Super size, Up scale

Why not?

When a cut-back, minimalist bass size wakebait starts to really excite you, the next logical step is to up scale the design for Murray Cod. Same fundamentals. Same clean lines. Just more timber, more presence, and more authority in the water.

This up sized cod wakebait keeps everything that worked in the smaller version, but adds a serious dose of attitude with the Thump Tail. The result is a lure that thumps hard, pushes water, and announces itself long before it reaches the strike zone,  exactly what a big surface cod lure should do.

Rigged with a single 3/0 hook on a double split ring, sits low in the water, right where a hook needs to be. In theory, it’s positioned perfectly to maintain a clean wake, solid roll, and consistent surface presence at slow speeds.

Now it’s time to take it off the bench and into the real world. A couple more need to be built so they can be properly tested,  cast, cranked, bumped, and fished the way a handmade timber cod lure should be.

Simple ideas. Scaled up.

Now for the real-world test.

Keeping it rolling

Once you start something, it’s usually best to keep the momentum going. After yesterday’s “simple not so simple” wakebait post, I jumped straight back into the shed this afternoon and kept the ideas flowing.

Today saw three different wakebait designs hit the bench:

• One Murray Cod-sized wakebait, a 2-piece timber lure
• Two Bass-sized wakebaits, both 1-piece designs

These cut-back, back-to-basics lures have really got me thinking. Stripping away the bulk and focusing purely on action, balance, and profile forces you to look at lure fundamentals in a new light. It’s the full-circle moment I didn’t realise I needed, returning to the core principles that make a wakebait swim true.

The deeper I go into this minimalist approach to handmade fishing lures, the more potential I see. Cod bait or bass bait, big or small, the concept is proving itself across sizes.

As they say… watch this space. More testing, more tweaking, more pared-back designs to come.

Keeping It Simple… Not So Simple

Funny how the simplest lure designs can sit right in front of you for years before they finally click. This week I found myself circling back to a concept that has been staring me down for far too long, a minimalist wakebait idea that I could never quite justify cutting back to. Not until now.

After spending countless hours working on bigger baits, refining profiles, testing bib angles, balancing weights, and chasing the perfect action, I finally understand what those long nights were teaching me. The fundamentals. The backbone. The non-negotiables of a lure’s behaviour.

Only by going big for so long was I able to confidently go small.

Now, with a much deeper understanding of what truly drives action, I’ve been able to strip this lure back to the bare minimum, no unnecessary bulk, no wasted movement, while still keeping that subtle, true wakebait swim I was chasing. A clean, tight, honest action.

A reminder that “simple” is rarely simple at all.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this cut-back concept leads me next.

Sometimes the best ideas aren’t new, they’re just waiting for you to finally understand them.

Simple. Not so simple. Wake.

Last BIG baits for 2025

 

Big Baits Are Back — A Week of Lure Auctions and Tweaks

This week saw the return of lure auctions, and what a way to bring them back. On the surface the two 300mm timber lures up for grabs almost looked like twins, but put them in the water and they reveal two very different personalities. Designed for anglers who love to fine-tune their gear, these big baits have been a highlight to work on and release.

300mm Wakebait,  With Options to Match the Bite

The first lure was our 300mm Wakebait, but with a twist. This big lure now comes with three tail options,  bucktail, rats tail, and the new Thump Tail. Each one changes the action, feel and presence in the water, letting you tweak the presentation to suit the day’s conditions, fish mood, or structure you’re working.

To top it off, this Wakebait features our new black carbon-look bib. This bib material offers just a touch of flex,  a huge advantage when those wayward casts find rock instead of water. A small detail, but one with a big benefit for anyone who throws big baits around hard structure at night.

300mm CrankDown,  Similar Shape, Different Behaviour

The second auctioned lure might look similar, but it’s actually our 300mm CrankDown model. The bib angle is changed to give it a different job underwater. On a slow roll it will still wake across the surface, but add a little crank and it will dive to around a foot, rolling and flashing just below the surface with that seductive crankbait sway. A perfect crankdown lure for when fish want something sitting a touch deeper.

Wakebait up top. CrankDown underneath. Same size. Two different tools.

These will be our last big bait builds for 2025, so if you’re a collector, a musky-style big bait angler, a Murray Cod hunter, or someone who simply loves handcrafted timber lures, keep your eyes on future drops. More custom lure releases will roll out through the year,  just not in the 300mm class.

Crank down

 Crank it down. Or keep it waking.

This handcrafted timber lure is built for on-the-spot tweaking while you’re mid-retrieve.

Slow roll it for a topwater wake bait action, flashing across the surface with that subtle roll.

Add just a touch more speed and she’ll slip under the surface, swimming with a unique rolling action and a foil gill plate flash that’s hard for fish to ignore.

Surface or sub-surface, how would you roll it? 

#Fishing #LureFishing #HandmadeLures #TimberLures #TopwaterLure #WakeBait #Crankbait #AustralianLures #FishingAustralia #BassFishing #YellowbellyFishing #MurrayCod #FishingLife #CustomLures #NutterjuckLures #FreshwaterFishing #CatchAndRelease #FishingGear #LureMaker #FishingAddict #FishingCommunity #TackleTalk #LureAction #FishOn #SlowRoll #SurfaceStrike

Packaging tweak

 

As part of bringing this long-resting blog back to life, I’ve also taken the opportunity to update and refine some of the Nutterjuck Lures packaging, especially for our smaller Bass lures. Since 2016, a lot has evolved in the world of handmade fishing lures, and it felt like the perfect time to refresh the look while staying true to the simple, minimalist style that has always defined our timber lures.

You’ll also notice a major change for the first time, our small Bass lures: they now come with hooks. From day one, these lures were intentionally sold without hooks, based on the idea that hooks are a personal choice, brand, gauge, style, barb or barbless, everyone has their preference. But over the years, it became clear that many of these custom lures were never actually making it onto the water.

At their core, these lures are designed to be fished. They’re crafted to swim, to be tested, to chase Australian Bass, and ultimately to help create stories worth sharing. If adding hooks encourages more anglers to tie them on and put them to work, then that small change is absolutely a win.

For me, the real magic of handmade timber lures lies in the stories they gather, the scratches, the hook rash, the memories attached to each fish. Seeing these lures out there doing what they were built to do is the heart and soul of Nutterjuck.

With the blog fired back up and new content on the way, this update marks another step forward in keeping the craft alive, sharing the journey, and connecting with fellow anglers who appreciate high-quality fishing lures Australia can rely on.

Tags:
#TimberLures #HandmadeFishingLures #BassLures #AustralianBass #CustomLures #LureMaking #FishingAustralia #MinimalistDesign #FishingGear #BassFishing #FreshwaterFishing #NutterjuckLures #LureDesign #SmallLures #HandcraftedFishingGear

Blog Is Back

 

It’s been a long time coming, but this blog is back! The last post was way back in 2016, and a lot has changed since then, not just in the world of timber lures and handmade fishing lures, but in the way we share and source information as anglers. Back in 2016, forums were fading, and social media was really taking over the conversation. YouTube has gone through several cycles too, from short clips to long production videos, back to shorts, and now a mix of both. New platforms have emerged, and the way anglers connect and share insights is constantly evolving.

Through all these changes, one thing has remained the same: timber lures are still timber. The styles may have shifted slightly over the years, but at their core, they remain functional, handcrafted fishing lures designed to catch. The biggest evolution since my last post has been the rise of big baits, oversized lures like swimbaits and wakebaits are now being used more frequently, with some exceeding 300mm for targeting Bass and Flathead.

My goal with reviving this blog is to create a reliable record of handmade lures, design updates, and the testing that goes into producing effective custom lures. Looking ahead to 2026, I’m aiming for regular monthly updates to share insights, fishing stories, and behind-the-scenes looks at timber lure making and lure design.

So, if you’re an angler who appreciates handcrafted fishing gear, make sure to keep this blog in your favorites. Unlike social media, it’s a space where you can easily find past insights, historical lure designs, and the evolution of ideas in one place. Welcome back to the world of timber lures!

Tags:
#TimberLures #HandmadeFishingLures #CustomLures #LureMaking #FishingAustralia #BassFishing #FlatheadFishing #BigBaits #Swimbaits #Wakebaits #LureDesign #HandcraftedFishingGear #AnglerBlog #FishingUpdates #BassLures