Cod/yellowbelly lure fishing is "expensive"?

[Sebb]

Went for another cod fishing (lure only, no bait) in such a nice place with beautiful scenery and yet another donut trip.

This is usually a simple case of unlucky fishing trip that the fish didn't want to play. But, I also lost two lures on this trip and that made the trip costly, adding extra disappointment. Then the mind straight away thinking of buying more lures to add to the running out arsenal. It felt like a gunman without his guns.

Although I am very confident in my casting skill (accuracy), losing lures sometimes is unavoidable. One unlucky cast out of 20-30 casts it's all needed to loose that expensive all time favourite lure of the year. Especially landbased fishing where we're not in a mobile position to reach and retrieve that snagged lure in a distance away.

The epiphany kicked in and slowly tried to reconcile all cod/yellowbelly trips. I have only caught one cod on spinnerbait, one on bait, few misses on surface lures, two yellowbelly on spinnerbait. Versus countless trips, hundreds of hours, cost of petrol, dozens of lures lost.

Those cod/yellowbelly lures cost $12-$28 each. When I was in my early 20s, single and renting a cheap unit, this wasn't much of an issue. Now that I'm married and a home loan, this is a considerable issue.

As much as I want to keep fishing (or trying to fish) for cod & yellowbelly, I also wish not to spend so much money.

Is it just me or there are others with similar frustration? What are your tips and tricks?

Fishing may sound so simple yet it plays a big role in fishermen's life.

[matari]

if you really want to find some cheap native lures have a look on ebay and facebook marketplace every couple of days something good gets put on there. Cheers Matari

[smokin_reels]

If i can see the lure , I swim for it.

[April Fool]

What diving lures do you usually use Seb? And what were the ones you lost? I think Stumpjumpers are a 'cheap' lure to use and best of all, are very effective on our natives.
Cheers
Jim

[Sebb]

If i can see the lure , I swim for it.

oh that's a good idea, i'll bring spare shorts next time, as long as its not too dark.
i think i will go back to the same spot in the next few days, if those lures are still there, i'll swim to them! be nice to swim in the river during the day too.

What diving lures do you usually use Seb? And what were the ones you lost? I think Stumpjumpers are a 'cheap' lure to use and best of all, are very effective on our natives.
Cheers
Jim

Mostly stumjumpers. But i lost spinnerbaits too, though spinnerbait is the most snag resistance, it is still possible to get snagged (usually in the drop before retrieving). Lost some surface lures too, mainly because it's dark and the casts were just a bit too far to the far end.
I have lure aid (lure retriever) which is useful when fishing on my yak, but not so much landbased.

[happyfriggincamper]

Keeping a regular eye on the major tackle retailers for sales and clear outs to purchase ahead of time instead of when you need (although this can incur more shipping costs).

Going for cheaper brand lures depending on what you are after - IMO most will do the same thing without being too much of a significant drop in performance or catch probability (im sure people have different experiences and opinions - some lures im sure are not replicatable), but on catchless days you will always be left wondering would the more expensive lure got results haha .

Basic design spinnerbaits you can go super cheap route ala aliexpress ($1.50ea), you just dont get as big a choice on colours + there could be lower quality hooks.

[smokin_reels]

I find especially with run off the mill cod lures, second hand markets like facebook and gumtree are a great way of picking up bulk packages for cheap :thumbsup:
I think i bought 25 lures for 300$ once.

[dazz999]

why not softplastics ?

[Nightwish]

l feel your pain as it can be a costly experience but l would be fishing with the cheapest lures you can find especially at night until you feel really confident in what you are doing because l think you need to crawl before you can walk or even practice casting at night so you have got that down pat before you go to more expensive lures or as dazz999 said try soft plastics.
:cheers:

[Sebb]

Haven't heard cod/yellowbelly on soft plastics, but worth a try I guess. With weedless hook.