Rapalas are overpriced

[RACKER]

Was looking to update some tackle. Can’t afford these lures anymore !

[Nikanit]

Must be that particular pattern...

[old dog]

I would look around the store that has a $5700 item marked down to $15. Lol

[skidderman]

You can buy almost the same hooks on ebay for very little. Just a thought.

[PlayDoh]

$15-$16 for those really are overpriced. Probably $12 at Cabela’s.
Hard to understand how someone could put that price sticker thingy on there and not notice the $5000.

[Red Bullets]

Get a wooden stick and do a little whittling, a little painting and screw a couple hooks into it and you have a home made rapala for the price of a couple treble hooks and a few drops of paint.
I made a "rapala" at the campfire one night and the next day I caught a few fish with it. Not even painted.

[jungleboy]

Amazon.ca is full of offshore knockoff tackle for cheap....

example: https://www.amazon.ca/Fishing-Life-l...960685&sr=8-13

[PlayDoh]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Get a wooden stick and do a little whittling, a little painting and screw a couple hooks into it and you have a home made rapala for the price of a couple treble hooks and a few drops of paint.

I made a "rapala" at the campfire one night and the next day I caught a few fish with it. Not even painted.

There’s a little more to it than that. I’m not justifying the prices, but whittling up a half dozen deep-divers and Clackers to run at 10-14 ft isn’t going to happen around a campfire.
I’ve seen Pike caught with a car key and a J hook. Yet I’ve never whittled up a crankbait, so good on ya.
The truth is your not going to find a Rapala for much cheaper, if any cheaper than you will at Cabela’s or Walmart. I have a friend on their pro-staff and he doesn’t pay that much less than I do. And he pays cost.
Rapala’s not the only crankbait in town, and unless your after a special action, other brands catch fish too. Yet unless you lose lots, there well worth the price to me. My great grandkids won’t need to buy tackle, since I’m a sucker for lures.
Sometimes lures catch fish, but they always catch fishermen.

[sns2]

What a great idea! I'm gonna try that car key trick just to say I did it

[saskbooknut]

Some Rapalas were on sale at $5 in November. You have to shop the sales.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Get a wooden stick and do a little whittling, a little painting and screw a couple hooks into it and you have a home made rapala for the price of a couple treble hooks and a few drops of paint.
I made a "rapala" at the campfire one night and the next day I caught a few fish with it. Not even painted.

As someone who builds lures yes you can build a lure that works carving a stick with a pocket knife but you are not going to be replacing all your rapala’s any time soon

I also know firsthand how difficult it is to reproduce an exact action and how slight differences in balance, weight, bill shape and angle throw things off

There is a lot more to it then just carving a stick but yes you can make a lure that works doing this

[TheHotChili]

Originally Posted by RACKER

Was looking to update some tackle. Can’t afford these lures anymore !

I would have shown them an add from another store, in the off chance they had a price match deal where they beat it by "X %" of the difference..lol

[RACKER]

Originally Posted by TheHotChili

I would have shown them an add from another store, in the off chance they had a price match deal where they beat it by "X %" of the difference..lol

I didn’t think of that.! Good idea. Glad you caught my sarcasm.

[coyoteman]

On the lesser Slave lake, a few years ago the limit on walleye 3 over 50cm.On a day the Rigs were not working very well,I tryed a large rapala ----very expensive one.Yep three 50cm plus landed.The next day a lot of the regulars had the same lure And CT sold out.They from time to time work very well.Fisherman live on hope, and are willing to pay for it.By the way the area I refer to was a small section of the lesser Slave Lake River,just down from the launch.The limit now one per day,saw a few high fifties cm ones caught this year.

[dustinjoels]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

Amazon.ca is full of offshore knockoff tackle for cheap....

example: https://www.amazon.ca/Fishing-Life-l...960685&sr=8-13

I’ve ordered my fair share of Chinese knock off hooks and you get what you pay for. Not horrendous, but not very sturdy and action can be wonky.

Considering the knockoffs don’t really run true and don’t have the best action, whittling rapala replacements that have the same action and run at the right depths seems fairly far fetched.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by dustinjoels

I’ve ordered my fair share of Chinese knock off hooks and you get what you pay for. Not horrendous, but not very sturdy and action can be wonky.

Considering the knockoffs don’t really run true and don’t have the best action, whittling rapala replacements that have the same action and run at the right depths seems fairly far fetched.

I never claimed the whittled rapala had the same action but it did prove to me that I could catch fish with the most basic of lures. I weighted it with a piece of wire wrapped around the wood close to the leader end.

I love rapalas but cannot justify filling my tackle box with them at today's prices. I had a tackle box stolen that had a couple hundred dollars worth of rapalas in it and I'm still mad for the loss.

[jungleboy]

I've made my share of home made lures, be it plugs /top water plugs/Spinner baits or hand tied jigs and have had success with them . Nothing quite as satisfying as catching fish on one your own creations. I did buy some rattle rap knock offs late in fall but have yet to try them ,5 lures in a plastic lure box for $14 seemed an easy gamble to take. They seem to be very well made , I guess I'll find out in the spring if they were worth the risk.

[aulrich]

Yea I started making gear a few years ago, I won't go back. If I buy a lure now I am desperate, I want to knock it off or they are Len Thompsons.

Be assured I probably spend a bit more on gear every year so you don't actually save money you just have way more stuff.

[Okotok]

Got a handful of Keystone Light knock-offs from a liquor store in Peace River last year for free. Haven't tried them yet but they actually look quite well made and the price was right.

[coyoteman]

Many people from Calgary make the aprox 5 hour drive to Lesser slave every year, sometimes twice---towing a trailer no less--have to make a liquor store stop--Oh yes the gas.No compromise on tackle at this point----

[bear12]

I think I paid $6.50. or so.
I have tried them in a bunch of Southern Alberta Lakes and Reservoirs.
Caught tons of pike walleye and a few big rainbows.
There website is fishonlt.com

[Mike_W]

You should go to the front and ask for a price match....see if they will give you 5745 off something.

[BPman]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

As someone who builds lures yes you can build a lure that works carving a stick with a pocket knife but you are not going to be replacing all your rapala’s any time soon

I also know firsthand how difficult it is to reproduce an exact action and how slight differences in balance, weight, bill shape and angle throw things off

There is a lot more to it then just carving a stick but yes you can make a lure that works doing this

X10 in my experience. I hanmd build 9" versions of Shadraps that will dive to 35' for pike, muskies and big walleyes...and they work.

[Red Bullets]

I also made a flatfish, like the store bought 'kwikfish K5, from the tip of a whitetail antler and it was a nice weighed flatfish for deep water. Unfortunately it got stolen with my tackle box full of rapalas.

[does it ALL outdoors]

I buy Rapala's once a year only, at The Fishin Hole's annual summer sale, 50-70% off everything. I do 90% of my annual shopping at that sale