Motivated by the rising costs of new fishing gear, I explored the popular online retailer Temu for the first time. The prices seemed too good to be true.
But how would these stack up against my tried-and-true favourites?
I bought three items: a simulated leopard frog ($1.33), a floating mouse ($1.93), and a five-pack of jointed lures ($6.57). I added a fourth to meet the $20 minimum in Canada — a 50-piece of four-inch “Wacky Worms” ($16.26) to see how they compare to my usual Yamamoto baits.
I focused on a casual, real-world trial for these lures. My family and I used them on the Talbot River near the cottage, targeting bass and pike, in both clear and weedy waters. I also fished them on the Scugog River and some backwoods central Ontario lakes.
Sure, buying a lure for less than $1.50 seems like a deal. The Temu frog, however, was not built for punishment. After yanking it through the weeds and bouncing it off structure a few times, it developed holes. You can guess where it ended up. For durability, it can’t be compared to my Live Target frogs. Last year, I tested the new Lunkerhunt Furenzy Mouse, which produced a largemouth on the first cast. The Temu version, however, while having an extra spinner, didn’t seem to be balanced, and didn’t sit right in the water.
The $1.31 Temu jointed lures look cheap, but their action is surprisingly decent, and they seem to catch bass. However, I've only had small fish on them since larger pike and muskies have eluded us. A verdict on its hooks is yet to come.
Meanwhile, the diving bill broke off the second time I hit rocks, and paint quickly chipped. I’ve never broken a lip off a Rapala in my nearly 40 years of using them.
As most users will attest, wacky-rigged worms eventually break from the pressure of the rubber ring and fish strikes. The question for me was, would the Temu versions — which look nearly identical to the brand-name versions — break off sooner?
The Temu worms seemed to last about as long as the store-bought ones, even under repeated duress. I’m curious if the obviously cheaper materials used to make them will break down more quickly. Only time will tell.
The frog and mouse were just about instant trash, but the worms were a decent value. The crankbaits, meanwhile, looked and worked OK, but I predict these fast-food versions won’t last nearly as long as higher-priced products. I don’t think they will catch as many Memory Bank-worthy fish, either.
Originally published in the Summer Bassin' 2026 issue of Ontario Out of Doors magazine
