The Costs of DIY Lures

[Mark]

Str8 Yakkin’s recent post “1st trip out” about perch fishing led to a discussion about the commercial cost of jig spinners. I learned that Beetle Spins can range from 89 cents to $1.60.

It got me to thinking how much my homemade jig spinners cost.

Here are two of my 1/8 oz. spinners that have seen action and been successful in tricking perch:

Jig Spinners (2).jpg

The components to make them are:

Lead – I’ll assume no cost because my lead is recycled. It comes from sinkers and worn out jigs that I and my friends find on beaches, hanging from docks, etc. However, a painted commercial 1/8 oz. jig usually costs around 30 cents.

Hooks – A size 1 jig hook costs about 4 cents.

Blade – A Colorado blade in size 3 is about 15 cents.

Spinner arm – Approximately 17 cents.

Brass split ring (to connect blade to arm) – 4 cents.

Stick on eyes – 2 cents each or 4 cents per jig. (Sometimes I paint eyes with Latex hobby paint – cost too small to calculate. I have bottles of hobby paint that are 10 years old.)

Paint – I use powder paint for the jigs. That costs $6.75 for a 2 oz. jar. Again, just an estimate but I can paint at least 100 jigs from that jar. So, add another 7 cents.

Now to the trailers:

A 3-inch Mister Twister grub will cost about 10 cents depending on the quantity you buy. Store brands are cheaper and just as effective in my experience.

A bucktail trailer is harder to cost. A typical full bucktail costs $7.00. Just guessing, I may be able to get 20 jigs from a single bucktail. That would make a bucktail trailer around 35 cents.

Thread for attaching bucktail to the jig. A spool of flat wax nylon thread is $1.59. I’d guess I can tie 40 jigs with that spool. So, each bucktail jig requires about 4 cents worth of thread.

Crystal Flash or Flashabou to accent bucktail. A card costs about $4 and lasts forever. Add a penny per bucktail.

Cost estimates thus far:

Jig Spinner with Mr. Twister trailer – 61 cents.
Jig Spinner with bucktail trailer – 91 cents.

Those costs compare favorably with the prices of similar commercial perch lures. I could reduce the costs if I bought larger quantities of the components at a time. But I don’t want a bunch of material on hand that I may never use.

However, not factored are the costs of my molds, melting pot, electricity, taxes, shipping from suppliers and most of all, my time. Yet, there is a certain satisfaction derived in catching fish on lures and flies you make yourself. So perhaps those costs wash out. I hope so!

In any case, thanks for indulging me on my cost ramblings on a rainy day. I had never tried to determined how much my lures cost before.

[CarsonNash]

That was an interesting read. Thank you.

I have considered either tying my own flies or pouring my own jigs. With the recent purchase of a kayak and a new rod, the startup cost of homemade lures is not in the books. It is definitely something I will look into later. I wouldn’t do it for the cost reduction, the idea of making stuff like that just appeals to me.

For now I will stick with my 5$ “Perch Pounders”, and the spinner jigs made by Stu. I should probably refine my fly fishing skills before I start tying flies as well.

[Mark]

Carson,

I could not in good conscience cast a $5 perch pounder.

Learn to tie. It's fun and I think cheaper in the long run than a perch pounder.

[belairfishing]

Mark,

As someone who ties flies for freshwater fishing, I appreciate your analytical approach to costing out your spinners. I was ready to call you out on the cost of the molds, melting pot, etc. but I kept reading and saw you did that yourself! I am curious though, how much do you think you have invested in molds and the melting pot?

I haven't tied any jigs yet, but I have re-dressed hooks on poppers and plugs - I hope to put them to the test this weekend!

Steve

[J.A. Veil]

Several years ago, I decided to keep a spreadsheet of all my costs relating to fishing and boating. The end result was scary, so I stopped doing it after two years.

Making you own lures can be a very rewarding pastime (if you have the aptitude for it, which I do not). Trying to itemize all costs can be frustrating and eye-opening too. Unless you crank out large numbers of lures, you may not save much over buying lures on sale or at winter flea markets. But it is hard to place a value on catching fish with your own creations.

[Mark]

Steve,

I use Do-It molds. The bucktail spinner in my photo comes from this one:

https://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-...Mold-P214.aspx

I actually bought it used from someone on this forum. It remains my favorite for perch.

I have other Do-It molds that I use for round head jigs and my tidal jigs for stripers. They each cost in the $35 to $40 dollar range new. As I said earlier, "free" lead is easy to find and it's also cheap if you have to purchase it. I have a stash from eBay that I haven't touched because my recycled supply has sufficed.

Hooks range from 4 cents to 10 cents each, the more expensive ones being the larger heavier hooks for tidal use.

I do not do production pouring. I use a simple electric pot and ladle the molten lead to the mold one jig at a time. This is the pot I use:

https://www.barlowstackle.com/Lee-4-...del-P3271.aspx

So, one mold, one pot, one ladle will cost about $85. I've seen bucktail jigs online cost from $3.00 to $6.00 each. Essentially, I made my breakeven point somewhere around my 25th jig. That's a very liberal calculation.

But I do know this, I fret not all about breaking off a jig in a CNR or sunken log or losing a fly in a tree.

I haven't bought a fly for years. I see that Gaines poppers go for $4.00 or more. Even a wooly bugger costs over $1.00 each at Cabelas. Clousers cost almost $2.00. When you tie your own and realize how sparse the materials are on those flies, and how simple they are to make, you find the retail costs outrageous.

All this may sound penny wise and pound foolish. I do think that in the long run, you can save a lot of money making your own lures and flies. But more important than that for me is the satisfaction of catching fish with my own lures and flies. I think most fly tiers and lure makers would agree with that.

[belairfishing]

Steve,

I haven't bought a fly for years. I see that Gaines poppers go for $4.00 or more. Even a wooly bugger costs over $1.00 each at Cabelas. Clousers cost almost $2.00. When you tie your own and realize how sparse the materials are on those flies, and how simple they are to make, you find the retail costs outrageous.

All this may sound penny wise and pound foolish. I do think that in the long run, you can save a lot of money making your own lures and flies. But more important than that for me is the satisfaction of catching fish with my own lures and flies. I think most fly tiers and lure makers would agree with that.

I agree, I have not paid for a fly in years either. I also like to make stuff up as I go, change up materials or colors. The good news is, when you do that for fishing creeks and ponds, the fly will catch SOMETHING no matter what it looks like!

When I first got into tying trout flies about 7 years ago, I loved tying soft hackles to swing for trout on the Gunpowder. I thought I had invented something really cool, and when it caught several trout I was really excited - "I'm gonna have a fly named after me, like Lefty Kreh!" Turns out, after reading and researching trout flies, I invented the gold ribbed hare's ear soft hackle!

Another cool thing about tying/making your own lures...I don't really keep logs, but I absolutely remember all of my "firsts" - first fish on a fly I tied, first fish on a dry fly I tied, first fish on a streamer I tied, yadda yadda yadda.

I could definitely get into making white perch lures, not including pouring my own lead. I have plenty of jig heads in inventory I have accumulated over the years.

[Mark]

...The good news is, when you do that for fishing creeks and ponds, the fly will catch SOMETHING no matter what it looks like!...

Very true. We're far harsher critics of our work than the fish.

[mhossom]

When I take on an activity such as yours, cost savings are never a factor. For example, I took up rod building a couple of years ago. I have spent more on a single blank that I have ever spent on a factory made rod in the past. There is just something so incredibly satisfying about catching a fish on tackle that I made myself.

This aside, my daughter is getting ready to head off to college and my tune about cost savings will probably change a lot.

[Memory Maker]

Your costs are true but incomplete. You also have to factor in the equipment you need to make the stuff ......... fly tying devices, lead pouring equipment, paint brushes, heatgun/oven, drying rack etc etc etc.

[DanMarino]

My rotary vise was less than $30.
The thread was less than $3.
100 hooks something like $5 at Walmart.
Some craft foam sheets from Hobby Lobby like $8.
Some rabbit fur zonker strips, squirrel tail, estaz, and rubber sili-legs were less than $30.
Seriously, I could tie flies on that stuff for 5-10 years and still have some of it left over.

I think the enjoyment is worth the price. Half the fun is creating a couple new flies before a trip and then fishing them to see if you can catch anything on them.

[Mark]

Your costs are true but incomplete. You also have to factor in the equipment you need to make the stuff ......... fly tying devices, lead pouring equipment, paint brushes, heatgun/oven, drying rack etc etc etc.

You got me on the heat gun to prep the jigs for powder painting. I lifted that from my wife's hobby tools. I don't know what it cost. It goes missing from time to time from my tying table and when it does I know she has it. No brushes used in powder painting. No drying rack. I included the ladle for pouring and the melting pot. I think my vises are fully amortized after 25 years and thousands of flies. I bet the IRS would agree.

But I did forget the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails nail polish. I use that in lieu of head cement on flies and to seal paint on jigs. That's $3 to $4 a bottle but it goes far.

It all makes you wonder how Wal-Mart can sell Beetle Spins for so little.

[bignose]

Mark,
Your cost breakdown is pretty close to what I figured when I priced out my Spinner Jigs that I sell. My goal was to keeps my costs low enough to permit 12 year old kid to buy a couple.

I look at these as a retirement hobby and try to do just a little bit better than break even.
I way undervalue my labor in the assembly process, as all of mine are hand tied.

I pour, and paint about a hundred at a time, which takes about 2-3 hours total.
I use a Do-it mold specific for the Spinner Jig ( #3288, called a Crappie Jig)and use the special wire arm that Do-it sells. These are a finer wire than most spinner baits. Tochterman's up in Baltimore, and Barlows for the supplies. This mold also requires a special hook, Mustad #455, although other hooks may fit.
I use vinyl paint instead of powder.

I buy blades in bulk, anywhere from .05 cents each to .95 cents each (chrome plated brass-thru-gold plated diamond pattern embossed). The hooks are about .07 cents each and the wire forms are about .06-.07 cents each. The wire forms and hooks are sometimes hard to come by, so when they are available, I often by 400-500 at a time.
My yearly production is 150-200 per year.

My "production assembly" rate is about 10 per hour, if I stick to the same color schemes. I can crank out 20-30 per day before my adult ADD and boredom kicks in.

I tried some production fly tying a zillion years ago, but found that I hated the repetition of tying the same fly for hours on end.

I got into tying starting when I was 13, using bakery twine, vise grip pliers, and purlioned feathers, and got fully involved when I became a trout fisherman in my mid 20s and found that as a starting teacher, paying a buck or more for a fly that I could make myself for pennies seemed ridiculous. And Joe Bruce's fly shop was only a couple of miles away from where I taught.......I did the whole rod building thing, as well.

Last year, as I recovered from shoulder surgery, I bought a batch of silicone skirts from eBay because I couldn't hold my arm up to tie, that cut my production time way down, to over 20 assembled lures per hour!. The problem was, these didn't catch fish!

And when I get bored, some of my tying gets kinda "creative' with all sorts of color blends and skirt ideas. Most of these are designed to catch fishermen and not fish.
But y'know, most of my fish are caught on two basic designs. As Mark mentions, the fish don't care (at least most of the time).

I'll be honest, I have so much invested in equipment, molds, vise, tying materials that I'll never really recoup my expenses, but who cares?

[Mark]

Stu,

I concur. I think it's hard to turn almost any hobby into a serious money making venture. You may think you're breaking even, but you probably are not. The main reason for that sad situation is that your own labor will go vastly undercompensated.

A few years ago I visited the MirrOLure factory in FL during a fishing trip with John Veil. My first impression was that it was an unbelievably small factory, which it was given the national status of MirrOLure. It looked almost like a "mom and pop" operation with a few folks sitting behind machines stamping out crankbait forms and plastic eyes in a relatively small building. We learned on that trip that the factory in FL makes the components but they are sent offshore for the more expensive, time-consuming assembly process. So in order to be competitive, MirrOLure goes offshore to reduce labor costs.

It's a good thing our hobbies are mainly that. I know I would absolutely detest sitting at the vise if I had to.

[nhunter344]

It all makes you wonder how Wal-Mart can sell Beetle Spins for so little.

Cheap materials and slave labor cut costs significantly... aka Made In China.