3.7 Tarpon

I’ve been asked a number of times over the years about the little skiff I’m running, so here it is, the 3.7 Tarpon 

Specs, straight up:

3.7m

42kg

15hp

Fibreglass / Kevlar composite

These skiffs first popped up on the Australian boat market when I was much younger. They grabbed my attention straight away, even though at the time I didn’t really want a boat, I was more than content fishing the rocks. 

Years rolled by, four boats came and went, and then one popped up on Gumtree. Thirty years on, these things are hard to find in good condition, and of course this one was in Brisbane, some 900km away. But you do what you have to do. The next day we made the journey.

That was seven years ago now.

Since then, this little skiff has performed exactly as it should. Lightweight, flies with a 15hp, and floats in next to nothing over the flats. For tight water fishing, I still reckon it’s one of the best small-boat platforms going.

It’s not without its limits. Open water with chop, or the wake from a tug boat, will see water come over the bow. But pick your days and even a 15km run up a dam is doable and safe.

Over those seven years, plenty of things have come and gone. Gear sold, swapped, upgraded, always chasing something bigger, better, or simpler. Everything on this rig has come from Marketplace or swaps. Nothing is brand new, and that suits me just fine.

For a small fishing rig, she’s just right for my style of fishing.

Not everyone’s cup of tea — but no boat ever is. 

Cut Back Thumping Wake

 Small by nature, but big on presence. This cut-back wakebait design keeps everything clean and simple, while the thumping tail does the heavy lifting,  pushing water, sending out the right sonics, vibration, and surface disturbance to get noticed.

Built specifically for surface fishing, tuned for feel and feedback, and made to be fished slow, this is a lure that comes alive at minimal speed. No excess, no fluff,  just the fundamentals done right.

A simple wakebait, but far from subtle

Cut Back Rat

 Small by topwater rat bait standards, but still holding onto the key features that matter. This compact surface lure is designed to keep things minimal without giving up action.

Weighing in at just 15g, this lightweight topwater lure lands softly on the water, perfect for tight spots and spooky fish. Once it starts moving, though, it pushes water and creates a solid surface presence well beyond its size.

A simple lure design, but still big on surface action

Another Wake-Up Call

 Well,  the kind you want.

Another lure doing what it was built to do,  telling stories from the water. This time it was a message from Adam, which went something along the lines of:

“Finally got a chance to cast your lures around. Loved it,  and so did 20-odd Murray Cod”

220mm Wakebait with the added Thumper tail

That’s always a welcome wake-up call. Real fish, real rivers, and handmade timber lures doing their job exactly as intended. Whether it’s a wakebait or swimbait, there’s no better feedback than time spent on the water and fish willing to commit.

These moments are a reminder of why I keep building, tweaking, and testing custom cod lures,  not for the bench, but for days like that.

Stories like this never get old.

It would be rude not to

Following on from the cut-back wakebaits currently being built, it made sense to also put together a paddler-style surface lure. Same minimalist thinking, same focus on action and balance, just a different way of pushing water.

These two paddler prototypes wiggle and paddle every bit as well as their up-market cousins, proving once again that simple lure design still works when the fundamentals are right.

With new handmade timber lures, fresh ideas, and plenty of testing ahead, 2026 is already shaping up to look a lot better than last year.

Here’s to keeping it simple and chasing a more simple life