I’ve seen YouTube videos with cheap lures from Amazon. I’m normally the kind of person that buys specific lures for specific reasons and likes time-tested, well-known manufacturers or small, local makers that I’ve met in-person or heard good things about from trusted sources.
My brother-in-law recently visited and lost one of my lures while we were out fishing. Not a big deal but he felt the need to make up for it. He sent me dozens and dozens of lures from Amazon that collectively cost what I might normally spend on about four lures. I don’t have room for them in my tackle boxes. I didn’t really want them. Some of the colors are not at all what I’d expect fish to bite. But they were here so I might as well give them a try, right?
So, do they work?
I gathered up a small sample. A few spoons, some top water lures, a couple jerk baits, and a square bill deeper diving bait and went fishing.
Caveat: it was really windy. If I stopped the boat to tie something new on or to fish one spot for a little while, I’d drift hundreds of yards in a few minutes. If I used the trolling motor to hold position, I’d use up all the battery fairly quickly. The anchor that came with our used Bass Buggy pontoon wasn’t up to holding the boat still in that kind of wind. In other words, it wasn’t a fair test. Still, some of what I discovered matters in good or bad conditions.
Positives
- I did get some bites.
- Some lures fished well (tracked, moved as expected, didn’t spin and spin if they weren’t supposed to).
- Very, very affordable.
Negatives
- The hooks aren’t great. I lost some fish I’d normally catch.
- Some lures did not fish well (swam on their sides, spun and spun and weren’t supposed to, little to no movement).
- The crazy colors, so far, have not proven effective which means about 2/3rds of what you get isn’t useful. That means they’re not as affordable as they first appear but still cheaper than name brand lures.
The Verdict
I wouldn’t buy these for myself. Since I have them, I will try them from time to time and they are good to have around for when inexperienced anglers visit and you don’t want them to lose your best lures.
If I was giving advice to a new angler, I’d tell them to save money by buying just a few specific lures instead of by buying over 100 cheap lures that are mostly things they’ll never use.
