My First Bad Rash Lures

Hi there,

Here comes my first Bad Rash Lures.
A lure made by Daniel, with some beer lids, recycling at its finest if you asked me.

First a few photos, then a text sent to me by Daniel.

In the packaging.

Yes, they do come in a nice little plastic bag, with a picture of a Mangrove Jack fished on a Bad Rash Lures. And I got lucky, the one on the pic is made with the same lids that the one I got.

Out of the bag.

Yes, made with the lids of the very well known XXXX Gold, a beer made in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, since a very long time. In fact it is the most popular beer in nearly all of Queensland.

Bad Rash Lures.

And now the text sent to me by Daniel, which explain how Bad Rash Lures came to be:

        "The idea of using beer lids to catch fish is nothing new, the concept has been around for quite some time. I have been making lures for as long as I can remember. I first started making lead slug type lures out of barrel sinker to cast at schools of Mackerel and Tuna in Moreton Bay about 25 years ago. Next came some timber lures for catching anything from Bass and bream through to Mangrove Jacks and Barra some of which I still use today. I had quite a spell from making lures and the bug came back about 3 years ago. 

I started to produce some lures that were quick and easy to make and started producing beer lid poppers. They consist of a beer lid glued to a tapered cork, wire and a hook and do not take too long to make, and are quite effective. I have not used them consistently but have caught some noteworthy fish on them including Trevally, Barra and Mangrove Jack. 

The idea of beer lid lures was always in the back of my mind but I never bothered until October this year. Why I started making beer lid lures now I do not have a clue, I think I just wanted to prove to my mate Pete that I could out fish him with all of his fancy gear.

I first started making them just as single lid lure by punching two hole at either end of the lid adding two size 4 split rings and then a size 4, 3X strong VMC treble and a few rocks for weight.
The first time I used them I managed to hook six and land two Saratoga from a small creek standing on the bank.
Next came a solo trip to a local billabong where I managed to catch 21 fish in just over 3 hours. The bulk of them were Saratoga, a total of 17 for the morning, a personal best. These were all caught on a Coopers Pale Ale jointed beer lid lure. Two beer lids were joined via a split ring with a second treble attached in the middle.
I then had a good trip up to Sandy Creek to test them out on some saltwater species. The most noteworthy fish was a Queenfish around the 9kg mark that I had hooked on a jointed Coopers Pale Ale. The fish was caught casting and retrieving the lure across that surface at speed and was hooked for a good ten minutes when we went for a tail grab and it swam off with the rear part of the lure. 
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. What I found had happened and it happen again on a good Trevally was that the split ring was working its way along the crimped edge of the beer lid until it completely undid. Design fault.

I thought about how I could get rid of the split rings altogether and make the lures stronger from a wear perspective. The holes are only punched in the edges of the beer lids.
I still had some 80lb Mason Downunder stainless steel wire that I was using to make the beer lid poppers. I started to make the current lures that I have now and found that they are performing well so far.

To date I have caught a total of 149 fish on the beer lid lure with the following species and numbers being my most recent tally:

Saratoga - 54
Archerfish - 4
Barra - 9
Tarpon - 24
Fork tail Catfish - 10
Brassy Trevally - 10
Big Eye Trevally - 1
Golden Trevally - 1
Queenfish - 14
Blue Bone - 4
Cod - 2
Bar Tailed Grunter - 1
Spaniards - 2
Mangrove Jack - 1
Sooty Grunter -
8 Spangled Perch - 1
Long Tom - 1
Bass - 2"

And that is it for Daniel text.
Impressive no?
Now, do you want to know about another impressive thing?
Well let me tell you how I got this lure…

Last December, the local newspaper, ran a story about a few of the lures that I have in my small collection.
Daniel saw the article, and just happened to be in town on the day it was published.
He called the paper and asked for my contact, saying that he would have a new lure for me.
A few phone call later, and he dropped by my place and gave me this very lure, saying Happy Christmas !

I call that pure Territory goodness!

Thank you Daniel, I will not swim it, but I will take care of it, be sure of that.
I know that some of my readers will say that a lure is made for fishing and that I should use it…

But hey, it could be worse.
Have a good day,
Me.

New Hooks from P E Tackle.

Hi There,

Just a quick post, to say thank you to P E Tackle, for sending me a few very deadly fishing hooks.
They had a small giveaway on their FaceBook page, and I did enter the very simple competition.
Basically, you had to be in the first ten to send them your address to win…
No rocket science there, and I was able to make it.

To be honest I had never heard of them before.
They are a new online fishing tackle  company, based in Australia.
It is good to see a new entrant in the game, who try to have only very high quality gear. A nice change from all the people selling cheap import.

So what does these hooks look like?
Here they are:

Thank you for the present.

Yes, I said thanks for the present, because they arrived in my mail box on the 24 of December.

How good a timing is that?

My favourite ones are the chartreuse ones.

Here is another photo of just one lot:

PE Tackle hooks.

I can't wait to test them, I was even thinking to try to put one or two behind a jig to see what would happen…

So yes, I know, no fishing post in a long time…

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

Barra Trooper Galore.

Hi there,

Not long ago, I had the chance to meet Dave, the maker of the fishing lures Barra Trooper.
He was extremely generous, and gave me some very nice  fishing lures.
Here comes the story of them.

First is the original Barra Trooper, but in a new colour, soon to be introduced on the market. The colour is called X RAY and you will, with no doubt understand why:

Barra Trooper X RAY.

Now, this is not just any lure in the new colour, no...

This is the very first one that was made for production. It is signed on both sides of the body of the lure, on the bib, and with a hand written note on the back of the card.

Here comes a close up of it's face:

Mean looking skeleton.

You can see the signature on the cheek of the lure. And yes, as you can read on the card, it is of course, a hand made timber lure, like all the Barra Trooper.

The evening I got this lure, I could not help, but send a photo of it with my phone to another fishing lure collector in Darwin, just to show it to him, even before doing a post on the blog.

After that came a Barra Trooper in a colour that he normally do only for himself.

The special colour.

I might be wrong, and that would not be the first or last time... But I think that this would be a great colour to target Mangrove Jacks. A fish that till today has managed to elude me. Classy in burgundy and gold, with black strips, this one makes me think of an old fashioned Chicago gangster. 

Then come a smaller lure, with a different shape that than the traditional ones made by Dave.

And it is a real little beauty:

Black and yellow like a hornet.

I have already said in the past, that one of my favourite colour for timber lures, is black and yellow.

For a reason that I don't really understand, this combination of colours remind me of a cafe racer motorcycle, and I really like that. It has to me a retro feel, that I don't get with other colours.

The finish on it, is just great:

Beautiful finish.

As an icing on the cake, this lure came to me, with a very special top up.

Three wooden pieces, that show how it was crafted:

Three steps to a good lure.

This is actually the first time that I have the wooden shapes, of a lure at different stages. This to me, is a very interesting piece added to my little collection. One could say that it has an educative purpose.

Finally, Dave gave me a prototype of a lure that he had been working on.

The overall shape resemble the traditional Barra Trooper, but is a bit shorter, a tad fatter and the tail is slimmer.

Have a look at it:

New prototype of Barra Trooper.

The photograph, don't really shows the depth of the paint job. It has a brown back, with a brass belly covered in gold spots. It is a beautiful and subtle paint work.

Portrait of a fishing lure.

And of course, like all the other ones, it is signed on the belly:

Signed on the belly.

Here they are, my precious little Barra Trooper lures, a very appreciated addition to the stable.

Thank you Dave, these will never see the water, but they will still be taken care of with great attention. 

I know that fishing lures are made to swim, and that most lure makers craft them in the hope that they will catch the fish of a life time... But those four compagñeros will definitively stay dry.

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

The Wedding Lure.

Hi there,

It is not often that a fishing lure is found on a wedding table.
But when half of the party is coming from the family of one of the most famous Australian fishing lure designer's, no one should be surprised to see a few lures invited to the marriage banquet.

Not long ago, as I was packing up an office in which I worked for many years, I decided to send back to Rob Gaden two lures that he had graciously lent for an exhibition project I had worked on.
Messages were sent to Mr. Gaden, asking him where I should mail the lures.
His reply was that I could keep one of them for myself, and send him the other one.
That in itself was already a great present, thanks Rob.
But it doesn't stop there.
He told me to call his daughter and to give her the lure in Darwin, instead of sending it interstate.
So I called her...

A few days later, she came to pick up the lure, and had a present for me.
And what a present!

Her dad had asked her if she could give me one of the lures he had done for her wedding guest, the previous year.
This might seem not much to some of you, but to me, it was an absolutely great present.

Taryn had married Phil in July 2012, and her dad had a series of the famous Classic Barra +10 in a special colour, with a special packaging made for the occasion.
Want to see it?

The Wedding Lure.

The writing on the back of the lure says: Taryn & Phil - July 2012.

The back of the packaging says that it is to celebrate their marriage, has some short information about both of the families, and the exact date of the wedding.

I will be honest with you, when Taryn gave me the lure, it was such a surprise that I got some goose bump and the hairs of my arms started to stand straight. 

This to me was a very nice present, from a very personal moment in her life.

I now feel really privileged to have one in my collection, and you can be sure that this one will never be taken out of it's packaging.

Thank you Taryn and Rob, this will be a very precious addition to what my partner call my addiction.

I know some of you might say, that a lure is made for fishing and that I should try it, but I will not.

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

Jason's Leads

Hi there,

There are many good reasons to add a fishing lure to one’s collection.

It can be because the lure is rare, because it is a really good fishing lure, because it has a story attached to it or because it is a present from a good mate.

Well this lure is ticking the right case in about all of the above…

The lure is a Leads Lures, handmade in Queensland, Australia, by Terry Leadbeater. And yes it is made of timber. People, who love fishing lures, know both, how good these are at catching fish, and how hard it is to find them in the Territory. Despite still being produced today.

My first Leads Lures.

This lure has a story too.

Jason bought the lure around 1997, just north of Cairns.

Then went fishing land based from the rocks, when on his second cast…

Hooked and landed, his first ever meter plus Barramundi on this very lure!

The metery catcher.

Many keen anglers would keep the lure that caught them their first Barra over a meter long as a precious relic.  Some would even send it straight to the poolroom. But no, not him, who one day gave me a call saying: I am cleaning the shed, come around with a plastic bag, I have a few lures for you… And there I got my first two Leads (among many other lures); this was one of them.

For someone like me, still dreaming of catching my first metery. It made me wonder what I would do with the lure that will on day, help me to do it…

But more importantly you might have now guessed it, this was a present from a good friend, and this, makes the lure even more special to me.

Thanks mate.

I wanted to add a Leads Lures to my collection for so long.

Look at how beautiful it is:

Lure portrait.

Yes, I know, this lure never again will swim...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

The Commemorative Rapala.

Hi there,

I was offered a commemorative fishing lure, made by Rapala for a local tackle shop.
And by no one else than the winner of the 2012 Top End Barra Series, Mr. Gregory Shields.
Thank you Gregory, this is much appreciated.

It was during a nice evening at the Ski Club in Darwin, for the end of competition event.
Just by the sea, under the palm trees it was a great night.

Early evening at the Ski Club.

With the moon in the sky.

I really like this place, it is a great spot to relax at the end of any day.

But back on topic, I got a new fishing lure...

As part of his winning prizes as the 2012 champion, Gregory received this beautiful lure.

The very thing that I wanted to win in the last round of this friendly competition, but it had eluded me.

Knowing that I collect fishing lures with advertising on them, Gregory came towards me in the evening and asked me if I wanted it.

I was so surprised, that at first I believed that he was joking.

But no, he was being honest and generous and for my great pleasure, gifted it to me.

Thanks again.

The lure is a commemorative Rapala, made for the 40 years of Fishing & Outdoor World, the oldest fishing tackle shop in Darwin, NT Australia. And in a place like Darwin where fishing is an integral part of the local culture, this is saying something.

In fact, it is even my favourite shop in town.

The shop opened in 1972 and 2012 marked the 40 years anniversary... 

I wonder what they will do in 2022 to mark the 50 years...

So, want to see it?

Here it is:

The commemorative Rapala.

This is the X-Rap SXR-10. It swims to 1,2-1,8 meter (4'-6'), weight 13 grams (7/16oz.) and is 10 cm (4") long.

The colour is FOW of course!

I love to collect advertising or commemorative fishing lures, and this is my first one from Rapala, so I am very happy with it.

Yes I know, this is a blog post about a fishing lure, in which there is two photos of palm trees, and just one of the lure...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

The King Codder Fishing Lures.

Hi there,

When a lure maker calls to tell you that he has two vintage fishing lures for you, you know that you are in for a treat. So when Tony the maker of the Barra Guru lures called me, I was rather excited and faster than a fleeing baitfish, I found myself at his place.

The present came to me in the form of two King Codder.

Two King Codder fishing lures.

In an old newspaper from down south (The Age), dated from the 30 November 1962, I found an advertisement and some information about them.

They are Australian fishing lures that were made by DK Union Tackle Co. in Melbourne.

At the time Union Tackle had up to a dozen metal lures, but the King Codder were made of timber. Certainly with some big Murray Cod in mind. So how did these two ended up in Darwin is any one guess. Albeit seeing how robust and well built they are, they would have been very good lures in the pursuit of our local champion, the mighty Barramundi.

King Codder came in only two sizes and two colours. Red fin and Trout or if you prefer, Gold and Silver.

By offering me the gold ones in the two available sizes, Tony had given me half of the full set. What a great way to start collecting a lure that I had never heard of.

The colour pattern of the gold ones would certainly have been of great efficiency on the Barramundi. As this is a colour scheme still very popular on today’s modern lures.

The large one.

The small one.

Detail of the small one.

Little treasures can be as varied as the different people who own them.

To my these four small pieces of wood, have become part of my precious…

And now, I would love to find the two silver ones.

And it might take a very long time...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

My First Pflueger.

Hi there, 

This is the short story of how I got my first Pflueger fishing lure.

Some people collect postal stamps, motorbikes or airplanes…

I collect fishing lures. And sometimes in the world of lure collecting, a random act of kindness happens. I promise not to laugh anymore when I see a bumper sticker about it.

One day out of the blue I received a message from Damian (whom I had never met), a member of the FFF forum offering me my first Pflueger lure. On one condition: that I would keep it, and not resell it. To which I replied that this was actually part of my problem: I don’t sell any of my lures, I keep them all and room is starting to be scarce… So you guessed it, I said “Yes Please!” (Thank you Damian).

The lure is a Heavy Duty Mustang Minnow made in Akron, Ohio, U.S.A, circa 1939 by Pflueger. A company that started to make fishing lures in the late 1800s. Later on Pflueger was taken over by Shakespeare and made a lot of different fishing reels. From bait caster to spinning with some fly-fishing reel thrown in the mix.

Anyway back to the lure… this 5 inch long lure was designed for saltwater use and it features metal plates on the back and belly, like a bulletproof vest. The colour of the lure is #9540 also known as Sunfish Scale Finish and is in very good condition. It’s a real beauty.

And here it is:

Yes it came in the box.

Just teasing, ready or not, here it really comes:

Open box.

My first Pflueger.

Yes the eyes are pressed in the wooden body.

Armor plate on the belly.

From above.

With a view of the armour plate on the top of the lure.

Catalogue in the box.

Yes it even came with the Pflueger catalogue:

Front of the catalogue.

On the front you can see that the colour of this lure was made after the printing of the catalogue, so they had to get it on top.

Back of the catalogue.

How nice is that?

The whole shebang is there: box, lure and catalogue. All in very good condition considering the age of this lure.

And you can't appreciate it, but I can tell you that even the smell of it, when you open the box, is very pleasant. I was telling it to one of my work colleague when I was showing her the lure, and she said: "Ho my god, it reminds me of my grandpa!"...

Yes I do feel a bit privileged to now have this lure as part of what I affectionately call my little collection.

After doing a bit of research on this beautiful timber fishing lure I stood there contemplating it, when it hit me: This lure is older than my dad! 

I am not really sure that I will ever have another lure, as old as this one very soon...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.