That pretty much sums up the entire business model of H2O. Catching fisherman instead of fish. It's actually pretty smart. They have figured out that the number of fisherman who wish they could afford $20 baits far exceeds those who can. So..... scrape the exspensive R&D and just make'em pretty & sell'em cheap. I mean honestly, why would a company release a bait you can't even cast? They are either clueless (because they do ZERO R&D) or they simply don't care. I belive the answer is all of the above.

Now just to be clear, I'm not saying they won't catch some fish. If you put enough mega strike on a shoe lace and chartuse the end you could load the boat. The point is that for only a few extra dollars there are tried and true manufactures who have stood the test of time who invest their money correctly, on R&D instead of on a pretty paint job.

Now just to be clear, I'm not saying they won't catch some fish. If you put enough mega strike on a shoe lace and chartuse the end you could load the boat.

No one is hating on your precious H2O's. It just the facts. If you like them based strictly on price then by all means carry on..... I have tried these baits and simply believe there are reasonably priced quality alternatives well under the $15-20 dollar mark, most of whom have at least determined whether or not the bait can be properly cast prior to sending them to market. You must admit castability is a pretty important part of the process.... It simple makes one wonder that if they haven't even bothered to check the castability (a logical first step) what else have they not taken the time to look at.

Now, is the finish on the baits awesome? Heck ya!!! That's the point. Put a pretty finish on anything and it sells. The problem is that the finish plays only a small part in how the bait actually performs under water but a large part in the consumers buying decision. All I'm saying is that if you throw out all the performance R&D, all you are buying is the part you can see from outside of the water.

Now don't shoot the messenger here. Feel free to have a look around other forums, there and tons of other saying the exact same thing.

And just for clarification purposes Mr. Manning, no one said they do not catch some fish.... You may have missed part of my original post.

Sometimes, many times, we're paying more for the pitch than the product.