By Sam Baillie
The designer of the Classic range of lures, Rob Gaden, continues to innovate with cleverly-crafted fish catchers. The new Warlocks and Classic Dr Evils are two lures that should find their way into any serious lure fisherman’s tackle box.
Warlock Lures — Update
In the previous issue of NAFA, we revealed a sneak peak at the new Warlock Lures range by Rob Gaden. Since that issue went to press, the first release of these lures has hit the shelves of tackle stores around the country and is selling strongly. By the time you read this, most good tackle stores should now have the Warlock 125mm model in stock and ready for action; if not, you had better ask them to get some in quick smart! Early reports from the Top End are suggesting that these sensational new lures are going to blow the barra away this coming season. Currently, the Warlock 125 is available in two depths: +3m and +5m, which will satisfy most barra fishermen. A humble collection of 12 colours, including some of the old favourites from the Classic Lures line-up, as well as several new patterns, round out this package nicely.
What is worth noting is that the Warlock 125 is an incredibly versatile lure, and whilst it is steadily gaining serious momentum in the north, anglers further south are experiencing great success by trolling them around at 5-7 knots for inshore pelagics, including some very nice yellowtail kingfish. We have also received some extremely positive feedback from the lucky few who have been testing some prototype samples in the smaller Warlock models. The Warlock 68 prototype, sans paint, has been braining some serious flathead right along the East Coast, and is sure to become a real winner. Keep an eye out in your local tackle store for Warlock Lures.
Classic Lures — Dr Evil Recently released to the Australian angling market is the new Classic Lures Dr Evil. This great new design from master luremaker Rob Gaden is sure to help you achieve success when the fish are holding deep and proving hard to reach. The Dr Evil is designed to be a super-deep diver, and gets right down to where the big fish live. The over-sized bib design not only aids in getting this lure down to a depth of over 6m, but it also helps to reduce snagging. Experienced lure trollers have reported that, with a little fine tuning, some fine diameter braid and a decent drop-back, they have had this lure even deeper then stated above, claiming that they have hit the bottom in over 8m of water.
Although the Dr Evil was originally designed to be a no-nonsense, deep barra troller, it just so happens to be perfectly sized to attract strikes from both large and small predators alike. This makes it a superb choice when targeting not only big barra, but also Murray cod, mulloway, jumbo flathead and many other predators. The Dr Evil really excels as a deep trolling lure; however, it is also extremely effective when used with a standard cast and retrieve action — especially around steep embankments or over submerged timber where the over-sized bib will bounce off branches and rocks, ringing the dinner bell to any nearby predators. The Dr Evil range is available at all good tackle stores around Australia.