A Lure With No Name

Hi there,

Today I am going to tell you the tale , not of a horse with no name, but of a lure with no name...

A few months ago, I was gifted a beautiful timber lure.

One that I believed to be a Killalure, yet something was not right. I had never seen one looking like this. The eyes, the tow point and the hooks hangers were right, but something about the shape was unusual…

Was it just a copy, or a very rare one?

It looks like a baby Barramundi.

I asked here and there if anyone had already seen a similar lure. But to no avail, the mystery grew deeper and deeper.

With a lot of people giving their opinion. Some of the answer I received, were closer to science fiction than reality.

Then one evening trolling an online lure forum, I struck gold!

I found someone who obviously had a very good knowledge of the Killalure brand (And you are soon to know why). 

I sent him a message, he replied and the enigma was no more.

The lure is indeed a Killalure, from the mid 80’s. It is in fact a 4” Killalure cut down. While making them, the good people at Killaure had a problem with a run of blank that had been over sanded. So the man making them, cut the tail off, and put on them some aluminum bib that he had laying around.

About one hundred of them were made. The run was so short; that the lure didn’t even received a name!

The Killalure with no name.

The lures were painted with Dulux Base Coat.

The colour is originally a Nils Master one, but in the Killalure range this is the colour number 70. The hooks might be 777 #2 Eagle Claws. 

A few different bibs were used for this lure model; on this one it was the 3” Barra Bait bib.

The 3" Barrra Bait bib

Who is the man who generously gave me all this information?

It is no one else than the man behind the Killalure saga: the legendary Dave Killalea.

Thanks to the Dave who gave me this lure, and thanks to the Dave who give me the information about this lure.

Two different Dave, but two top bloke.

So with about only one hundred of them ever made, I doubt that I will ever have a full colour set of this very lure...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

7 Fishing Lures For The Collection.

Hi there,

Yes I got a bit spoiled by Rossco once again, he offered me seven new, old fishing lures for my collection.
Rossco is a well respected member of the FFF forum.

First comes a Snarl from Killalure:

The Killalure Snarl.

So it is not Billy Idol snarl, this is the Killalure one, but I am really happy to finally have this lure which was missing to my collection. This lure not being produced any more, I was always on the lookout for one to show up at the op-shop or at a lawn sale, and it came to me in the form of a present.

Isn't it nice?

Now is a lure that look a bit like the Snarl:

The Killer Bait.

It is in fact a Killer Bait, an American lure, while the Killalure Snarl is an Australian one.

It is interesting to see them side by side.

Then a lure from Reidy's:

The Aqua Rat.

I love the Aqua Rats (I didn't had one in this colour), and might do a post just about them soon, as it was a very important lure for Reidy's, it put them on the world map of fishing lures.

Stay tuned for more about it.

And here is the JJ's lure:

Stumper jumper from JJ's Lure.

Once again a lure that I had none of in my small collection.

And I always like nice and simple colour like this one, white and blue.

The Manns:

Manns +20.

Manns are American fishing lures, that are commonly used for fishing in Australia.

I do have a few in my collection and like them too.

And interesting thing with this one, is the line attached to it.

If this is the line that the last angler to use this lure used to fish with it... He or she must have been after some kind of very big fish ... 

And talking of big fish:

The Barra Spoon by Halco.

Yes it is called the Barra Spoon, but it is also used by many people to troll for big pelagic.

In fact the first and only time I used one of these myself, was to troll in Darwin Harbour, and I got a nice Spanish Mackerel on it.

This lure is an old classic among the fishing lures used in the Top End.

And one advertising lure:

Classic Barra XXXX Gold.

Yes fishing lures with advertising on them have a special place in my collection, and are in fact the biggest part of it.

This is even what started it all for me.

This one is a Classic Barra +10 with the logo of the beer XXXX Gold from Queensland.

After a bit of research I was able to find that the Classic Barra, with this very logo from XXXX Gold were made to be distributed during a big fishing competition to all the participant. These lures were not for sale, so I am very happy to have it.

All these lures have been fished, and this is how I like my lures: when they have worked for a living.

Thanks again Rossco, these lures are a welcome addition to the collection.

Now, I realise that some of you don't comprehend why I will not fish with these lures, and will keep them dry. You may think that this is a waste of some perfectly usable fishing lures... 

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

8 Lures From Doors Off.

Hi there,

Not long ago, Doors Off, a respected member of the FFF Forum, gave me a few fishing lures as a present, for my small collection.
This is the lures that I am presenting you today.

First comes my first ever JaySea:

The JaySea Mundi 80.

I am very happy with this lure, as this is my first ever JaySea.

JaySea Lures, were first made in Queensland, then moved in the Northern Territory to Darwin, then disappeared from the radar. So I am very happy to have one in such a good condition.

Then comes a Rapala:

The Original Floater.

A classic in a nice retro colour, alway something nice to have in the collection.

Then comes a nice little Killalure:

Killalure Trout Bait.

A very nice little lure, not easy to find in the tropical north, where Barramundi lures are a lot more common than trout lures...

Then comes one lure for which I have absolutely no idea of its origin or name: 

Do you know it?

It is actually very well finished, but I don't have a single clue as to what it could be.

If you know, please enlighten me.

And now comes some of my favourite lures to collect, some Reidy's:

Aquat Rat in gold chrome.

Aquat Rat in chrome.

Aquat Rat in blue and white.

I am starting to get a few Aquat Rat, but I didn't own or hadn't even see some in these colours. So I am rather pleased to have them now.

The Rattle Snake.

This rattle snake is very interesting to me, as it has the Reidy's logo on the back, and is in a colour that you can't find on their catalogue anymore. Another lure that I had never seen in this delivery.

One of the reason I really like the Reidy's, is first because they are the local guys. And in second, because my first ever Barramundi caught on a lure was on a Reidy's B52's, in the colour gold. It was in 2007, and I still remember it, and have the lure...

Doors Off even gave me a Floppy lure.

But as the bib broke during transport, it is at the moment in the expert hands of a repairman. 

So the photo will come latter, and I can't wait, as this is too, my first Floppy.

Thanks again Doors Off, these will fit very nicely in my small collection of fishing lures.

Once again, you will have guessed it, none of these lures will ever swim any more...

Because, even if I haven't fished in a long time, I am not ashamed to say that playing with these, is nearly as good ... 

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

P.S: And don't forget to try to win a handcrafted lure in my giveaway just there.

A few more lures.

Hi there,

Just a few more lures that I recently received.
First is a lure from unknown maker, maybe Killalure, but not sure yet.
(Yes, if ever you were to know who made it, you are more than welcome to let me know).

From one side.

The other side.

From above.

And the belly.

So, do you know who made it?

All I know, is that it is made of timber and was given to me by Double Haul, who told me that it was an Australian one. And that he has caught  many Barramundi with it, to the 90cm size.

So this must be a good lure for sure.

The second one is a Reidy's, from Australia too:

From the side.

From above.

I am very happy with this one, as I already had one in this colour, but not in the same depth. I love to get all the variation on one colour, specially when the colour like for this one, is not in production anymore.

Thank you Double Haul.

Reidy's is one of my favourite lures, for the good reason that they are a local manufacturer from Darwin.

And then, here comes the 303...

The 303 is a lure that was made by the Australian Soldiers who were stationed in the Top End of Australia, during WWII. They didn't have any fishing lures, but they had some ammunition. So the shell casing of the 303 were used as lure for Barramundi fishing. I have seen some old black and white photographs of soldiers using these home made lures, and they had a great success rate, as fish catcher. 

I had been looking for a while for one of these lures since I had heard of them, but was not able to find one.

Till not long ago...

Well in fact, lets be honest, it is a replica, or should I say, they are replicas, because yes I got two of them!

But very well made with a focus on detail and authenticity.

The man who made them for me is Mr. Rex from the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Thank you very much Rex.

And here they comes!

One for the collection.

And one to use.

Yes two of them in one go...

How good is that?

Yes this and the two other lures in this post are some more pieces of Fishing Australiana for the little collection

In fact when Rex gave me the first one, he asked me when I was going to use it.

I of course replied that I was definitively not going to take the risk to lose this lure and that it was going to stay as far and away of any piece of water as possible.

So he quietly left and not long after, brought me a second one to fish with.

Now to say that I felt spoilt, would be a very slight understatement...

I was wrapped with joy!

So did I had the time to test it yet?

No not yet... And I am getting seriously impatient about trying it at one of my favourite land based spot.

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

Four lures for the catch of the day.

Hi there,

I got four new fishing lures as a prize from the local newspaper, the NT News, Catch of the Day competition.
How come you may ask?
Well it is pretty simple, every week anyone can send in a photo, either a print or by Email, then they pick up the one that they believe is the best of the week.
So I send a photo of the first fish that I got with my new rod, an 81cm Barra.
(you can read all about it on this blog just there).

And here is a photo of the newspaper page:

You might recognise the photo.

And what kind of fishing lures do you think it is?

Yes some lures that will be perfect for Barramundi fishing.

I received: one Killalure 2Deadly, one Killalure Flatz Rat 2, One Classic Manta Ray and a Classic Dr Evil.

Do you want to see them?

Lucky you here they are:

Killalure 2Deadly.

The 2Deadly in the Tiger Lily colour produce some wicked light reflection, and I can't wait to test this lure. It is a mix between a popper and a shallow diver, to 6 foot maximum (1.8288 metres). You can pop it or if you have a slow wind, it will dive. That will be interesting to see how it performs.

Killalure Flatz Rat 2.

This one is a small lure, but dive to 15 feet (4.572 metres), and has a very good reputation as a Queenfish lure. This colour is called Bobby Dazzler Silver Purple.

Classic Manta Ray.

The Classic F18 Manta Ray, here in the Mullet Gold Dazzler colour, is he deepest diver from the Classic F18 range, and dive to 18 feet (5.4864 metres). Gold red and black is a colour which has already been successful for me, so I am very happy with that.

Classic Dr Evil.

I already had one of these, albeit in another colour, and I really like it, so it is good now to have two of them. I will be less stressed to loose it as soon as I will be using it. The one presented here is in the Purple Mullet Dazzler, and it dive to +20 ft (6.096 metres).

The Classic F18 Manta Ray and the Dr Evil have both been designed by the Australian lure designer Rob Gaden.

So I was very happy to get all of these, as they are all lures that I will really enjoy fishing with.

The only problem is that it is not even midweek yet, and that I will have to wait for the weekend before I can start to test some of them. In fact some of them are swimming so deep, that I might not be able to use them straight from the shore, and I might have to wait to be invited on a boat again to really test them.

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.