rolling your own lures or high dollar hand mades?

we've had comments on both throughout the threads here in the past year or so..

i know we have folks here  and in NCKA who prefer to roll thier own, and then again, in the case of the sand dab imitations sometimes we have to go to 'boutique' makers for the right stuff.

add in our recent discussion on the biggest bass ever caught, i got to thinking, which lead to searching, and found this article on the filed and stream online version.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/bass/how-fish/2005/03/field-and-stream-profile-mickey-ellis-maker-largemouth-bass-l

yes, the prices are extreme. but what price are you willing to put on your personal craftsmanship?

so, my question is: if you went batshit crazy obsessive and would make the pursuit of a single species record your total focus in life, what would you reach for? something off the shelf, something you made yourself, or soemthing that is sole source handmade with a single prupose in mind? and what would you be willing to pay??

and, please feel free to add in your own favorite private maker if you want to.

[WR]

Interesting question. Interesting in that we all look at high priced lures and think of the dreaded day that we snag and lose that badboy. We always say that we could make it for cheaper but when time comes... 

So when the question comes as to would we buy it or make it.. I think the answer is pretty  clear.

Z

As far as rockfish and ling lures go, I've been reading the many recent threads on the web regarding pouring your own and seeing the results others have been getting. It looks like some keep it very basic and klunky while others strive for realism and almost art quality. Just like tying my own flies, this sounds like a good idea and a relatively cost efficient way of doing things.

However, there are only so many hours in the day and I'd rather spend that time actively pursuing my too many avocations. Also, even though fishing the salt is quickly becoming a favorite activity, it will likely always be a minor time consumer in my overall kayak fishing life. Possibly, if I didn't like to do so many different things, I'd have time to pour my own lead. In fact, I am very interested in doing this but I can't justify the initial expense for something I KNOW will quickly end up in a corner of the garage.

Maybe in the future......but, for now anyway, I'll just pony up a bit of cash now and then to replace my deposits to the ocean rock gods.

Jay

I bought all of the makings to start twisting my own spinners, but pouring plastic is a little out of my time constraint and willingness league - the spinners I can make while watching TV.

This holiday season my wife bought me all the supplies to start making my own wooden (balsa, bass, and cedar) crankbaits.  It's tough work and I haven't completely figured out the finer points yet, but it is great for those days when I can't make it out on the water.  This coming winter I'm looking to start pouring my own plastics as well.