Does anyone know why this bait it so expensive?
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpageSWM316-316A.html
It looks like plastic so you know its not hard to make??

Making an original plus all the testing and fine tunning takes a ton of time. Then you have to make molds and figure out how to produce them. It also has a very good looking paint job. I have to give Mickey props, It looks real good and I think the price is not unreasonable. If you think its not that hard to make, than make one and then see how much you want to sell it for. Do you remember when he first started talking about that bait? Its been a long time and he finaly got it were it is now so even if it only takes him a few hours to make(only guessing on time) one you have to figure the year or two he spent perfecting it is worth the price. As far as being made of plastic goes. I would much rather have plastic than wood. it holds paint better and is much more durable and cosistant. I am not shure but I bet it is a solid plastic synthetic typ material not a hollow cheap type bait.

I do agree that it is a nice looking bait and probably a great fish catcher but how many people are going to throw a 250.00 lure? For any more than 80.00 I would expect a completley hand crafted lure. You would think since it is just injection molded that they would want to sell the a bait cheaper and sell a bunch of them and have a ton of big bass cought on them. No doubt it is a nice lure or else I would not have even been checking it out. On this note has anyone used one I am kinda curious to what the action is like and if the skin type paint job is durable?

As far as making money I was told that Mickey makes all of his money selling to Japan. he makes them buy something like thirty baits at a time for the same price that he is asking here. So making money in So.
Cal is no big deal to him. So if people want one they are going to pay
whatever he wants.

As far as durability goes, does anyone that has one of the baits really think that they won’t break if they hit something hard? I
have one and I'm scared to death to throw it. All I can think about is it shattering. And being so cold now in the mornings I think that
it is really brittle. It is a killer bait being plastic but I don't worry about breaking wooden plugs. You guys all know that sometimes you have to bounce your plug off of something to get it into the sweet spot. And don't take it the wrong way I give props to Mickey
He has put a lot of time into them and it shows.If I thought that they were no good I wouldn't have bought one.

-Shane

I guess if the people of japan pay 50 bucks for a bag of oranges they'll pay 250 for some plastic.He will never make decent sales here in the states with that type of gouging,even if it is a sick bait.I'll wait til someone copies it for half the price and then i'll get one just like it.I really like all the other 3;16 baits and throw then all the time but that 1 is way outta my price range..
brian

That is a crapload of money to plunk down on a bait, but it can't hold a candle to the $250 for the Armageddon.

Mickey does make some nice looking baits, an innovative hinge, too. Any notable catches made on them yet?

Do you guys know the specs. on the bait, size and weight? is it the same as the waking bait (10" and 7.5 ounces)?

Thanks.

Well I know for a fact that in testing we've had 10+ fish over 10 pounds including a 14. I have been fishing with his hard baits for about a year and have had no problem with the finish coming off. This bait was designed for pro's. It is not a bait for an amatuer to go and bounce off of rocks if you know what I mean. All I have to say it get used to the high prices guys I garuntee this is where the industry is heading...just look at cars. 10 years ago you could buy a stripped down Toyota pick up for under 10K. Now you'll be lucky to find one for under 17K. Matt hit this one on the head about the testing and building. THE BAIT WORKS!! I took one of my friends out who hardly ever throws swim baits and he missed 3 and stuck a 6 pounder. So if my donkey friend can go and catch a fish on it then why can't anyone else. So everyone can whine and complain about the price and that's fine, you are entitled to your opinion. But like I said there is a trend in the tackle industry to push the limits and the prices are going up. SO QUIT WHINING AND GO FISHING!!

Hey Magmaster,

Sounds like you are real familiar with the bait, could answer the above question and provide me with the specs on the bait.

Thanks.

Lets just say that some people are idiots and want to jack up prices on baits because they can! Just because someone cant aford a 250.00 bait does not mean there and "amature" it just means there using common sense not to waste there money. I am sure lucky craft will come out w/ something that looks just as good probaly better and they will only charge 50.00:-) If you think about it this bait is just a big crankbait 3:16 probably only pays a few bucks to get it made, if it was handcrafted out of wood carved one at a time I could understand the high price. I would be willing to bet that the mold for this lure does not cost 250.00:o

it's 10.5 inches long and weighs about 6-7 ounces (I've never weighed it) It is a waking bait and has an awesome walk action on the surface with slight twitches of the rod tip. It swims good but it's action is really good on the surface. I personally have caught over 20 fish on mine biggest 11.2, smallest 10"s:-) But if you are serious about catching big fish it's definately a bait for the box.

Sorry Jauncho I thought you guys were talking about the walking bait and not the armageddon. But basicaly the same deal but the swim!!! It looks just like a trout swimming around in the water, you would have to see it to believe it. The weights are the same and the walking action is awesome. Mickey has been working on this bait for over a year now and I know he;s pulled a few hairs out to get it right. I'm sure some one will knock him off or at least try to. But those guys that do that suck, anyone can copy something but until YOU design it and perfect it and can call it your own design.

SO FOR ALL OF YOU THAT ARE WHINING SHUT UP! IF IT"S TOO EXPENSIVE THEN DON'T BUY IT, GO BUY SOMETHING ELSE. THIS IS AMERICA AND YOU CAN BUY WHAT YOU WANT! JUST PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT IT ON HERE!}(

Magmaster, if you in the position that these 3:16 hardbaits were not made available to you throughout the testing period and you had no prior exposure to the lure would you be paying $250 for these lures? It's a different story when your an average working guy and trying to justify a $250 lure instead of a new rod or reel. Personally I would never pay anywhere near that price for a lure because I loose so many. Just because someone does not believe in spending such a large amount of money on one lures doesn't make them any less of an angler.

I would still pay because I have the money available to do so. I understand the reasoning why most prople don't want to pay $250 for a swim bait also. But like I said these are designed for the person who is serious about catching trophy fish and for collectors. I was with Mickey at the Bass-a-thon at Anglers Marine a few months ago and he sold quite a few of the walking baits. They were selling for $150 and we had a few guys buy 2 the first day and come back and buy 3 or 4 more. If you can do math that is well over $250 that they spent to buy a couple of baits. But I'm tired of arguing and restating my opinion over and over again. If it's too expensive for you then don't buy it. But you at least need to see the bait work in the water and then maybe you'll understand.

This is funny!:+

What a great way to start out the new year I guess, a bunch of people arguing over something dumb.

Yeah,like why would I pay 250$ for something,when I can get the same results with something that costs 25$.....yes,that is dumb!j.m.h.o. though.
Heck,I hope Mikey sells a ton of em and becomes a millionare.He just wont get my contribution.:)

personally i think i would be a little more happy having 10 huddlestons over 1 armageddon. yes, it's probably a durable bait and way more durable than soft plastic but not for the price. i personally make swimbaits, wood only, and as far a they way they look they aren't far off the armargeddon, though i've never seen an aramgeddon swim and i bet it is amazing and it swims better than a real stocked live trout, mine don't swim to bad either, but i could never justify gouging a customer $250 for a handcrafted bait, and yes there is labor and time going into production and a lot of time went into testing the bait, what it boils down to is really how long does it take to pour the resin into a mold, add very little hardware and then paint the bait. o well i could be totally wrong on this subject but that is just my opinion.

If you have a good product then start producing them. You have to remember that Mickey is running a business and obviously people are buying the $250 Armmageddon because I think TW is sold out of them now. But I say go for it bro if you think you have a good solid baitthen why not try and make some money. I wish I had the talent to build baits but I'm just a fisherman that can trick out reels. Good luck to you and I hope you become successful!

No message

Why is it priced that high? Because people will pay that much for it. Maybe you won't, but plenty of others will. Mickey isn't a dumb###, he knows what he is doing and he is trying to make a living. His baits can help you catch more fish, why complain? If its not in your budget, so be it.

Mickey has been working for a LONGGGG time on this bait, if you talk to him you know how much he likes making these hard baits, but its also a lot of work. Alot of time, effort, and money went into the testing of this bait. Who knows how many prototypes he has made to get this to a quality level he feels is good enough for YOU to use. He could have sold his first proto, I remember going to seminar by Mike and John over a year ago where he raffled off one of the first Armageddons, and it drew quite a crowd. People came from all over for a chance to win that bait. Truth is, he didn't feel like at that time he had it good enough to introduce to the public. He went back to the drawing board, worked his tail off to come up with what hes got now, and you better believe its worth every bit of that price. Heck, I would be willing to bet a pretty penny he could sell it for a lot more. You can be sure this bait is better than the prototypes, so the durability issues have been resolved through trial and error, and a lot of hard work.

Any of you questioning the price, go work your tail off for over a year on a project, and then see what you want to sell it for.

Mickey could have spent that time making his soft baits, and shipping him to Japan where they just eat em up...but he spent all that time making a bait he was passionate about, and then here you guys are saying its overpriced. You know whats going to happen? Mickey is going to get tired of this stuff, and just stop selling baits all together in the states, because let me tell you, they cant get enough of em in Japan. And whoever made the Lucky Craft comparison, go put a Armageddon side by side with the Real California...you'll see why theres a difference in price.

If you cant afford them, or can't justify spending that much on something to help you catch big green fish, then leave em on the shelf for those that can.

Wow didn't expect that kind of response from you, Kellen.

I agree with Kellen- I can't afford that bait, but I also can't afford a 69' Charger, I'm not crying about it- I'll just drive the truck and make it work. Props to Mickey for his dedication to produce what he really wanted to do, he did it, and plenty of guys will pay the admission fee- for sure the demand will out surpass the supply- "There's no crying in fishing!"

Well said Bassnet

forget the 3:16 I'll just get a loomis

It looks sweet but i couldnt ever swing it.. unless all of a sudden they start stocking trout here in Va.. the it might be considered:-)

WOWWEEE!!! What an awesome bait.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't care if someone wants to get pissed off at me.

AMERICAN MADE QUALITY ISN'T CHEAP!!!!

When something is cheap and affordable, it usually is that way because child laborers from third world countries only get to make $2 bucks a week.

peace - out
Chris

Well said Chris