My First Two Deep River Lures.

Hi there,

I just received two very beautiful Deep River Lures.

• They are Handmade from timber.
• The two are very different from each other.
• I won them on the FFF.
• I intend to use them to fish.

Look at what I received:

Two Deep River Lures.

So, how and why?

Well, it is pretty simple in fact.

If you post on the great fishing forum FFF, and at the end of your post use the #DeepRiver, your post could be chosen as the lucky one for the month. And you would be sent one or two lures, directly from the man who makes them himself, Mr Barney.

And boy oh boy, they are nice.

So now that you had a preview of the lures, and know how I got them, lets look at them a bit closer.

First is the Slim.

A very beautiful fishing lure, that I will use mainly in the pursuit of Barramundi.

The Deep River Lures Slim 100.

To me, this lure has Barramundi written all over it.

From the shape, the colour, the fins and the shallow bib, just like I love them.

Here is a portrait of it:

Portrait of the Deep River Lures Slim 100.

This one is the shallow version. Which to me is great, as I mainly fish shallow waters.

And now comes the Mugil:

The Deep River Lures Mugil 70.

Now if this is not a really good looking little lure, I don't know what this is...

It is well finished, with an interesting shape. I think that it would be a great lure to target the Mangrove Jack. I can't wait to see it's action in the water.

And talking about the finish, look at the bib:

Pinned bib for extra strength.

This is one of the reason I personally would feel confident to target Mangrove Jack with this lure. The bib seems solid and well attached to the lure body.

Deep River Lures are handmade in Queensland, Australia, by Barney.

There is a great selection of body shapes and colours have a look at their range. (The link is at the top of this very post, in blue)

Thank you to Barney and the FFF for organising this friendly competition, and sending me these two beautiful lures.

Here comes one last photo, for the road:

Little lure for big fish.

Now it is true that when I receive such beautiful lures I usually keep them for the collection.

But this time I will actually fish with them.

Even it they will certainly end up with a few scratch from the carnivorous fish that swim around in Darwin's waters...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

The Darwin Dart.

Hi there,

The Darwin Dart is a lure close to the heart of many Territorians. Yet it was made in Narooma, NSW. So, why so much love in the North?

To start you have the name: Darwin Dart, clever marketing …

And then came its fish catching ability.

A quality due to the passion for fishing from its maker: Mick Elliot.

Mr. Elliot started to make his own lure as a teenager in Queensland. After his family had moved to NSW. With the help of his father and brother, Mick started to produce his lures for the commercial market, in 1983. First carved by hand from White Beech wood, the success and demand for the Darwin Dart quickly become too much for the trio. They had to use a copy lathe to respond to the popularity of their product. The ever-growing success of the timber lure prompted the Elliot family to finally decide to change the whole process and start to make plastic molded lures. The metal bib was replaced by a plastic one, and become integral part of the lure. A rattle was added in the belly of the lure. The success continued.

The Darwin Dart. 

The production has stopped a few years ago. The word on the street is that the molds have all been destroyed when the production ceased.

Portait of a Darwin Dart.

This was a popular lure for Barramundi, Mangrove Jack and other Top End scaly critters. 

An old timer, once even told me that he loved to troll them at speed for Mackerels. Saying that the lures would then flip over and come skipping on the surface, this was how he caught some of his best Macks. Until one bigger than usual, who swam in the sunset with it, took away his last Darwin Dart.

Memories.

This timber Darwin Dart, might not be in perfect condition, but I will sure take care of it, and it won't swim no more.

Yes they are missed in many fishing tackle boxes.

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.

My First BarraGuru.

Hi there,

I got very lucky and I was offered a beautiful wooden fishing lure, a BarraGuru.
BarraGuru are hand made timber lures, produced in Darwin, by Tony B.
These as the name suggest, are fishing lures to be used in the pursuit of the mighty Barramundi.
I had seen a few of them, but never had the chance to own one before, it is then easy to imagine my joy at getting one.

And yes, you need to see it, so, here it is:

A 2012 BarraGuru.

The lure is 9.5cm long (about 3.7 inches).

I really like this shape, colour and pattern. It has a retro feel about it, that makes me think of an old English car. In the flurry of multicoloured plastic lure that we can find in almost any fishing tackle shop, it is a bit like finding back an old classic.

I really enjoy that, it has to me, a calming effect. 

Signed under the belly.

Yes, it is signed and dated under the belly. This is the sure proof of a small but passionately hand crafted production. Not just a token of pride, but more the sign that the maker stands behind his creation. 

Head and shoulder.

With a view of the aluminium bib on which the body pattern is repeated, another nice touch in a world of hurried and good enough attitude.

The red throat.

The red throat reminds me of an Erithacus rubella, more commonly known as the European Robin. 

How does a fishing lure makes me think of a bird? Well, I am just pretty confident that there are many anglers out there who are closet bird watchers. 

Simply for the fact, that water birds are often a good pointer as to where the fish are...

And on a very slow fishing day, looking at the birds is a good way to occupy one's mind for a few short moments,  away from the hard work of catching some elusive fishes.

Now, how did this great little lure landed in my open hands?

Well it is really straightforward, I received one phone call of Tony B. himself, who said that I was welcome to come to his place to show him some of my lures, which needed identification, that he could help me with that.

And that he would give me a lure from his own production at the same time...

(Yes, I was very fast in getting to his place).

Thank you Tony, this is a very nice present.

He doesn't really sells his lures, he is more in the swapping for other lures or gift of his lures, to some of his mates or to some charities, than in the selling business.

Which is why they are not that easy to come across.

And now for the real lures collectors out there...

Here is a little thing about this lure, that makes it very special, on top of every things that you have been reading so far...

Yes it is a wooden lure, but could you guess what kind of timber it is made of, and where does it come from?

Are you seated?

The timber is Australian Red Cedar, and it comes from under the house of the famous lure maker Eric Moller in Cardwell, in the far North Queensland...

Yes the very timber this lure is made of, had first been stoked by Eric Moller himself, as stock for his own lure production.

It had never been used, and Tony B. got it from Eric Moller grandson.

Now if this is not special, I don't know what is...

To me this is quite simply another superb piece of Australiana fishing.

When Tony B. gave me the lure, he asked me if I was going to fish with it, saying that this one had a very nice action in the water...

Of course, I replied that there is no way that I would use it to fish!

That I was too afraid to scratch it!

Or even worse, loose it to a big fish or a snag.

Tony laughed, and said that I should use it.

But no, this is another perfect little swimmer that will never touch any water again... 

Some would say that this is a wast of a good fishing lure...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

Three New Scurvy Dog.

Hi there,

Today I was very lucky and was offered three more Scurvy Dog fishing lures.
By whom you may ask...
Well by no one else than Balls himself, the man who makes the Scurvy Dog lures.
How good is that?
Yes, very good I know...

So lets start with the one called Four eyes, because it has two eyes on each side of its body:

The Four Eyes.

Now comes the information about it, and then some more photos.

The colour of the Four Eyes presented here is called “The Baggy Cap”. Proudly representing the Aussies Green and Gold.

It is made of Poplar Pine. 

1.5mm Polycarbonate for the bib, it dives to a depth of 3-4metres. 

Double rattle chamber, each rattle chamber located behind the eyes, both rattles are different diameter stainless ball bearing to produce noise variation under water (different sized bearings travel at a different rate with the lures side ways action).

.09mm stainless eyelets front and two middle hangers, 1.2mm stainless rear hanger. 

Sealed then painted with a white automotive acrylic base coat, epoxy coated, then silver glitter applied to entire blank, dried and the Gold Candy Tone, then Green Candy Tone paint, cosmetics with Pink throat and lime underbelly. 

Automotive two pack clear to seal the Candy Tone. 

Finished with 3 separate individual coats of Mega Epoxy rotated on a drying machine, slow process but looks good with a tough finish to protect the amount of work involved and to lift the bling.

Green and Gold.

The underbelly.

Bib, mouth, one eye and first treble.

This is a very beautiful lure, with a great finish. In fact for a fishing lure made of timber, it has more bling factor than most plastic or metal lures.

In these colours with such a name, this lure truly is part of fishing Australiana.

One can only wonder what Don Bradman would have thought of it?

Then comes a jigging lure for pelagic fishes:

Side view.

Underbelly and hooks.

The jig is poured with a lead and tin composite.

1.2mm, 316 stainless wire in a single harness. 

The jig is covered in adhesive aluminium duct tape, Candy Tone paint, automotive two pack clear to seal the Candy Tone & finished with 3 separate individual coats of Mega Epoxy rotated on a drying machine. 

Balls make the epoxy eyes, these were made from Coke or Melbourne Bitter cans. 

This jig is great for jigging Macks, GT’’s and similar species, especially if you have a bit of water depth to work.

And the last one of the trio is a skirt:

Full length.

Green and Gold again.

This skirted lure is primarily used to target Sailfish and Marlin, but Spanish Mackerel love them too. Unfortunately they either chew the skirts to bits or bite the lure off on the strike, as they are usually rigged with Jenkaii leader & not wire. 

The head is made of a clear resin, from a hand made mould.

The diversity of these lures, all hand made, for a vast range of targets, one for Barramundi, one for pelagic fishes and one for billfish, is a testament to Balls's talent and workmanship in lure making.

This is a man who only fish with his own lures, and who last weekend was nailing some Barramundi in Darwin harbour.

Thanks again Balls, I feel very privileged to have received such a present.

Great care will be taken of them, they are now a precious part of my small collection of fishing lures.

No need to ask me when I am going to test them...

These will stay at the office, and will never swim...

But hey, it cold be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

6 New Lures For The Collection.

Hi there,

Yes I got the very nice surprise to receive six new lures for my small collection, as a present from Angry.
Like me, Angry is a member of both the FFF forum and the Lures And More forum.
But he lives down south and me up north, so we target different kinds of fishes with different kinds of lures.
The lures that he sent me, are all Australian lures, but are impossible to find in Darwin.

Look at the little treasures I saw when I opened the surprise parcel:

Even better than a box of chocolate.

From this nice little lot, only one was from a brand that I already had, the one on the left, it is a Stuckeys. But if you look at this post on this very blog, you will be able to see that it is different, not only in size or colour, but also in the shape of the bib.

A very nice trout colour.

This lure is very beautiful, with a perfect and deep finish. There is something special in holding in your hand a wooden lure, that has been hand made. To me they are like little art works.

The lure next to it, is a Deception, and I am very happy about it, as I had looked at them on the internet for a while but was yet to own one.

My first Deception.

And when you think about it, what a better name for a fishing lure, than Deception...

And this one seems to be before Tacspo took over the company, so it would be an original Deception. How cool is that.

All the other lure I had never see before, some rudimentary research made me think that they are Custom Crafted Lures, a maker from NSW, same geographic origin than the two previous lures in this post.

The first one is called the Baby Scud, and has an unusual bib:

The Baby Scud.

Next to it was the Baby Extractor, in green too:

The Baby Extractor.

Then comes the only plastic lure of the lot. It might not be made of timber like all the other, but still have a very nice finish and shape.

The Fish stick.

Yes in green too, this must be a very good colour down south, as it is up north. To give you an idea of how popular green lures are, I have already been fishing with some friends, whose lure tray only contains green lure.

And the last one, I have been told from very good authority that this is a lure from a maker called Australian Crafted:

The Minnow 80.

A very nice colour too, I have myself been lucky on this type of colour, here in tropical north Australia. But are these ones ever going to swim? Not a chance! They are already at the office and wont get out of there before a very long time. 

So does it look like the Christmas spirit is in the air?

Yes to me it does, thanks Angry.

Honestly, I am not absolutely sure about the names or makers of most of these lures, and I could even be totally wrong.

This would not be the first time too...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.