Concept wise, the design team
wanted a lure that could be
cast almost anywhere and not
snag, yet have an action that
appealed to a wide variety of
fish – barra being the main
target. To be snagless and
weedless a lure needs to have
the hook hidden inside the
plastic and this presents a
hook-up problem. So here was
the first problem to be solved.
Aussie fishing conditions are
tough on tackle. There are
big nasty things with teeth
that puncture and cut and the
Flat Shad had to be able to
withstand these fish. Present
problem two.
Lastly the lure’s action had to
be appealing. It’s hard to get a
tough material that has a good
action simply because most
lures that resist damage are
harder in the body, reducing
the action. The lure also had
to have a great action on the
weedless hook, but the team
also wanted the option to rig
this lure with a standard jig
head – because Aussie anglers
are far more comfortable with
a jig head rigged plastic at
this stage. So problem 3 and 4
centred on action.
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