these lures for the Australian market?

Pete

[snodger 08]

I also agree with Brian, The whole idea of fishing is to catch one after all.
When you add up all the costs of heading up to Mondy to catch maybe 1 fish it could be up to $700 for a weekend if you stay in the cabins. I would rather get a few xraps smashed than have no hook ups at all. $25 in the scheme of things is bugger all, although it would be nice if rapala made them a bit more sturdy. Personaly I think after 3 donuts at Mondy before I got my first Barra this year, I would have spent 5 or 6 hundred on different lures/plastics etc. This is before I knew about the xraps. Maybe if I had used them on the donut trips I would have converted for $25 instead of $600...
Cheers
Steve

[finga]

The XR/SXR 12s are often destroyed by any 90cm + fish
During the ABT awoonga evening championship 3 were destroyed on our boat in a short time frame.


Chris

In my books the $25 would be worth it just for the fight of a lifetime even if it was only for a little while.
I would not care if the fish was boated or not (well it's going to go back anyway and this way there less chance of me stuffing up the release somehow).
And I'd have something else to blame other then my knots for losing a fish :smiley:

[2manylures]

Is it that the lures are poorly made or could it be they're being used in a manner they weren't designed for?

[NAGG]

Is it that the lures are poorly made or could it be they're being used in a manner they weren't designed for?

Clearly the lure is not designed to take the punishment of a barra

Then having said that - Rapala are marketing the floating version as designed for Australia ....... So :undecided:

Chris

btw ...... It's lack of structural integrity wont stop me from using them on barra - Its my go to HB

[leelee]

After you weigh up the cost of actually getting to chase barra, think rods + reels+ braid+petrol+accommodation+boat and then weigh up the cost of a $25 I think it’s a pretty easy decision to make considering what you have already spent to get to the dam and the fact that a $25 lure might be the one lure that actually makes the trip a success.

$25 puts me in with a great chance to catch a fish of a life time so whilst I am not happy about the lures robust form, I have caught a few on the one lure and its still going strong, whilst some are well and truly dead.

I guess you need to ask yourself this question after you have a caught a 130cm fish to see if the outlay was worth the result you have laying on the brag mat.

Now an easy way to make the lure more cost effective to is buy 1 every fortnight before your trip and even when you are not planning to head north for barra. That way when you get up there the expense is not such a big shock.

Also I have pulled apart a broken version and the wire goes all the way through the lure.

Also the floating Aus versions require a heap more mods (read more weight) to get them to suspend I have found.

Cheers

Lee

[BR65]

Is it that the lures are poorly made or could it be they're being used in a manner they weren't designed for?

I think they are being used in the manner they were designed for ( suspending), but we are using them on fish they were never designed to handle.
I keep tossing up the Richos, aussie made, timber lure, tuff as teak, will suspend, no rattle, best fish a 120 on one to date.

I was looking at those Evergreen ES Flats, over 40 US a pop, I drew the line there. Plenty of cheaper options that will work just as good I reckon.

[NAGG]

I was looking at those Evergreen ES Flats, over 40 US a pop, I drew the line there. Plenty of cheaper options that will work just as good I reckon.

I've spoken to 3 or 4 that have bought those ES lures ........ & I can only recall 1 barra caught mentioned :sad:
So based on that ..... I wouldn't bother paying the big $ for one>

I'd go as far as saying that those style of swimbaits have a relatively poor record on barra! - It it because an erratic action has a greater effect on a barras instinct than a slow side to side one :undecided:

Chris

[BR65]

Ive looked at that style of jointed swim bait a bit, when you start googling, theres a heap of vids out there, yank stuff for the main.
Once you sort out the manufacturers hype, they do offer some interesting traits.

• Float, slow sink or quick sink
• Will turn on their axis allmost on a sharp rip
• Huge side to side action on a roll retreive
• Awesome finish, esp the Evergreens etc etc.

Downsides I can see are the usual lack of decent hardware, un-certain durability with large cranky barra, excessive purchase cost on some models.

Ive got a couple of Spro BBZ-1 in slow sink, the 4" not the trout look a like, havent swum them yet, will prob wait till it warms up a bit, and throw them at night when you can them there barra boofing over the banjos, they may go all right sub surface?