I guess Normark just bought Luhr Jensen

[bombcast]

and like they did with Storm, they are gutting the line. All kinds of Dipsy colors are being discontinued- same thing with Kwikfish, Dodgers, Hot Shots, Coyote spoons, etc.

Start snapping up those Dipsies guys- there won't be jack-squat for color selection.

[MPsteelheader]

what?!?!?

now i hope they dont get rid off the hotshots like they did the thinfins...

how can there be competition in the marketplace when all these crank companies keep getting bought out...

it all started with heddon and looks where its going...

pretty soon its gonna be a monopoly...

thank god for brad's thinfish!

cya on the river,

mark

[ZobZob]

There will always be new lure manufacturer's to come in a fill the void with knockoffs... have no fear!

Zob

[bombcast]

If it weren't for the original clown husky, purple perch and emerald shiner, I'd never buy a Normark lure.

Luhr Jensen's been in Hood River, OR since forever. Bet they shut it down and come up with Hot Shots that have a crappy plastic bill, Kwikfish that aren't stable in heavy water (like the world needs another Flatfish), Dipsies that don't release or roll over.

This friggin sucks.

[MPsteelheader]

Originally Posted by PurePerfection

Knockoff rapala's don't work as well as the originals IMO.

i think zob is referring to brad's thin fish which is a (great) reproduction of the original storm thinfin(which i miss in certain colors )

[cduced]

Originally Posted by MPsteelheader

i think zob is referring to brad's thin fish which is a (great) reproduction of the original storm thinfin(which i miss in certain colors )

I noticed a quite a few of the original storm thinfins on the wall at the new buffalo tackle store/video rental shop (name escapes me right now) if you are desparate. Unforunately I won't be back there for a few weeks to check which ones they have.

-- Bud

[MPsteelheader]

nice to hear i may have to take a road trip there to see what colors they have...

silver fleck w/ a black top and yellow eyes are my favorite

[bombcast]

there's a scaled pink/purple rainbow trout Thinfin in my box that has caught at least 400 lbs of Saginaw Bay walleye.

That orange/green Brad's Thinfish is a stone cold killer.

[stinger63]

Originally Posted by bombcast

If it weren't for the original clown husky, purple perch and emerald shiner, I'd never buy a Normark lure.

Luhr Jensen's been in Hood River, OR since forever. Bet they shut it down and come up with Hot Shots that have a crappy plastic bill, Kwikfish that aren't stable in heavy water (like the world needs another Flatfish), Dipsies that don't release or roll over.

This friggin sucks.

You might want to try the new improved heddon flatfish.I picked some up this winter at the fishing show in Novi.They can be trolled at much faster speeds without the twisting.That is a bummer of whats happening to Luhr jenson.They made one of my favorite fall trout and salmon lures the "manistee spoon"This probaly meens that they will no longer be available.

[BFG]

Not to mention the 250 employees and their families who will now lose their jobs to production plants in China.

GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!


BFG

[riverman]

Cabela's has a full inventory right now of k13's and I see Bass Pro Shop has both sizes of original hot and tots on sale for $2.49.

[Beave]

What bothers me is the fact that these big fishing conglomerates like Pure Fishing and Normark don't typically sponsor small fishing tournaments and events like our Summer Salmon Fishing Tournament. I have a name and number for the "new guy" to talk to about such things, but I've dealt with enough of the big guys to know that most of them don't do little events. They'd rather put all their money into sponsoring pros on the BASS and PWT tours or programming on the Outdoor Network or OLN. I can't say which gets them more customers, but I really fear for the future of the smaller tournaments if these big companies think there's money in salmon fishing tackle. Right now 85% of the salmon fishing gear we use is made and sold by "mom and pop" type businesses. If you go to a fishing show in February there's a good chance you're going to meet the guy who owns the company, and he actually fishes with the gear he sells. The downside to that fact is that most of these guys barely make any money and work hard to do it. If someone with deep pockets comes along and offers them a couple hundred thousand most of them would sell in a second.

[ausable_steelhead]

I also think it's completely ridiculous that they discontinued the clown pattern, what a great walleye color that was. Many an Oscoda eye fell to the #12 clown HJ.

[Beave]

I bought about 8 of the J13 in clown before they stopped making them.

[ausable_steelhead]

They lost the patens to those paterns. Vampire is gone too. Give it some time and they may be able to bring it back and they still make the HJ in clown because it's a differnet patern than the Jointed,CD and floaters

Cool, that clown jerk is my go to out there! The clown CD was good also, guess I'll have to stick to my two usual colors, chart. and blue/silver. I may want start using more goby looking baits also. I hope they keep the Krococdile, that is one of my favorite salmon spoons off the walls!