Very early in my fishing career, when every lure I owned could fit in a three-tray tacklebox, I caught wind of a huge sale of slightly used lures. A local legend had cleaned out his garage and was offering hard baits for $1 or $2 apiece — great prices even in those days.
As I entered the vacant house where the sale was taking place, I was overwhelmed by the massive size of the collection. The walls of two or three rooms were covered with crankbaits, topwaters, spinnerbaits — you name it. The baits were hung by jabbing hooks into the drywall. It was a sight I’ll never forget.
I left there needing a new tacklebox to hold my treasure.
In addition, I left with the realization that bass anglers can be addicted to buying baits. I’ve become something of a baitaholic, too.
I have never “browsed” a tackle store without buying something. Several somethings.
Fortunately for lure manufacturers, many bass anglers are far more addicted than I am. My fishing buddy Jimmy Yarbrough of Hartselle, Ala., is a good example.
When he was fishing tournaments, prior to each event, he’d go on a shopping spree for lures and colors he thought would work on that body of water under then-current conditions.
“As far as buying more than I need, I’m guilty,” Yarbrough admitted. “Most of my purchases were made to ensure I had plenty of whatever I thought I might need.”
Bruce Stanton, vice president and general manager of the fishing division of PRADCO Outdoor Brands, says some Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pros take this to the extreme.
“When they go to a lake and figure out that some bait is working, some of the tournament guys will go to every tackle store in the area and buy every bait on a peg — just so nobody else can get them,” Stanton said.
And when that magic bait does pay off with a tournament victory, it kicks off a feeding frenzy among lure buyers. See for yourself: As soon as the next Elite event concludes, check the online tackle stores for that particular size, model and color of lure. I bet they’ll be gone in a day or two, if not sooner.
I like to buy local, but when I have to go online to find a bait, I spend more than I should. I buy extras of the lure I want and also find terminal tackle and other items I’m running low on. Soon, I’m only $20 or so short of the free shipping threshold. My search for an $8 lure leads to a $100-plus credit card charge.
Eventually, we acquisitive anglers find ourselves out of storage space.
Some turn to selling surplus baits on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. I counted more than 50 lure sellers on Marketplace within 90 miles of my home. Competition is stiff, so don’t expect to make much off the sales — unless you have the right stuff.
Yarbrough has a knack for buying smart. For example, after winning a tournament on an original Wiggle Wart years ago, he snapped up as many as he could afford in every color made. Today, he’s getting upward of $70 for each of those crankbaits.
Before the advent of online markets, I tried unloading some excess lures in a garage sale. The lures sold out immediately, and cheaply. That night, someone broke into my garage and made away with all the lures, rods and reels I didn’t want to sell.
The only upside was that the loss gave me an excuse to begin stockpiling lures all over again.
