Several years ago I met Raymond Parry from Obsession Spinnerbaits at the Australian Lure Expo in Ipswich. He’s a down to earth Aussie lure maker, designing lures to catch Australian native fish. Initially, the main focus of his spinnerbaits was targeting Murray cod and golden perch, and with my love of using spinnerbaits I promptly tested a few for the magazines. You can check out that review at www.tacklejunkie.fish.
At the time I realised that he did have a few styles that could crossover into the tackle box of someone looking to catch Australian bass. They were his Mini Single and Mini Twin Spin models, of which a few had to come home with me.
Fast forward two years and the Mini Single has become a part of my go-to bass fishing arsenal. I have also gotten to know Ray better, even fishing his home waters (Lake Mulwala) with him. During that two-year period he was always keen to create a range that had a bass focus, and the Bass Six Pack was born. In the range there are six bass-specific colours based around Raymond’s Mini Single model. The new spinnerbaits are available in three weights – 1/4oz, 1/2oz and 5/8oz – and are a single Colorado blade configuration. The six colours are GOAT, WB, DONC, GM, BG and PBJ.
A combination of robust and finesse
Spinnerbaits for bass in Australia have come a long way. Gone are the days where large profile, clunky lures were good enough. Bass anglers now demand smaller profiles with quality components. From the instant that the spinnerbait hits the water, we want it to work to our advantage.
The spinnerbaits in the Obsession bass series fall somewhere in the middle of finesse and robust. The use of a single Colorado blade reduces the footprint of the lure while maximising the flash and vibration. The wire and even the hook are on the heavier side, while the skirt quality and style is finesse orientated.
This combination is the key to the effectiveness of these spinnerbaits. They work well as soon as they hit the water, they will deal with a lot of abuse, and most importantly they have consistently caught fish for me on many different waterways and in many different situations.
The colours
Although the colour range isn’t huge, this may well be a blessing in disguise. The six colours are a good mixture of baitfish and natural colours, and the head colours are also cleverly matched to the skirts, with some having highlights that extend into the skirt colour. There is no questioning the bass appeal of the colours available.
On the water
I have been using the GM, WB, GOAT and PBJ colours for more than 12 months now. I have always fished natural colours, so GOAT and PBJ naturally appealed to me. However, the baitfish profiles of WB and GM quickly became favorites of mine in waterways like Somerset Dam and Wivenhoe here in Southeast Queensland, as they contain large populations of bony bream.
More recently I have tested the BG (black and gold) and DONC colours. The surprise packet has been the DONC colour, which is a natural colour with a chartreuse highlight through it. It has quickly rivaled the GOAT as a favourite, and who doesn’t need a Donk (reference Crocodile Dundee).
We have uploaded a video which takes you through the colours and has some fishing action from my field testing. Alternatively, you can go to YouTube and search for ‘Obsession Spinnerbaits’.
Although I have been mainly targeting bass, and have caught bass on every colour, the Six Pack spinnerbaits have also accounted for a number of other species like golden perch, Mary river cod and southern saratoga. Due to the slightly more robust style of the lure, I have no doubt that they would deal with a Murray cod as well.
To view the full range, find your local stockist or place an order online, head to www.obsessionspinnerbaits.com. They are well worth checking out!
