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Posts: 786
Location: Minnesota | Are sales slow for all? My sales have slowed a lot since about 2 weeks prior to the MN open. Just put a few more on eBay and those are not even being looked at much. Me thinks me likes winter better when da fishermen are home with notin ta do! Anyone elses sales slowing down in the world of basement baits? Even the posts here have dried up for the most part. Just curious.
Have a good hot weekend all!
James
PS-Got a new eBay alias too for those of you who bookmarked my old one. My new one is gruntlures. I have a few new paint jobs I also want to post here. Got my "Diving Loon" done. Just need to put th ebill and hooks on it.
Edited by Grunt Lures 6/23/2007 9:36 PM
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | Yes luckily it always slows down about now. For me at least it stays that way until Sept and the first cool days start. Fine by me that it slows a bit, gives you a chance to work on new ideas and clean the garage, lol.
Jed V. |
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Posts: 941
Location: Freedom, WI | Yep what Jed says is so. Also the economy is slower with the price of oil so high. Fishing is a hobby and that does not always come first when people look in there wallet. Luckily my friends from overseas keep me busy and interesting to talk too, they take there fishing serious there. |
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Posts: 786
Location: Minnesota | h20, Funny you should mention your international customers. Thsoe seem to be the ones keeping me busy at this time too. Good thing (at least for me) when those guys buy lures, they buy 5-10 at a time! |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | Yep, the european guys are our best customers right now. I think alot of american anglers have switched to mass produced soft plastics. With all the promotion of the soft plastics it's no surprise really.
Jed V.
Edited by RiverMan 6/24/2007 3:58 PM
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Posts: 786
Location: Minnesota | Well Jed, I am one of those guys. I have a whole box full of Bulldawgs, Suzy Suckers, some of those cheap Storms, etc. Those Storms are hard to pass up. For $6 I can destroy those all day long and just buy another to replace it. A $18 Bulldawg hurts a little when it gets ripped up beyond repair. MAkes me want to get into the soft plastic baits... On the other hand, I have a 9" Suick that is worth about 50 Bulldawgs right now. It is about done itself and has been hit by so many fish it is not even funny. Tom Suick signed it a while back and you can't even see where he signed it anymore. LOL
James |
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Posts: 324
Location: Bloomington, Illinois | Although not a bait maker, I have sold lots of baits overseas as well...Particularly in the Netherlands...They enjoy a favorable currency exchange and I believe many are re-sold on buy/sell message boards over there...The internet opens up international markets to everyone 
matt |
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Posts: 37
Location: Mid Wales, UK | Speaking as one of the European guys (UK) I buy a fair few lures from the US including a lot of customs. Lures over here are often around twice the price you guys would pay. For example a regular uptown dawg over here would cost me £12.99 (about $26), after 10 seconds searching I can see that Musky Tackle Online have them for $13.29. A significant saving! As you can see it makes financial sense to buy overseas, even once you add on shipping and the various import costs I sometimes get charged.
Then of course there is the enormous range available in the US, so many lures that you can't find in Europe. Many extremely talented custom lure makers as well, too many to list here. All I need now is for you guys to start making a few more 5", 6" and 7" customs and I'll be a very happy piker 
Edited by Luke 6/24/2007 7:19 PM
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Posts: 1529
| lure sales for us is staedy and slow. things break down into regions for us. gas and economy do have influence. every year there seems to be a fall rush on our larger products. a small reprieve and a little fishing seems to soothe the beast in me after 80 hour weeks from oct to may. |
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Posts: 941
Location: Freedom, WI | Luke - On the small sizes, that is why I am starting to make more 6" baits (besides working over here). I normally use 7" baits myself and drop to 6" and rarely go bigger. Besides the 4 models I have in 6" I have 4 others dialed in, just have to get time to make some. |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | Hi Guys, Its been a while since I have had time to think. We are as busy as we can be . Ive been running at top production speed since April. I am already into big baits as orders are coming in for 12 and 15 inch Deepthreats and for my new 15 inch Dragon Claw. Most have been going to Canada. Lake St. Clair Musky fishermen have kept me running this year with orders for Slashers and I see no let up until fall when 10 in lures take over on St. Clair. Our write up in Woods and waters Magazine has helped us locally with sales climbing on all of our smaller stuff. The word I am getting from my clients is that they are all tired of buying cheap Chinese made plasic lures that fall apart and leak. Quality has dropped to an all time low on plastic lures with poor paint and taped sides bing the normal now. Bill Crane told he has not slowed at all and neither has sales at Loke, Wiley and Tuff Shad although chris is no longer supplying tackle shops. Our line is selling good in Pastikas and we look forward to a great year from them. Our best selling lures have been the smaller 6 to 8 inch stuff but Big baits are starting to go as fast as I can Make them. Kingfisher |
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Posts: 786
Location: Minnesota | Kingfisher-Good to hear from you again. Glad to hear your biz is hot! You make some great lures. Been watching the few you have put on eBay in the last 6 months. I have heard the same stuff on the china baits. Too bad too as a lot of those companies started as basement bait builders and IMO have let thier brand slide by moving away from controlling the manufacturing. Hard to control half way around the world.... |
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Posts: 37
Location: Mid Wales, UK | h2os2t - 6/25/2007 4:39 AM
Luke - On the small sizes, that is why I am starting to make more 6" baits (besides working over here). I normally use 7" baits myself and drop to 6" and rarely go bigger. Besides the 4 models I have in 6" I have 4 others dialed in, just have to get time to make some.
Hi Roger,
You're one of the lure builders I've got my eye on - some nice designs in the kind of sizes I like for my pike fishing. You can expect an order from me sometime soon |
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Posts: 399
Location: Burton, Ohio | I know I don't have the website going yet but I am finding out the European Clientele are very serious about there lures. I have been Ebaying lures and learning fast. Almost 1/2 of them are going overseas.
Take care
John |
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| Does Kingfisher have a web site I'd love to have a look at some of the lurers. |
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Posts: 324
Location: Bloomington, Illinois | http://www.fishall-lures.com/index.html |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | Gust, stop in at the site or call me. We do lot more colors than are listed on the site. James, have you built a 10 inch Grunt yet? A 10 or 12 inch model would sell great on St. Clair in the fall (October thru December) . The 10 inch Nils is the king of the Fall Bite over there. My Deepthreat is too deep a runner for St. Clair but it has been quite effective in the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. A good shallow running bait with the Grunt wide glide wobble would be very effective over there. There are thousands of Buyers in that area around St. Clair. Its a great Market. I would also think The area stores near Vermillion and Mille Lacs shgould be hot stores to get into. Kingfisher |
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Posts: 786
Location: Minnesota | King,
The problem I would have with a smaller bait is the Jake and Grandma. That lure woudl kill me on price I think. I would have a wooden bait vs a plastic bait. But, with that said, a lot of guys say they hate buying cheap China baits but when it comes down to the wallet they buy the cheaper baits. Just my opinion and also a little of what I have seen at shows. You need a following. To get that with a smaller bait I need to get a lot better at painting
Most here paint circles around me!
James |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | James , guys are buying custom painted Nils baits for 35 to 45 bucks each. Believers and Jakes are sitting on the shelves. No one is buying them. Its a total wood market. Wood has won near every tournement held there in the last 50 years. Your wide swinging grunt is a perfect fall pattern for that lake. You just need to make iut 10 inches long. I fished on one of the top Charter boats on the lake last year and will be fishing with him again on the 2nd of July. Last fall him and his buddy pulled out 100 baits for the day. there were 94 Nils Master 10 inch models and 6 Grandma lures. The Nils were all covered with teeth marks and Grandmas looked new except for hook wear. That about says it all for that lake in the fall. Im working on a 10 inch hybred lure (cedar) Aimed at that market myself. American and Canadian Musky fishermen are getting fed up with the flood of cheap crap lures and are buying more and more quality baits from real lure makers. The trick is for us to find ways to get our costs down a little. Waste less and make more etc etc etc. I deal with Lakeside Fishing shop in St Clair Shores and the owner tells me that wood is all he can sell right now. Too many complaints from customers about bad paint and peeling tape on plastics. Rapala remains one of the last good Plastic lures he has in his store. He still sells a lot of those to the bass guys and walleye guys. But St Clair Muskies are wood eaters hands down. My Slashers do well in his store as do Mordas Minnows , Lokes and Wileys. Tuff Shads in any numbers are going for big bucks as Chris is not making a lot of them these days. I have about 30 of them and treat them like gold. The 5 inch Tuff Shad on the slider next to one of my Jointed Slashers is a great one two punch on St. Clair. This is why the market seems slow. All the tackle shops I am talking to are slow but they all tell me that our stuff is selling well as is the Crane baits and Wileys and such. I walked into Bobbies in Vermillion Bay last August and saw the famous wall of Musky lures. It was Impressive but really a joke as the colors on the wall were mostly Florescent monsters of plastic crap and soft plastic tails. He told me sales were way down except for Bucktails and Wood top water baits. The time to take advantage of this is now while the big companies are building and marketing gaudy cheap lures. Get a firm foothold while you can because if they wise up and return to quality standards of the past they will reclaim the lost sales. I have already turned down one offer to sell and expect more in the future as my volume increases. Im digging in as far as we can get with the retail stores. All they want is quality workmanship that will move. Good luck guys Ive got to get back to work. Kingfisher |
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Posts: 786
Location: Minnesota | Good to hear in your post bucktails are doing well. I am cranking them out as fast as I can. I should have some big double bladed bucktails in both hair and flashabou/tinsel soon. As for the 10 inch Grunt, I may work on that one. I will need to see if I can get a wide wobble out of it. Would be nice if I could get one to run right. STill ahve a lot of summer left to get one going. Thanks for the post!
James |
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| ACE lures are selling well on the East Coast for Weakfish and Stripers, the rest slow though Scandinavia baits are selling well especially Hell Tails...still, Finland Flippers and Scuds, Germany Small Fat Flippers and Magic Wobblers, Holland Midget Fat Flippers and Mini Flippers and Norway Devon Minnows and Oval Sprats though these are both for Salmon!
Phil
www.acebaitsusa.com |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | Hi Phil, I love my green frog Ace Bait Scooter and that huge jointed jitterbug. Kingfisher |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | Hey Phil do you have a link to the devon minnow and sprats? I would love to see them but couldn't find them on the web page.
thank you.
Jed V.
Bikini Bait Co.
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Posts: 37
Location: Mid Wales, UK | Jed,
You can see them here at the UK home of Ace Baits.
http://www.fishingpool.co.uk/category.php?name=Traditional+Salmon+L... |
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Posts: 55
Location: SW Michigan | The devon's are interesting. Never saw those before. I'll bet they would work on Great Lakes salmon. As best as I can tell, they spin on the retreive? Any fishing details? |
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Sales?