buyer beware

[Chrisper4694]

thought i'd share this so no one falls to the same fate...I'd been using some knock off brands of mini stick/jerk baits for trout over the past 2 years and never really had an issue. they looked ok in the water and caught fish. My buddy kept riding me about how the yo zuri pins minnow was so far superior it wasn't even funny so i finally said ok i'll try it...bought 2 for 10 bucks a piece, tied one on and went fishing.

long story short, I went 1 for about 7-8 hookup to hit ratio. Granted i think most of the hits were smaller trout, but i checked the hooks towards the end of my trip and let me tell you, they were absolute GARBAGE! Not sharp AT ALL! every single hook on both lures (12 points) i could drag across my skin with no stickiness/grabbing at all! a 10 dollar mini lure with small hooks that aren't sticky sharp...unacceptable in my book! The hooks are all sharpened now for next time, but yo zuri will be getting an email from a very disappointed and annoyed customer...

The one fish i did hook out of all those hits was a nice little wild/natural brown trout (the first i've caught, which is pretty cool)

[Jigman13]

I use the yo zuri line of plugs for various applications from hybrids and walleyes to multiple trout applications and never once had that issue. I'm curious as to where you bought yours. There are plenty of places selling bootleg products. The "made in" label should say Japan or the Phillipines.

I've had double digit days on the pequest and musky using pins minnows and I just started using their stumpier, chubbier L minnow which is like a CD3 on steroids. Hooks are extremely sharp. They hang up on my fingers when tying them on lol... Perhaps u got a bad batch or bootlegged?

[Chrisper4694]

got them from ramsey's outdoors in ledgewood. the way i see it...the packs seemed factory sealed so i don't think ramsey's is responsible. plus i hand sharpened each one now and they're all 'sticky' for next time so i wouldn't bring them back to the store (I had plenty of hits and i realize small fish won't get hooked every time but after feeling how dull the hooks were on all 12 points of the 4 trebles, i can't help but be pretty pissed off)

maybe they ran out of the good hooks in the factory during the end of a session or something and substituted some crap hooks in for a batch and that's the batch hanging at ramsey's? idk...either way, yo zuri is getting an email from me.

[FASTEDDIE29]

I would check into it and maybe they'll mail you a coupon or something. These lures are like gold to me. Never had an issue but if a company is struggling for some reason they may go cheap on there hooks to gain more cash on said product. I dive in the water when it's 30 degrees outside just to get this plug back. YESSSSSS!!! They are that good!

[Lard Almighty]

All the more reason to buy Rapalas!

[Chrisper4694]

Rap alas have only disappointed me once and the company made good on it...we will see how yo zuri responds.

It's a good lure no doubt...now that I sharpened the hooks haha. Hooks on a lure that expensive should be surgery needle sharp out of the box.

[Mikey topaz]

Cabelas makes a knock off pinns minnow they sell for 2.99 each hands down best stickbait out there for trout also the hooks are shitty I swap em out from time to time but do get lazy and have straighten and lost many fish on em especially while twitching them......

[NJSquatch]

Originally Posted by Lard Almighty

All the more reason to buy Rapalas!

+1 on rapalas

[Delawareriver]

Never had that issue with yo zuri pins, Ibe felt they were extremely sharp hooks including the one the went down to my bone when a small mouth popped next to my kayak as I was going to mouth him.

As far as their effectiveness I have several pins, as well as Rapalas and a few other brands as some days the fish really respond to one better than another. I've landed 100s of trout on pins tho and I typically tie one on before any other stick bait when I decide to fish them

[NorthJerzyG]

I've actually never used yozuri because of the price, but, I'd have to gripe about Rapalas as well..... Hooks work fine for me, even barbless. But I can't count how many lips I've broken off on the odd cast into a rock, pulling out of a snag, or sometimes just reeling through some rocks. I guess I should have wrote an angry email 15+ lures ago, lol.........