When I write an article I always tell the reader what I am using for gear. I talk about the rods, reels, lures and line that I am using on particular trip. I’m not sponsored by anyone, so I am not trying to sell you anything and I am not under any obligation to favor one brand over another. I just like to give you, the reader, all of the info.
I remember the days where is you mentioned Rapala then you were writing about the carved wooden lure out of Finland that worked like no other. Boy, are those days gone. Today Rapala lures are made out of plastic and are manufactured in China. How about Storm? How many of you remember the old Thundersticks? I do, and still have a bunch of them. These lures were so good that they gave Rapala some competition. That’s when Rapala decided to buy them out. Now Storm lures are really Chinese made Rapalas with a different name. How about fishing line? At one time Stren and Berkeley were the two big names. Then Berkeley bought out Stren. Same line, two different names. The list could go on and on.
The bottom line is that a great deal of the gear you purchase is made by a handful of manufacturers. The outdoors industry is a multi-million dollar business and the more of the market one manufacturer corners, the greater the profit for them. Whether you buy a Storm or Rapala lure, the same people are making the money. In some cases the very thing that made those particular products really good is gone. In many cases you are just buying the name.
I am very picky when I purchase gear. I look for American made (not Chinese made by an American owned company). I do my research because I want quality, not just a name. Do I have to “go to the Dark side” at times? Sure I do. Sometimes there is no alternative, but that doesn’t mean I’ll cave in to corporate America if I don’t have to.
So whether you are using a Rebel or a Bomber (same parent company); a Storm or a Rapala (same parent company); Berkeley or Stren (same parent company) it really doesn’t matter. I will still tell you what I am using for gear, but keep in mind that whatever you use it only works because you make it work. It has nothing to do with the name on the package.
By By Dana Benner