(Not So) Starving Artists

Anyone as old as I am will probably remember the advertisements on television for the starving artists art shows that would be held at local hotels. This goes back a ways. Now I don't know if they were truly starving, just trying to make a buck or actually a good way to obtain paintings direct from the artist at a good price. I never attended one, or I should say, my parents never did as it was well before my drving age days. But I've been hanging out on E-Bay recently and it appears that there are some new artists on the block, and they don't seem to be starving at the moment.

Custom painted baits have been around for a while as have custom carved lures  In some parts of the country there are local "legends" on the scene, especially in the crankbait carving business. Some probably make it big and get famous, others are more local or regionally influential. For instance in my parts, the Dee Bait along with the Wee Bait were locally made cranks that were infamous for winning tourneys on the Ohio River. In spinnerbaits it was Timmy Poe's little baits pulling the same trick on the same waters. In the custom painting arena you have guys like Tim Hughes from Missouri, who I have had the pleasure of sharing the boat with once over on Table Rock Res. Well the market for custom painted baits is alive and well from what I'm seeing.

Just for the heck of it I found a sweet little painted bait in a color pattern dear to my heart that I thought I'd bid on. Now this lure is a Lucky Craft knockoff, selling for $4-$5 in a large southern retail establishment. Said artist buys the baits and then applies his magic and you get some wonderfully painted lures. So I thought I'd bid on one just to see what would happen. Mind you this bait was already at $19.50 when I jumped into the bidding process with about 3 hours left. My bidding immediately shot the price up to $26.00 based on other bid maximums that were already established. My bid maximum was $30, and if you kow anything about E-Bay, you know that holding a high bid means nothing if you aren't there at the last 30 seconds to protect your bid.

With one hour left to go and the auction not ending until nearly 11 PM local time, I didn't want to stay up that long on a weeknight as 4:30 AM comes awefully early. So I went ahead and thought "what the hell" and increased my maximum bid to $35 before calling it a night. Figured I'd give somebody a run for their money even if I couldn't be around. Also figured there was no way I was going to win since I wouldn't be around to protect my bid. So I woke up this morning, went right to the computer and wasn't disappointed. I didn't win as I expected (OK, I was a tiny bit disappointed), and the ultimate winner ended up paying nearly $39 for this bait. Remember, this is just a single knockoff crankbait that can be purchased every day for just $5 at the store, minus the fancy paint job. Average price for these works of art have been running in the $19-$25 range, this one just happened to be appealing to several people with money. Would it have caught any more fish than some of the $5 stock baits I own? Probably not. At that price would I have even tied it on and risked a scratch on the bait for that price? I can't really say. Does this experience speak to the strength of 'color' belief in our baits we throw, and ultimately the confidence we must have in them? Apparently. And is this crankbait artist and others like him starving? - I don't think so :)     

Comments

[Jeremy S]

So, where's the link to see this $34 dollar paint job? Or is this your "secret" color that you don't want to clue you fellow Hoosiers in on? :)

[Big Indiana Bass]

I deleted the specific lure from my account after I didn't win it, but will be able to link to it as soon as the winner leaves feedback. In the mean time, if you want to browse a few of the custom shops I'm referring to, check out the following links:

http://stores.ebay.com/6th-Sense-Custom-Lures_W0QQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

http://stores.ebay.com/Tater-Hog-Custom-Lures_W0QQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

http://stores.ebay.com/Custom-Bass-Tackle_W0QQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

[Jeremy S]

Oh, I'm familiar with the custom painters. Tater Hog and 6th Sense I know hang out on Tackle Underground and I have seen their stuff. I had no idea Tater was getting those kinds of prices for his stuff...

I was actually just more interested in the paint scheme of the specific lure you were talking about, since you said the pattern was near and dear to your heart.

[Big Indiana Bass]

I'll keep an eye on the sellers feedback and once it is posted by the buyer and I can link to the specific crank, I'll add it here. Until then it will have to stay a "secret" (LOL).

[Big Indiana Bass]

Here you go...Don't tell anyone ;)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280246727052&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBUAA:US:1123

[Jeremy S]

Thanks :)