I was a bit tempted by some of the very cheap soft plastic fishing lures available on Amazon and eBay. They seem to be too good to be true with large boxes working out at about ten pence per lure, surely this can't be right. It seemed only right to get some to find out.
I was particularly interested in the Shad (small fish) shaped ones which use a jig-head to provide the hook (and head shape) and attach them to the line.
I selected Amazon as my marketplace as I have Prime delivery so it worked out to be the cheapest and quickest way of getting some.
There are many sellers with what look to be broadly similar products but a little research showed wildly differing levels of customer satisfaction, the main issue seems to be the packaging with some sellers packing them so fight that a significant percentage are deformed under the pressure. I chose a seller with good ratings.
Three sizes were available, 5.5, 7, and 9cm. I chose 7cm as it gives me a jure size I did not have before. I also chose a multi-coloured pack. To go with these, I needed some jig heads and went with a box of 25, 5 each at 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16g. Again I went for a seller with good feedback.
24 hours later and I'm sitting here looking at my purchase, of the 100 lures there a literally only a couple that are damaged and the jig heads look pretty reasonable for what I paid too. For a total of £20.98, I have 100 lures assuming that I don't lose or damage the jig heads.
I've put a head on one and the quality appears to be pretty good and the colours and sparkling effects are very visible. There is a thin film of an oily substance (presumably to stop them from sticking together in the tub they are supplied in as it has no obvious smell to be an attractant) but does not seem excessive.
I've purchased these specifically to target mackerel from the pier and I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform but judging from the feedback of others, they should be fine. If all goes well I'll get both of the other sizes, even the smaller ones should have a purpose at some point and maybe this is the way to go with some options for worm-style baits too.
I'll probably add a comment at some point to report on how they perform in the sea.
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