Chris Anderson from Thug Lures dominated the awards and scored plenty of sales with their limited edition baits. The Best Ornamental Lure was won by their ‘Harro Bug’, a tribute to the legendary Rod Harrison. The monster topwater
paddler featured an image of a young Rod Harrison on the body and a sunset fishing scene on the bib. “I grew up with Harro in the magazines, on TV programs and I thought it was a good idea to combine the younger Harro
with a cod scene on one side and barra scales on the back,” said Thug’s Chris Anderson. It’s a wonderful show of respect to one of the legends of Australian sportsfishing. As well as the Best Presented Stand Award, Thug took out the Best Bladed Bait award for their ‘Swagga’. “It was an idea that Kimmo had, and basically an hour later we knocked up the moulds. It’s like a tailspinner, but not a tailspinner,” Chris continued.
Sam Cunsolo from Solo Lures made the winning bait in the Best Bibbed Lure section. The Solo ‘Swagger’ is not to be confused with Thug’s ‘Swagga’ and retails for around the $60 mark. “It was designed to work the
shallows in Mulwala. It’s buoyant so you can work it around the shallow snags and it’s designed to not have
much drag on the lure so that you can fish it all day and not be fatigued,” Sam said in the winner’s interview.
TENT CON RA
HALL OF FAME AWARD
Paul Kneller and Rex Hunt were inducted into the Lure Show Hall of Fame. FLY TYING CHAMPION Allfly Outfitters’ Shaun Ash knocked up the winning fly on-site at the Show – as are the rules of that section. His ‘Pack Rat’ is an innovative use of multiple materials, including a reversed and offset foam head to create a lot of wake as the rat struggles through the water. We’re sure that there are plenty of cod that will be suckered into this imitation.
Thug Lures ‘Swagga’.
BEST BLADED METAL LURE
Thug Lures ‘Harro Bug’.
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BEST ORNAMENTAL PIECE
BEST PRESENTED STAND
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Each year, the talent on display at the Australian Lure and Fly Expo – affectionately called The Lure Show – seems to multiply. Lure makers and fly tyers submit their creations, which are voted on by their peers and awards are given at a presentation dinner on the Saturday night. Fishing Monthly caught up with the winners to show you the prize-winning lures. You can also scan the QR code hereby to see the interviews with the winners. THUG LURES Kimmo Baldwin and
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Lure Expo Award winners impress in 2017
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Shaun Ash ‘Pack Rat’. BEST TOP WATER / SURFACE / WAKE BAIT Barambah’s Matt Fraser has been kicking goals with his lizard-themed jointed cod wake baits, with his premium blue tongue pieces of art fetching over $300. You’ll need to double-check your knots while fishing that one. His Baby Barambah
Dragon, however (at around $130) was the entry into the Best Topwater/Surface/Wake Bait and it won the most votes. At 38g and around 19cm long, it’s the baby of the series, but will attract the attention of cod far and wide.
BEST BIBBED DIVING LURE Barambah Lures ‘Baby Dragon’.
Solo Lures ‘Swagger’. BEST BLUE WATER LURE
Lively Lures ‘Slick Stick’. Recognising the need for a well priced, castable saltwater stickbait, Al Dolan entered the ‘Slick Stick’ into the Best Bluewater Lure category. “This is my first foray into a stickbait making and it’s designed for GT, mackerel and trout around 62
AUGUST 2017
the reef edges,” said Al. There’s a lot that goes into getting a product like this through to the public and it was great to see Al win the award. You can get one online for around $30 from the Lively Lures online store.
Blair Chilton is another maker who blurs the lines between lure maker and artist. His wooden swimsuits not only look that part, but suspend and swim like they were made by a meticulous craftsman – which they are.
BEST SWIM BAIT His ‘Norman’ multijointed swimsuit won the Best Swimbait category and will cost you around $150 to add to the collection. They all sold out at the show.
Chilton Tackle Co ‘Neville’.