Why are jigs so expensive - ideas on saving money?

Z

Zakalwe

New Member
Notwithstanding market dynamics and retail theory, has anyone ever wondered how and why larger jigs and lures are so expensive? I appreciate a market charges what it can, but I’m surprised a manufacturer has yet to exploit the vastly inflated and artificially high price of small chunks of extremely easy to manufacture metal we buy. A large lure can cost well over $30 these days and the cheapest 10+ oz ones I can fins tend to start at $20, which is silly when you consider what goes into making them. I even saw a trendy-looking Norwegian cod jig in a local store recently that was $50. Expensive loss when bumping rocky ground…!

So does anyone know of a manufacturer that’s said ‘these cost a dollar to manufacture so I’ll sell them for ten and make a killing’? I know it’s not that simple but if I owned some fairly simple tools dedicated to the job I could probably bang a hundred out a week and sell them at that margin to make some decent pocket/gas money (no, I’m way too busy to fit that into my life).

Thoughts? Ideas? They obviously don’t need to be hand-painted and carefully crafted like maybe spoons (and even that’s pros manufacturer myth). Big lingcod and rockfish will tend to go for anything annoying and shiny…

Thanks. Anyone working for Gibbs here ?
 
Zakalwe said:
Notwithstanding market dynamics and retail theory, has anyone ever wondered how and why larger jigs and lures are so expensive? I appreciate a market charges what it can, but I’m surprised a manufacturer has yet to exploit the vastly inflated and artificially high price of small chunks of extremely easy to manufacture metal we buy. A large lure can cost well over $30 these days and the cheapest 10+ oz ones I can fins tend to start at $20, which is silly when you consider what goes into making them. I even saw a trendy-looking Norwegian cod jig in a local store recently that was $50. Expensive loss when bumping rocky ground…!

So does anyone know of a manufacturer that’s said ‘these cost a dollar to manufacture so I’ll sell them for ten and make a killing’? I know it’s not that simple but if I owned some fairly simple tools dedicated to the job I could probably bang a hundred out a week and sell them at that margin to make some decent pocket/gas money (no, I’m way too busy to fit that into my life).

Thoughts? Ideas? They obviously don’t need to be hand-painted and carefully crafted like maybe spoons (and even that’s pros manufacturer myth). Big lingcod and rockfish will tend to go for anything annoying and shiny…

Thanks. Anyone working for Gibbs here ?
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Can I be first on your list? I like 2-3 oz jigs, if you just punch them out, I'll paint them.
 
Local Hali Hunter said:
Can I be first on your list? I like 2-3 oz jigs, if you just punch them out, I'll paint them.
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:) Personally it’s 10+oz I struggle with in terms of price. I prefer a bigger and heavier jig where I fish, when I’m reasonably deep. And they’re getting ridiculously expensive. It wouldn’t be difficult to lose $100 a day over gnarly ground, and that’s approaching gas money level.
 
Zakalwe said:
:) Personally it’s 10+oz I struggle with in terms of price. I prefer a bigger and heavier jig where I fish, when I’m reasonably deep. And they’re getting ridiculously expensive. It wouldn’t be difficult to lose $100 a day over gnarly ground, and that’s approaching gas money level.
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Totally understand, hope you can work out a solution. Design is always the trick for these moulds.
 
There is a guy who makes jigs locally and sells them cheap in Saanich on Facebook. The cheapest are lead head and swim baits and they seem to work for me.

I've also had a lure maker, I think it was Critter Cove contact me about trying to hire lure-making people. We had a nice chat but we really don't headhunt anyone for customers unless they pay more than $30 an hour and they weren't offering anywhere near that.

I think making, packaging, and selling lures is just labour intensive. Even if you manage to get workers for $20 an hour when construction pays $25, your cost of molds, equipment, paint, land, and opportunity costs are high.

I'm getting into slow pitch jigging and it is going to be costly.
 
Same deal with spoons. Paper thin ? metal with a sticker on it. $7 plus for a lure that you may get two trips out of before it pretzels.

As for jigs, I bought some from a fellow off this site. They worked great painted or not. Harbour Chandler use to sell the mold. Regret not buying a set.

Not to impressed by the longevity of hooks these days either.

I seem to have lots to whine about on a Monday.:)
 
Zakalwe said:
:) Personally it’s 10+oz I struggle with in terms of price. I prefer a bigger and heavier jig where I fish, when I’m reasonably deep. And they’re getting ridiculously expensive. It wouldn’t be difficult to lose $100 a day over gnarly ground, and that’s approaching gas money level.
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Use 4oz with a weight and you'll save money. Half the cost or less.
 
I can't speak for the price of jigs, but I can help you lose less of them.

Last year I started removing the bottom treble from all of the metal jigs I buy and replacing them with top-mounted assist hooks (google if not familiar,)
I have not looked back. I make my own assist hooks as I have the tools but you can also buy them at Trotac.
I snag way less as the hooks don't touch the bottom as much, and when I snag I can generally free the lure more successfully.
I also drop fewer fish as assist hooks lessen the fish's ability to leverage the hook free using the jig.

I have my process for making your own detailed in a couple of IG posts

[EDIT: I tried linking the posts but they just redirect to the login for Instagram.
Drop me a DM and I can share directly.


This works on little 1 oz. jigs up to the heavy halibut bar jigs. Just size your hooks accordingly
 
I'm with ya on the prices and some disign issues... I"m working on some large swimbait lures that are reinforced, was gonna do up a batch this week but my bigger jig molds didn't come back after I loaned them out to a supposed buddy. As far as tackle retail, stores typically want %100 mark up to make it worth their while, so your $25 jig is tying up probably $13 of their money that they have to sit on till someone purchases. Plus all the variables these days with lead being fairly expensive, quality hook price, paint and don't forget about shipping supplies to the people making them it all adds up to a small bottom line for someone like me who does the hard work.
 
Zakalwe said:
Notwithstanding market dynamics and retail theory, has anyone ever wondered how and why larger jigs and lures are so expensive? I appreciate a market charges what it can, but I’m surprised a manufacturer has yet to exploit the vastly inflated and artificially high price of small chunks of extremely easy to manufacture metal we buy. A large lure can cost well over $30 these days and the cheapest 10+ oz ones I can fins tend to start at $20, which is silly when you consider what goes into making them. I even saw a trendy-looking Norwegian cod jig in a local store recently that was $50. Expensive loss when bumping rocky ground…!

So does anyone know of a manufacturer that’s said ‘these cost a dollar to manufacture so I’ll sell them for ten and make a killing’? I know it’s not that simple but if I owned some fairly simple tools dedicated to the job I could probably bang a hundred out a week and sell them at that margin to make some decent pocket/gas money (no, I’m way too busy to fit that into my life).

Thoughts? Ideas? They obviously don’t need to be hand-painted and carefully crafted like maybe spoons (and even that’s pros manufacturer myth). Big lingcod and rockfish will tend to go for anything annoying and shiny…

Thanks. Anyone working for Gibbs here ?
Click to expand...
The cost of a shipping container 3 years ago was maybe $1000 to $2000 now it s between $7500 and $15,000.. one of the many contributing factors to the cost of everything going up.
 
Buy some molds, lead, 1$ a hook, brass eyes, get a respirator, melting pot, big turkey fryer burner, propane, powder coating paint, toaster oven to bake paint in and spend an nature afternoon pouring them, re melting defective ones, paint etc….

all of a sudden 10$ seems cheap! Plus no worries about the effects of lead on your body

This takes an afternoon
 

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I just made a batch of lead filled 1/2" copper pipe jigs, 9" of lead is around 1 lb weight. I use my old hoochies that are discoloured.
I use a #9 split ring on the top and a #7 or 8 on the hook. If i hook up on the bottom the smaller split ring fails and i get my copper jig back minus the hook. place the hook just up from the bottom to prevent bottom hook ups.


20220620_183051.jpg
 
When I lived in a remote west coast village in the 70's, the locals took me jigging for big lings. They used handlines of about 150 lb. nylon mono, stored on pieces of plywood. For jigs, they used either Norwegian cod jigs, or simply a small lead cannon ball (maybe a pound or so). To its brass eye, they attached a hoochy and a swivel to tie the line onto.
Personally, I wouldn't be casting any lead, outdoors or not. Lead and its fumes and dust are so toxic, that the EPA's allowable concentration in drinking water is zero. Babies and children are the most affected.

Page No Longer Available | NIOSH | CDC

being exposed
www.cdc.gov www.cdc.gov

Page No Longer Available | NIOSH | CDC

www.cdc.gov www.cdc.gov
 
Verdi said:
I just made a batch of lead filled 1/2" copper pipe jigs, 9" of lead is around 1 lb weight. I use my old hoochies that are discoloured.
I use a #9 split ring on the top and a #7 or 8 on the hook. If i hook up on the bottom the smaller split ring fails and i get my copper jig back minus the hook. place the hook just up from the bottom to prevent bottom hook ups.


View attachment 81291
Click to expand...



How are those working out? That's somthing we've talked about for years but never actually built.
 
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