I agree with you Steve on numerous principles but there are a few which you seemed to have missed.
Value: I think that you are right, Slick Rigs on sale atm are good value even if you have to replace the heads.
Marketing: This is where it really gets me. Yes they have been “bold” with their marketing. And the way they have “infiltrated” the market place is nothing short of “slick” business. But whilst I need to realise that this is business and they are only trying to make money, I really feel like telling them where to go.
When I get told a story I like to know the truth of the story. For instance when Mum used to read me Peter Pan and she tried to pretend that Hook was really a misunderstood old pirate I used to get really irate because that wasn’t the truth. And just like aforementioned if I swim one lure all day and you swim the same lure all day then I’m pretty sure that the one that I have left in the tackle box won’t catch the fish. How bout we take a camera out with us and swim that one lure all day, hold on we didn’t get a fish, then maybe we swim it all day the next day; sweet we got one fish, and then swim it all day the next day, sweet we got two fish, now lets edit it together and tell them how great this product is.
I am dead set sick of having Squidgy Sex Tapes Volume 46 rammed down my throat and totally sick of walking into a tackle store and seeing Squidgies covering 50% of the wall.
“What did you get you fish on? “
“Squidgies they are the greatest, so great in fact that they are my favourite as well, seasoned with a little pepper and garlic reduced with some white wine they go down a treat. Oh and the fish like them as well.”
They forget to tell you that they don’t pay for their Squidgies in fact Mr Squidgy man takes them to dinner most nights of the week.
Taylor Bro’s: I can’t tell the Taylors apart from two bars of soap and I doubt that a lot of people who claim they are "best mates" with them could either, so I am not saying that this is in any way their opinion but here is what I would do in their situation. Mr Squidgy comes up and offers you reels and free product in exchange for you telling the people that you catch fish on them. Now you know that the reels are tip top, ship shape, but you’re not too sure about the colour that’s all. But you’ll take them anyway. Now Mr Squidgy says that you can’t have the reels without the plastic accessories. Now you really want the reels and you have been catching fish on the plastic accessories, be it a different type of accessory in the past, so you think “yes maybe I can do something with them.” You sit down and play around and look what abounds.
I once heard a very skinny man who likes playing with potatoes in a non-dirty way say “you could hardly call them slick rigs given how much they modify them”. (sorry if I got the words wrong: very, very skinny man with skinny legs???)
And seeing as I am having a rant, can we start getting some people on TV who are not overweight or obese and start promoting fishing as a healthy sport. I am also sick of telling people that I don’t go fishing to get retarded/drunk/loose/smashed/wankerish/whatever else the young kids call it these days. I go fishing to fish. It is up to all of us to change that attitude. So stick that in your pot and boil it.