This is not an opinion piece on President Trump and his policies. I am not here to take a political stance. I did not sign up to report on international trade. But, love them or hate them, many of us are starting to feel the effects of the highly debated tariffs that have been implemented on international goods—those coming from China in particular.
A lot of products in the bass fishing market are obviously produced in China. At the time of writing this, there’s a 145% tariff on these products. Just doing quick math, to maintain the same profit margin percentage-wise, I believe that puts a $5 crankbait at around $12.25.
Now, we haven’t seen any price hikes quite that dramatic yet, but the prices are certainly creeping up as companies try to soften the blow for their consumers while simultaneously protecting their bottom lines as best they can, with no certainty of how long the tariffs and price hikes will last.
There’s a tendency to think, “We’ll just buy American.” But many products that are technically made in the US, such as fishing rods with blanks built here but are outfitted with Fuji guides which are made in Japan, still have materials that are coming from overseas. Those raw materials are subject to the tariffs, too. So, if the exporter jacks up the price of the raw material or components to offset their rising costs, then that added expense has to be absorbed by either the lure manufacturer here in the states or the customer. It’s that simple. Prices go up all the way around unless the exporter takes the whole tariff on the chin itself.
This is not an easy issue to fix. And I’m not here to try. What I am here to do is give you some tips on how to momentarily beat the tariffs when it comes to buying fishing lures in this ever changing landscape in which we find ourselves. It’s not lost on me that being able to afford fishing lures is a little low on the priority list as a society when people are losing their jobs and the threat of war is on the minds of many. Still, we all love to fish. And fishing helps take our minds off things — it calms the nerves and soothes the soul. So, here’s how to keep doing it even amidst rising bait prices.
Stock Up While You Can
Buying bass baits is about like buying stocks these days. Who knew we’d need to implement the buy-low-sell-high mentality when considering the purchase of a pack of worms. For the moment though, several lures still haven’t gone up in price all that much, if at all. So, stocking up on your favorites while you can still get a good deal on them is a good idea.
Looking for baits on third-party sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace is a great way to circumvent the tariff situation all together. These baits have been in the country for a while or even in someone’s closet for a decade in some instances. Scouring these sites for your favorites is a good way to source some baits to help carry you through this, hopefully short-term, consumer crisis. Just be sure to read reviews on the seller to vet them before sending any money their way.
Shopping the clearance rack is another great way to buy baits without breaking the bank right now. There are tons of products out there these days, and even some good ones just never can get enough eyeballs on them to catch on amongst all the noise. Shopping for baits on clearance, for whatever reason, will save you money. I’ve looked around for a few good deals that still carry a lot of bang for their buck. Here they are.
Lunker Lure Original Buzzbaits
With many buzzbaits costing two and three times as much, you can’t go wrong with the Original Lunker Lure for around five bucks. This is a big fish catcher that’s proven itself for decades at holding to big bass after big bass.
Googan Baits Lunker Log Stick Baits
Need a stick bait? The 4-inch Googan Baits Lunker Log is on sale for 40% off in several colors over at Tackle Warehouse. I’ve never fished with this exact brand of stick bait, but the good thing about Senko-style baits is that many of them are very similar. They can also be used in a variety of ways to catch fish, from wacky rigging to Ned rigging and more.
Roboworm Fat Straight Tail Worms
Select colors of the best selling Roboworm Fat Straight Tail Worms are on sale currently for around 28% off. That’s astonishing considering this is arguably the number one drop shot bait of all time. And these are great colors too, like Breaking Dawn and Green Pumpkin Purple.
Nichols Catalyst Colorado Willow Spinnerbait
This is one of my favorite spinnerbaits and there are a few great colors in it that are currently on sale for 30% off. I started fishing with the Nichols Catalyst Spinnerbait about two years ago and it has become my go-to in tournament situations when I need a bait that is built to get bit and strong enough to get them in the boat.
Jackall Bling 55 Crankbaits
The Jackall Bling 55 Crankbait is one of my favorite crankbaits. SG Threadfin Shad is my favorite color in this bait. For whatever reason, Tackle Warehouse has the Bling in this color and their best selling color (Craw Fish) on sale now for 30% off. I was honestly tempted to buy these out when I saw this deal and go right on about my business. But I refrained and am passing the info along to you.
Fishlab Rattle Toads
Though I haven’t fished with the Fishlab Rattle Toad, the deal on it did catch my eye. There are a few of these baits left in various sizes and colors, all for 35% off. Reading up on the bait, it has a rattle secured to the hook as opposed to free floating inside the body. And there’s a monster version of the bait that weighs a little more than an ounce and measures 3 and 1/2 inches. Might be worth a look for seven bucks.
PB Rat
A “deal” is in the eye of the beholder. And if you’re into big baits, you know they’re not cheap. So when a $130 bait is marked down 20%, I still find it worth mentioning. Especially when it’s a rat wakebait. There are several versions of the PB Rat marked down considerably.
Duel Hardcore Popper
I’m actually pretty surprised by this, but the Duel Hardcore Popper is on sale for 40% off at Tackle Warehouse. I reviewed this one myself a few years ago and liked it a lot. And, it’s been awarded 4.7 out of 5 stars by reviewers on TW. So, I’m not sure why it’s marked down so much, unless it’s just being discontinued, but either way this is a dang good deal on a quality topwater. The sales price is in effect for all 8 colors.
Berkley Krej FFS Jerkbait 100
The Berkley Krej has been met with mixed reviews by the public. Designed to be paired with forward facing sonar, I have to agree it’s not the most effective bait in that sense. But I have absolutely wrecked schooling fish on this thing, just casting to wherever they blow up. You can throw it a mile and the sticky trebles pin the fish well. Half the colors are marked down about 25% right now.
Z-Man ChatterBait Custom
Not a huge mark down here, but 15% off the Z-Man ChatterBait Custom is still a great deal. This is one of my favorite ChatterBaits to start with because of the quality of the bait for the low MSRP. But especially when you’re talking about getting it for under 6 bucks, this one is hard to beat—even by vibrating jigs that cost two and three times as much.
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A lot of people are experiencing serious, life-altering implications from the ongoing tariff talks. I’m not for a moment making light of that. But, I’m not sure of what I can do about it for you either if you’re looking at losing a job or not being able to afford something you desperately need. I can help you find a good deal on fishing lures though.
