Lure Hub OZ - W

Australian Lure Manufacturers W

If you know of an Australian lure maker no matter how young or old that we have not mentioned in the following list feel free to contact us to have the details added or updated. 

*Cover banner photo is an early timber Whitty's Dee Bob in rainbow trout 

W. Carter and Sons - VIC:

Little information for this company however it seems that W. Carter and Sons manufactured the 'Tru Life' Minnow. The address on the back of the card is Glenhuntley , Victoria with old phone card c.1950's, There was a range of other lure models available as the Tru Life packets shows up regularly on Ebay each year.

Wachtel, Max Wachtel  Lures - S.A; 

Max Wachtel was a legendary Murray Cod fisherman from South Australia and this is a lure that came up for sale on Ebay in 2017. Dated to 1968 this lure is a handmade Max Wachtel Cod Spinner.

Walkabout Jack Lures - QLD; 

Made by Matthew Bradford on the Gold coast, these lures have been around for a few years. They were originally made in timber before being moulded. The Walkabout 'Stumpy' is an interestingly shaped lure that resembles a map of Australia and is shown right on the card c. 2010. Unsure if they are still available in 2017.

A fine Walure display including minnows (both broken back and straight body versions) and other lures either painted or made by Tony Holan. The spoons at bottom of display were made by Wigstons, the maker of the Tasmanian Devil.

Warby, Larry Warby Lures:

Larry Warby is attributed as being the pioneer of the metal lure named the 'Half by Quarter' - the dimensions of the metal bar being 1/2 inch by 1/4 inch. The example shown here is an original stamped Warby Lure

The lures shown below were made by Eric for the Lure Expo 2017 and show a good sense of humour as well as an individual style and skill in shaping timber. Eric was involved in forestry since his teens and has a deep knowledge of timber and timber-craft

Ward, Jeff Ward Lures - NSW:

Jeff Ward made some excellent timber lures and is a great experimenter when it came to lure design. Lures shown are all timber and were made in northern NSW. Only ever made in small numbers for personal use and friends.

Water Stalker Lures - NSW ;

Water Stalker Lures are made by Peter Dunlop, who is a cabinetmaker from Inverell. Lures are recently made c.2013/14 when Peter starting making lures. Shown bottom is a model called 'Jekyl' on the card . Still available in 2017 and a high quality product.

Wax's Lures - NSW;

Wax's Lures are made by Roland Davis who was originally inspired to make timber lures after purchasing a Travers Powell Lures kit.

Weavers Lures - VIC;

'Weavers Lures are made in Murray Bridge and were started in 2008 with an aim to build strong, quality lures to handle any size native fish. Lures are in sizes, weights, combinations and colours that are suitable in all areas across the Murray/Darling basin and beyond. They are built extra tough to handle our natives and be thrown all day at all types of structures. The best possible quality blades and components are used on Weavers spinnerbaits, heads are powder painted and all lures are shaped, poured, sanded, painted and assembled with help from the Weaver family.'

Wee Willy Lures - VIC:

Wee Willy Lures are a timber lure that are made in Shepparton, Victoria. 

Wegerif, Ron Wegerif Lures - NSW:

Ron Wegerif was an avid rock angler who made his own lures and was acknowledged in a small publication entitled 'Rock Fishing Secrets and Ocean Safety' which is quoted as follows; 

"This book is dedicated to the memory of the late Ron Wegerif from Terrigal, NSW (1928 - 89). Ron was an extremely well known and respected angler, with a wealth of knowledge and experience gained over fifty, incident-free years of rock fishing on the Central Coast.

Everyone respected Ron. He was a true gentleman who always took time to say 'G'Day Mister', before sharing a fishing story or safety tip with anyone who asked advice. A perfectionist craftsman, he made hundreds of rods, floats and lures for his many friends, always refusing to accept any payment for his time and effort. Ron enjoyed solving problems simply, by improvising. He made his own hook extractors for blackfish, by cutting a fine slit into the eyelet of an old toothbrush, and was the first angler I know of, to add home made metal sprigs to the soles of plastic sandals, to provide grip on slippery rock surfaces. He pioneered the sport of high speed spinning with tiny lures for frigate mackerel at Terrigal Haven after fluking his first Frigate on a piece of green weed being retrieved quickly below a blackfish float on four pound (2kg) line. . . . 

A fit and active angler to the end, he died soon after a heart attack. I know I speak for all of the many people who knew him when I say 'Thanks for the good times and advice. Rest in peace, Ron"

Welch, Bert Welch Lures - NSW:

Bert Welch from Mallanganee was making timber lures from the 1960's through till the 1980's. Unfortunately due to arthritis Bert is unable to make lures. In 2018 he was 90 years old and has made many lures in his lifetime.

Whiptail Lures : 

Whiptail Lures are made by Wade Garland and have emerged on the scene in 2017 with a small range of handcrafted timber lures utilising simple but effective colour finishes. Images taken from Facebook page. More information coming soon.

The lures below were offered for sale in 2017.

Whiptail Lures released a jointed surface paddler called the 'Wake n Bacon' in early 2018

White, Lionel White Lures - QLD;

Lionel White is an inspirational lure maker who has been making lures for over 35 years. He used to make 200 lures per week in the 1980's, shaping 4 days a week and then testing and fishing on the other days. Lionel White lures have the look of the typical QLD minnow style as epitomized by Eric Moller and other historic QLD makers. His lures will often have the painted 'chevrons' down each side of the lure and most will be signed.

Whithead, Phil Whitehead Lures: 

Phil Whitehead has been making good quality timber lures for many years which have a close resemblance to Killalure minnows although they are easy to tell apart. The finish and colour patterns are different to the early Killalure range.

Whitmore Lures - NSW: 

Ray Whitmore made some classic wooden lures. Whitmore Lures forged a reputation as excellent fish catchers with the classic 'Whitmore Cray' pattern which competed with the early Deception lures made by Paul Kneller. There was also the Whitmore 'Barra' and the 'Mega Boomer'. See full page bio at Whitmore Lures whitmore.php

Whittys Lures - NSW : 

Whittys Lures were made by John Whitfield of Glen Innes, NSW and are hand crafted from timber - they have forged a reputation as great native fish catchers. Models include the 'Wompa', 'Seeker' and 'Dee-Bob'. See full page bio under Whittys whittys.php

Whyte, Rodney Whyte Lures (R.S Lures) - QLD:  

A hobbyist maker who made a small amount of lures for personal use. Based in Townsville. The signing of the lure was explained by Rodney  - "I call them rats shit . . . if they dont catch anything I'm rats shit hence the initials RS"

Wiggler - Woggler Minnow Baits: 

Wiggler- Woggler Minnow Baits were advertised by Mick Simmons in their 1936 catalogue under the 'Special Lures' section of their annual Surecatch catalogue that focused on angling products. Unsure if they were imported or were a locally manufactured copy of American models that were made in Australia. The Rush Tango Minnow was a lure design that hit the market around 1920 and continued production until the war years.

Wigo Lures are aimed at targeting Australian native fish such as freshwater bass and saltwater estuary species. Some impressive yabby imitations have been created so far suited to a wide range of applications. Lures are signed on belly

Wild River Lures - QLD:  

John Collett is the man behind Wild River Lures and was a keen angler. John started  making a few lures for himself and  friends in 1977 and started to sell his lures to tackle shops in 1980. He used a modified copy lathe that was made by Jeff Reid but set up a little differently by John so as to fully utilise the shapes and sizes of his lures. John then set about making a bib punch and concaver and then a custom wire twister to go with his customised triple head drill press.

John is a firm believer in making things easy because he has only one arm. In the early days he used to cut out the timber around an alloy template and then sand it down on a large  open cut white stone wheel. He then hand sanded the rest. He now uses the copy lathe.

All eyelets are stainless steel and bibs are alloy. The paint finish is achieved by using acrylic paint with an airbrush. His very first lures were Red Cedar, then White Beech, then Western Red Cedar and finally he used old Pine. If his lures have a "H" written under them these were his first commercial ones with the 'H' standing for Herberton. If you find one of his lures with no writing underneath it is his earliest. If his lures have 'WR' underneath then they are his later ones with 'WR' standing for Wild River. The numbers underneath his lures are for colour coding charts.

Wild Thing Lures - NSW:

Wild Thing Lures were made by Brett Coombes and Gary Hoban from Wilberforce around 1998/99. From 1999 the Wild Thing range and replicating machines were sold to East Coast Lures and Ian Stimpson. The Wild Thing logo is a razorback hog. Several models were made including a couple of different sized fizzers and bibbed diving  models.

A review about Wild Thing Lures and Ian Stimpson c.1997

Williams, Henry Williams Lures - NSW :

Williams Lures have been marketed recently (2017) via Ebay and models include a  moulded Flopy imitation as well as a larger minnow style lure. Made in Murwillumbah, NSW. Lures will be signed on the belly as shown.

Press Release 20th November 2012;

Willo, a brand of Australian cottage-industry lures loved by fishermen all around the country in the late 90's - are finally making a comeback after more than a 10 year absence. Peter Wilson, co-founder of the original Willo brand has teamed up with French company ‘Delalande’ to re-launch the Willo brand with a range of exceptionally high quality lures. The lures, designed in France are innovative and the last three months of testing have proven their effectiveness in Australian waters. The modern range focuses on soft plastics as opposed to hard body lures.

Wilson Fishing Tackle:

Wilson Fishing Tackle is an iconic Australian company that is still active in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of a wide range of fishing tackle including lures in 2018. An active sponsor of angling shows such as Hook Line and Sinker. 

WK Lures, Werner Kossman Lures - NSW:

Werner Kossman was a real character, an inventive genius as well as a being an extremely keen angler holding many Australian and World records. A true Aussie angling legend. Kossman  made the WK Bristle (a straight troller or rock-spinner) in several sizes, and several sizes of the 'Arrow' and 'Action' which were metal high speed spinners. The bristles were unconventional at the time and caused a bit of a stir when released but worked! He died in January 2006 aged 84 years.

Wm. Southam Pty Ltd - NSW: 

Wm. Southam 'Bellbrook' range of lures were made in northern Sydney, NSW by William (Bill) Southam. The company started in 1932 with Bill being an in demand rod builder (early rods made by Bill are highly valued). Bill Southam was making rods by 1936 and Zane Gray praised them in his 1937 book 'An American Angler in Australia' which documented his visit to Bermagui, Batemans Bay, Sydney and Queensland. Zane Grey caught a 1036lb shark using a Bill Southam rod in 1936. See full page bio under Wm. Southam.

Wonder Lures - VIC: 

Wonder Lures has been around since the 1960s and was started by John Nowack (snr), a US serviceman who married a local girl and settled in Melbourne after the war. Wonder Fishing Tackle Company were situated in East Brighton, Melbourne. The Nowack family still makes metal lures, now on the Gold Coast under the Javelin Lure Co. brand. See Wonder lures full page bio

Woof Lures - VIC:

A recent addition to the Australian lure making scene making larger timber lures for Murray Cod. Made by Stephen Baynes in Doreen.

Wright, Craig Wright Lures - NSW: 

Craig Wright is a hobbyist lure maker from Casino on the north coast of NSW. Lures are timber and only made in small numbers.

Wynns Lures - NSW: 

Wynns Lures are made by Ray and Gaye Wynn from Glen Innes in NSW. Lures are mainly aimed at catching Murray Cod and are shaped from timber. There are a range of diving and surface lures but only ever made in small numbers.