As a cheap miser of an angler, it is no surprise that I would scout far and wide for the cheapest of alternatives the world could offer. Aliexpress has become one of my go-to sources whenever I need something, angling related or not. There is a sequence of steps I take in order to decide where I make a purchase (which I should discuss in another post).

There is but much debate about the purchasing of products online and even in this day and age, it is hard to say for certain whether a purchase made online would hold sufficient credibility. Shipping issues aside, it is always a bit of a gamble when making a purchase on an e-commerce site such as Aliexpress. Of course the landscape that is internet shopping is improving daily and rapidly but occasionally buyers do face disappointment when they finally get their product [for example this fake of a fake (SJ4000) of a fake (SJCAM which is a popular GoPro alternative*) which I bought a while back https://sg.carousell.com/p/52447114  << its pretty funny apparently]

Fret not anymore! Your hero is here! LOL.

So I bought a bunch of soft lures a few months back and only managed to try them out recently. They were quite cheap in my opinion as they were going at around slightly more that 8USD(around 13SGD) for 50 pieces of 75mm lures. I bought the paddletail variation and they came in 5 colors which I didn't really fancy (but they were cheap, like me. cheap.) At first glance, they did look really good as they were packaged very nicely like most budget lures with the whole ziploc bag thing and they even had Korean words at the back (which might have been Kpop song lyrics for all I know). Price wise they would be less than a third of Z-Man lures but of course the quality would be different.

Personally, I am no expert in luring and lures but it is quite noticeable when comparing the texture, elasticity and rigidness between a lure from Z-Man and the one I bought online. The Z-Man definitely feels like it is able to survive longer than the Bassland (that's the brand apparently) lures but with shear quantity advantage, the Bassland does have its edge. Credit has to be given to Bassland for adding a random mess of glitter in the soft plastics which would definitely serve as an irritant for peacock bass.

I was out testing a new lure I purchased the day before (which I bought on impulse) but nothing was taking that particular lure. A small incident with a tree traumatized me and after managing to retrieve my new fat lure, I immediately kept it and switched to a cheaper alternative- the Bassland soft lure on a 1/4oz jig head. The Kuying Snapshot paired with a SeaKnight BC reel was the gear of choice for the day. A few misses later, a juvenile PB went for my lure and swallowed if whole. The hook was set through its nostril which meant that there was almost no leeway to escape. It's been quite awhile since I caught a peacock bass (simply because I don't do too good luring). The last time I caught one was when I was still using a flip phone. Whatsapp wasn't even a thing then.

So yeah. If you are willing to wait 3 weeks, willing to take your chance on a brand not many have heard of or if you're just cheap like me, then the Bassland soft lures might be for you. They do work but I would not be brave enough to say that they are effective (because PBs have a reputation for going for most lures)

A small fish is better than no fish any day. Till next time, tight lines and smiley face :D