Not long ago, I had the chance to meet Dave, the maker of the fishing lures Barra Trooper.
He was extremely generous, and gave me some very nice fishing lures.
Here comes the story of them.
First is the original Barra Trooper, but in a new colour, soon to be introduced on the market. The colour is called X RAY and you will, with no doubt understand why:
Barra Trooper X RAY.
Now, this is not just any lure in the new colour, no...
This is the very first one that was made for production. It is signed on both sides of the body of the lure, on the bib, and with a hand written note on the back of the card.
Here comes a close up of it's face:
Mean looking skeleton.
You can see the signature on the cheek of the lure. And yes, as you can read on the card, it is of course, a hand made timber lure, like all the Barra Trooper.
The evening I got this lure, I could not help, but send a photo of it with my phone to another fishing lure collector in Darwin, just to show it to him, even before doing a post on the forum.
After that came a Barra Trooper in a colour that he normally do only for himself.
The special colour.
I might be wrong, and that would not be the first or last time... But I think that this would be a great colour to target Mangrove Jacks. A fish that till today has managed to elude me. Classy in burgundy and gold, with black strips, this one makes me think of an old fashioned Chicago gangster.
Then come a smaller lure, with a different shape that than the traditional ones made by Dave.
And it is a real little beauty:
Black and yellow like a hornet.
I have already said in the past, that one of my favourite colour for timber lures, is black and yellow.
For a reason that I don't really understand, this combination of colours remind me of a cafe racer motorcycle, and I really like that. It has to me a retro feel, that I don't get with other colours.
The finish on it, is just great:
Beautiful finish.
As an icing on the cake, this lure came to me, with a very special top up.
Three wooden pieces, that show how it was crafted:
Three steps to a good lure.
This is actually the first time that I have the wooden shapes, of a lure at different stages. This to me, is a very interesting piece added to my little collection. One could say that it has an educative purpose.
Finally, Dave gave me a prototype of a lure that he had been working on.
The overall shape resemble the traditional Barra Trooper, but is a bit shorter, a tad fatter and the tail is slimmer.
Have a look at it:
New prototype of Barra Trooper.
The photograph, don't really shows the depth of the paint job. It has a brown back, with a brass belly covered in gold spots. It is a beautiful and subtle paint work.
Portrait of a fishing lure.
And of course, like all the other ones, it is signed on the belly:
Signed on the belly.
Here they are, my precious little Barra Trooper lures, a very appreciated addition to the stable.
Thank you Dave, these will never see the water, but they will still be taken care of with great attention.
I know that fishing lures are made to swim, and that most lure makers craft them in the hope that they will catch the fish of a life time... But those four compagñeros will definitively stay dry, for ever...
Have a good day,
Pecheur
