I have recently received a sample of the full range of Swagman Lures to review & on this page you will find pictures & information on the lures I received & in the near future I will be posting pictures of the fish I have taken using them so check back regularly. Do yourself a favor & visit the makers web site at this link Swagman Lures & check out the whole range of available colours or e mail the manufacturers at this link Swagman E mail
Review:
The first thing I noticed when I was opening my Swagman lures was how they were fitted with good strong rings & hooks. This really impressed me as I find with the majority of lures these days before even considering using them you must change the hooks & rings to good quality strong ones. All the lures supplied ranging from the small spinners thru to the largest Jumbuck model were very well made with strong connections for line & hooks & had an excellent paint finish on them also. The range will cover all the most commonly caught sport fish with no problem at all from trout & bass through to Barramundi & GT's & all the others in between like flathead & Kingfish etc. The minnow type lures all had a rounded bib which helps a great deal when fishing them in & around snags as this style of bib tends to "walk over" branches & sticks resulting in less snags.
I tested the action of the lures in my pool before taking them fishing. I attached them using a loop knot & every lure swam perfectly needing no adjustment at all from me. They swam straight with a strong swimming action & when the retrieve was stopped they all backed away as they floated to the surface which is also very helpful when fishing around snag areas i.e. when you feel the lure hit a branch you stop the retrieve & it reverses / floats off instead of becoming snagged. I like to be able to adjust the swimming / wobbling action of minnows & found I could bend the eye up & down & alter the action speed no problems at all.
All the minnow lure range came with a depth rating on the back of the package & I tested this when trolling the lures & all ran at the specified depth range. The largest Jumbuck lure is rated at 10 meters & although I have no water in my area that deep to try it I can tell you it was burrowing hard into the bottom in 6 meters of water & I have no doubt it will reach its specified depth. The spinners & the Spinnerbait supplied all had a great action as well.
Below I will give dimensions & diving depths of these lures.
Pictures & Information
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Whiplash Overall Length 85 mm Body Only 60 mm Dives to 3.5 meters & is suitable for either trolling or casting
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Rippa Overall Length 85 mm Body Only 70 mm Dives to 2 meters & suitable for trolling or casting |
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Loaded Dog Overall Length 85 mm Body Only 55 mm Dives to 2 meters & suitable for trolling or casting
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Barra Supreme ( Mid runner) Overall Length 125 mm Body Only 105 mm Dives to 1.5 meters & suitable for trolling or casting
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Barra Supreme Overall Length 140 mm Body Only 105 mm Dives to 2.5 meters & suitable for trolling or casting
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Jumbuck Overall Length 100 mm Body Only 65 mm Dives to 4.5 meters & suitable for trolling or short casting
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Jumbuck Overall Length 135 mm Body Only 85 mm Dives to 4.5 meters & suitable for trolling or short casting
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Jumbuck Overall Length 165 mm Body Only 110 mm Dives to 10 meters & suitable for trolling or short casting
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Bumble Bee Casting / trolling |
 Flash Jack Casting / trolling |
 Redback Casting / trolling |
 Matilda Spinner bait Casting / trolling |
Conclusion
The Swagman lure range comes in a wide variety of colours as well & the colour charts are available on the website at Swagman Lures.Com . I am looking forward to using them over the next few months as I know they will be fish takers & I will post pictures of my captures on this page. The range covers many types of fishing & just to give a few ideas what I'll be using them for in my area I will be targeting GT's & large flathead & Jacks by trolling & casting & trolling both models of the "Barra". I will be using the "Rippa" the "Loaded Dog" & the "Whiplash" both casting & trolling for Bream , Flathead & Jacks , & the 3 models of "Jumbucks" for trolling the deeper channels for Flathead. The spinners are well suited to Trout & Bass & other species like Redfin. I will be trying the spinnerbait on jacks & flathead myself. Trolling DEEP running minnows I think is an area not yet fully explored in salt water. Lures like the large deep running Jumbuck see a lot of use in fresh water for Cod etc but not a lot in salt. Being capable of running deep to 10 meters & at a low speed makes targeting fish like Jewfish & Snapper possible & is worth a try. The Barra minnows would be ideal for trolling around headlands & washes for Kingfish & Bonito & the like.
In conclusion I would like to say I would have no hesitation in recommending the Swagman Lures range. They are all well made quality lures & real fish takers that can be used straight from the package with no hook & ring changing or adjustments to the swimming action needed. Do yourself a favor & try a Swagman Lure you will not be disappointed!
Swagman Lures are sold at most tackle stores & if they are not available in your area there is a mail order service available.
Copyright © 2001-2004 Ken Alexander. All rights reserved
