This Golden perch made short work of a cheap copy lure.

I guess the saying is true of many things and that is you “most often get what you pay for.” This is especially true when it comes to many forms of fishing related equipment, not least of all a wide range of successful and readily accepted Australian made lures. Our lure makers are amongst some of the best in the world developing a range of products second to none. We are able to achieve this because we have some of the most demanding conditions and fish alike to rigorously test the shortfalls of any poorly constructed product.  In the early stages our lures are not simply made, packaged and sold in bulk. There is an evolutionary process that sees them go through the cycle of change where every fault is scrutinised and improved until what we are left with is a marketable product that works equally well in the field. For some lures and manufacturers this can take many years and during this period they develop a following and reputation that is deserved of the hard work and effort put in.
In recent times the availability to acquire cheap imitation or copies from overseas countries has seen the Australian fishing industry and consumers alike bombarded with a number of vastly inferior products. While they may look very similar in shape, size and colour the illusion only runs skin deep. Most of these lures would be flat out passing the angry gold fish test let alone the destructive forces unleashed by a sizable Murray cod. Their buy price and cunning camouflage is what tempts the consumer the chance to save a few bucks. But in the end the loss is generally what was handed over in monetary terms and in many cases the fish that decided to chew them to bits. And don’t be duped into believing its only big fish that pull them apart, many of them are so poorly constructed that a single encounter with a golden perch will leave them in tatters. On a recent trip I was to witness this first hand where the inner wire and one treble were pulled free of the lure by a perch that would have weighed no more than a single kilo. The chance to keep a few extra bucks in the pocket becomes a lure in itself that draws you in no differently than what the angler hope’s to do with his or her cheaply acquired purchase.  How much might we pay to hook and land that fish of a lifetime? It’s too late to answer this question after your cheap copy has been chewed to bits and spat out by a giant Murray cod, for a few simple dollars I think we all know the answer to this one. When it comes to buying lures look for the Australian made logo on the pack. After all it makes good sense to use lures that are designed right here for the very fish they are intended to catch.