Shane Murphy/Viper Lures Bio |
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matt fraser
Stall Holder Barambah Lures Joined: 12 Jan 2010 Location: Rochedale South Status: Offline Points: 1047 |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2015 at 12:29am |
Shane Murphy was born and raised in Tenterfield, NSW. Home of many a great lure maker. He lived there for all his school years. It wasn't until the mid 70s that he left town to persue an apprenticeship as a Diesel Fitter with BHP in Newcastle. Shane finished his apprenticeship, and in 1980 he moved to Queensland where he got a job with Hastings Deerings , Caterpillar. He worked all around Queensland for three years until September 1983, when he married his wife Susan, and settled down in Alexandra hills, on the bayside of Brisbane. Shane always kept close ties with family at Tenterfield, and returned home often to visit family and fish the local waterways. He did a lot of fishing in Northern NSW and Southern QLD, places like Tenterfield Creek, Mole River, and Dumereq River, and Glenlyon Dam, were at the top of his list. He began carving a few of his own lures in 1984/85, and was encouraged by his brother-in-law, Brett Campbell, who really helped him out in the early days. Shane sold his first lure at Ronny Ross's Barber Shop in Tenterfield in 1986, it was about 5 inches long and called simply a 'Murphy Lure'. This lure was followed by the Platypus later in 1986. His lure making was only done in his spare time, and numbers were limited, but they were selling well. Very Early 'Murphy Lure' and Platypus
The Viper
Shane continued to work on designs, actions, and paint jobs, and by 1988 he designed a distinctive 4" and 5" lure he named the Viper. With great looks, action and fish catching ability, the Vipers quickly grew in popularity. Subsequently a 3" version was released the following year, quickly followed by a 2" Version. The photos below show a very early 5" Viper on top, an below it a later more sleek and curved Viper
3", 4" and 5" Vipers in Scale Pattern
Note the signed Viper Belly and Shane's signature and year at the tail.
5", 4", 3" & 2" in distinctive Viper Paintjobs
Shane also made a Logrunner and a Grunter Model in around 1991, which sold in fairly limited numbers.
Grunter and Log Runner Models from '91
Turning Full Time Lure Maker By 1992 Shane decided to concentrate on the lures full time, and finished up with Hastings Deerings. Working from his workshop under his house in Alexander Hills. Initially his sales were predominantly in Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales, but as they became popular he started supplying stores like the Complete Angler in Sydney and Melbourne, and stores all over the country, as far away as South Australia. Here is an article from Bush N Beach, August 1992
Timber Lure Production Shane has used Western red cedar, white cedar and Jelutong Timber for his lures. In the early days of full production, before buying his own bandsaw, Shane would go to a workshop at Coopers Plains, called Wood-N-U and hire a bandsaw to cut out all the bodies. Back in his workshop, he would mark them out, and carve the bodies, before sanding, and drilling. Painting was done with 2 pack automotive paints, and his finishes were always high quality and durable. His lure plans were hand drawn, simple - yet detailed and effective, and he still has all the original plans.
Viper Plans and Blanks
2" Viper Resize Plans
Shane did every step of the process himself, with a lot of help from his wife Susan, who did a lot of the hooking and packaging. It was extremely labour intensive work, and at times, they were producing up to 500 lures a month. Working very long hours to fill orders.
The Viper Spray Booth
Eye Application tools - note the chamfered ends
Viper Painting Templates, Mesh, and Hinged Framed Templates
The Legendary Viper V Tongue Templates
Sometime around 93/94 the Vipers were first converted to lexan bibs and then later resized to a wider and deeper body.
The Progressive stages of the 2" Timber Viper
The Progressive Stages of the timber 3" Viper
Mr Murphy at his workbench under his Alexandra Hills home 1996
Going Plastic
In 1996, with impoundment bass and yellow belly fishing booming in South East Queensland, Shane decided to go to injection molding with his 2" Viper. These were made by Alan Dolan at Lively Lures, and after a few years he moved to Strike Zone. The 3" Model was also done in urethane, but proved far less successful than the 2". Viper 2" Timber on top, and Urethane below.
3" Viper Urethanes by Strike Zone
Shane continued making his Vipers until 2001, when a combination of factors made the business unviable. The quality of work from Strike zone, along with a downturn in sales, due to the boom in soft plastics. Shane shut up shop and took up the tools again Diesel Fitting. Shane believes he produced around 15 000 timber lures, and around 15 000 to 20 000 plastic lures during his time. Voodoo Lures and the North Brisbane Sportfishing Club
Shane was active in ANSA and heavily involved with the North Brisbane Sportfishing Club, through the nineties. When the club president, Brian Harvey was looking for fundraising ideas in 1996, they came up with the idea of making a lure they could sell. Shane gladly took on the job of designing the lure and working out the various features in manufacturing. The lure was named the Voodoo. and turned out to be a great success for the club. Shane put a lot of time and effort into getting it up and running, and often did the lion's share of work required in the painting, hooking and packaging. Although he was paid for some of the work he did, he never took any commission for the design of the lure. When the club folded in around 2004, the Voodoo lure disappeared along with many of the era. But has recently been put back into production with Luc Van Openbosch managing the production and sales. The Voodoo lure - a special colour done for the NBSFC Comp 2001
During his time with the North Brisbane Sportfishing Club, Shane was very heavily involved in the organisation and running of the South East Queensland Catch and Release Competition. The first event was held at Somerset in 1995 or 96. This was a premier lure fishing event for several years. Other Shapes and Designs Like all lure makers, over the years Shane has worked on dozens of shapes from flathead lures, to barra lures and even some poppers and other topwater lures. Although none of these have gone into production, he gave a lot to ANSA mates to fish, and they have been very successful lures. Shane Murphy Spitter Poppers
2015
Shane Murphy at his workbench, carving a blank, and looking over lure plans, Jan 2015
Currently, Shane is still living at the same house in Alexandra Hills, and is on and off the tools as a diesel fitter. He is always dabbling with lures. He likes to muck around with various timbers also, and has done some great nudes recently. Nude Viper 2014
Shane still does a lot of fishing locally in the Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams, and has done quite a few trips up North with Fysshe at Taylors Beach. He also likes to get back to Tenterfield a couple of times a year, and fish his home waters. Shane has a varied range of saltwater lures that have never hit the market place , again they fell into the hands of ANSA mates for scrutiny and R&D purposes, and caught plenty of fish. At present he is involved in sharing ideas with Lure Lover's members for salt and freshwater applications. Some models are quite small and others are like small trees which have been trialled for Murray Cod in NE Victoria, and some of the designs are unique and out of the box thinking. He regularly catches up with Ian Salmon of Fysshe Lures fame, Ollie from Stingray lures, and Steiny of Creak Freak lures for a bit of fishing or sharing lure making ideas.
Preserving the History Shane has a strong connection with his lure making background, and to other pioneer Australian lure makers of his era from around the Country. He has a desire to share his knowledge with the younger up-and-coming makers so that the 'ART' of handmade lures can continue into the future, for the generations to come. Shane is working on a display of the History of Viper Lures for the 2015 Lure Expo. He is a big fan of the Expo and what it has done for the Australian lure making trade of the past and present. He is keen to preserve the history of Australian Lure Making, so that in the future, people can know where all this evolved from, and who the people were that pioneered this craft. He believes in looking after the documentation and first hand evidence of the lures - and how they are made needs to be of top priority. He hopes that a secure place is set up to house the wares of various lure makers, where generations can come and see these lures displayed along with documentation of the lives and times of the lure craftsmen . By Matt Fraser
January 2015 |
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SNAFU
Stall Holder RIPP-N LURES Joined: 25 Sep 2011 Location: Maclean N.S.W Status: Offline Points: 2561 |
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That was a great read there Matt...Well written and put together mate...Shane makes a great lure and i have always loved his Vipers.....Well Done
Mick!!! |
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unicorn
Unverified New Member Joined: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Kununurra Status: Offline Points: 62 |
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thanks for sharing this , very interesting
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Lofty
Stall Holder Esoteric Lures Joined: 06 Oct 2010 Location: Jerseyville Status: Offline Points: 1521 |
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Good read
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Esoteric lures "For The Select Few"
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Powelly
Stall Holder Powell Lures Joined: 16 Feb 2010 Location: Port Macquarie Status: Offline Points: 2196 |
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Well done, Matt. That'a a good read and plenty of great photos.
Cheers Travers
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micknq
LureLovers.com Fanatic Joined: 28 Dec 2011 Location: Townsville Status: Offline Points: 2097 |
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Great read there fella's, appreciate the time both of you put into it
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Darby
Stall Holder Fishaholic Lures Joined: 29 Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane Status: Offline Points: 7477 |
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Matt, well done mate. A good read and sure to fill in some gaps in the timelines for some.I have mentioned he should do a bio for the site, but being the quiet acheiver he is, I guess he was reluctant to toot his own trumpet.....I am glad he succumed to your charms.
Over those many years of Vipers, Shane and I have crossed paths, even without us really knowing it, passing at various fishing events, the Strike Zone era when I was in the repping business etc. These days I am glad for the mentoring he has given me and now regard him as a friend as well. |
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"If you are going to have fun with your rod.. get some wood
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whipit
Senior Member Joined: 27 Oct 2012 Location: Tweed Heads Status: Offline Points: 598 |
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Thanks for the time and effort getting this together. Always good to read the history of makers.
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whipit
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fletch
LureLovers.com Fanatic Kuttafurra Lures Joined: 13 Nov 2010 Location: Bundalong Status: Offline Points: 2967 |
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Great read .. awesome lures from a top bloke aswell ..... cheers aaron
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handbrake
LureLovers.com Fanatic Joined: 20 Jul 2011 Location: Glenlyon Dam Status: Offline Points: 2387 |
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Well done Matt and Shane. Love the photos and the history. Debbie D
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justlooking
Senior Member Joined: 26 May 2010 Location: S/E Queensland Status: Offline Points: 694 |
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Story and pics take time and you've done a Great job Matt,
Well done !! Love the Viper lures and Shane is a good guy ! Cheers !!!! |
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Go early - Stay late.
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CaptainCranky
LureLovers.com Guide Beta Tester Joined: 12 Nov 2009 Location: Cairns Status: Offline Points: 7141 |
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Great work there Matt and thankyou Shane for digging up all the historical stuff.
Considering the amount of Metal Bibbed Lures Shane made it is hard to imagine why they are so hard to come by. Maybe the answer is like all good lures back then they were used and lost which testifies as to their great fish attracting abilities. I for one certainly have a soft spot for Shane's lures and appreciate the time and effort into making them. Well done to both of you and let's see some more Bio's coming in from other members who have a friendship with some of our makers. |
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The Journey is the Reward
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seagull
Senior Member Joined: 31 Dec 2011 Location: Esperance WA Status: Offline Points: 746 |
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Great read Matt good to see people getting out there and doing these stories on lure makers.
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Tony
Admin Admin Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Location: Hervey Bay, QLD Status: Offline Points: 6012 |
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Thank you Matt and Shane.
There's so much info to take in I'll be sure to come back and read it again! |
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Cheers, Tony
For the love of Fishing Lures. |
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bignanny
Stall Holder CAM Lures Joined: 18 Oct 2011 Location: North Qld Status: Offline Points: 1869 |
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That's one of the best reads Matt, well done.
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Fysshe Salmon
LureLovers.com Fanatic Fysshe Lures Joined: 04 Jan 2011 Location: Taylors Beach Status: Offline Points: 2746 |
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Great bio Matt!! Shane is due up soon and I have some new spots for him to try out his new creations...
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Fysshe
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brendan t
Senior Member Joined: 06 Jun 2013 Location: bendigo Status: Offline Points: 413 |
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Well done good to see stories behind the lure
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brendan t
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saito
LureLovers.com Fanatic Joined: 03 May 2012 Location: Sydney Status: Offline Points: 1452 |
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Thank you Matt for a great read.
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Cheers
James ~Love my Bass fishing~ |
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Mcleod
Stall Holder Macquarie Customs Joined: 30 Jul 2010 Location: Newcastle Status: Offline Points: 900 |
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Thanks for that Matt, great read and pics. Have spoke with Shane a couple times on the phone, nice fella and very helpful, look forward to meeting him one day.
Angus
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lead lure
LureLovers.com Fanatic Joined: 09 Mar 2014 Location: Goondiwindi Status: Offline Points: 1267 |
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Thanks Matt and Shane
Well done Matt |
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bassnbob
Stall Holder B.O.B Timber Lures Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Location: Charlestown Status: Offline Points: 9390 |
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AWESOME STUFF regards bob
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Aussbasstony
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Well put together Matt !
Thanks for the effort . |
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ringo
Unverified New Member Joined: 23 Sep 2011 Location: North Qld Status: Offline Points: 379 |
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Well written Matt. A very interesting read about a legendary lure and lure maker. They are beautiful, unique looking lures that catch fish. |
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matt fraser
Stall Holder Barambah Lures Joined: 12 Jan 2010 Location: Rochedale South Status: Offline Points: 1047 |
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It was a pleasure to put this together, and Shane was very keen to share the info with Lure Lover's members. I have know Shane since I was in the North Brisbane Club with him in the 90s, it was a great time, and I remember working with him and Brian on the first two Catch and Release comps at Somerset, these were big events. But we lost touch for many years until recently catching up again through this Forum. I have learnt so much from the members here, its nice to be able to make a decent contribution back.
I have only recently started looking to collect Shane's lures, as I only had a few of my own. They are hard to find. Barry, I think the metal bibs are particularly hard to find as Shane only made limited number in his spare time until he went fulltime in '92, Then he only made them for a year or two before he went to Lexan, and concentrated on the smaller 2 and 3". So I believe the numbers aren't big on the metal bibs.
Thanks to Shane for his time and knowledge and passing on so much valuable information.
Cheers,
Matt
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Nativeman
LureLovers.com Fanatic Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Location: The Switch Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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Love it...Love Shanes lures, love the history and the evolution of the body shapes. I need to check mine. Looks like I may have some more competition when I'm buying in the future, all good.
Funny I had no Vipers when I started collecting, now after some finds I have over 30, they are all beautiful and as mentioned very unique...
Love your Lures Shane,,,and Thanks for those 6 Lures that started me off.
Thanks to Matt as well,,,Strange we were talking about Shaynes lures last night and you had this under your wing...Nice One
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horrorhead
LureLovers.com Fanatic LureLover of the Year 2020 Joined: 14 Jun 2011 Location: Cooktown qld Status: Offline Points: 14008 |
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Great read thanks Matt and Shane
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Martin-
you don't havta be pretty to fish |
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Screamingreel
LureLovers.com Fanatic Joined: 19 Oct 2010 Location: Adaminaby, NSW Status: Offline Points: 6127 |
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Very well done Matt and Thanks.
Regards john
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steiny
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Well done Matt. This would have taken a lot of work to put together. Fantastic historical reference for the future. This is a great tribute to a talented and respected lure maker who has achieved a lot. As Matt said, Shane freely helps people and his genuine love of lures and passion for fishing shines through. I certainly appreciate all the advice he has given me. Looking forward to the next catch up Shane.
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cheers steiny
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jebe
Senior Member Joined: 20 Aug 2012 Location: Ballarat Status: Offline Points: 212 |
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WoW Matt thank you, I think Ive read it four times over
Love reading about the guys I look up to Cheers Justin |
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bullrout22
LureLovers.com Fanatic Joined: 01 Dec 2009 Location: Lake Macquarie Status: Offline Points: 1076 |
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Matt
A great read about Shane and his lures they are awsome And looking forward to having another chat with Shane hopefully at the next Expo |
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Dave Lake Macquarie N.S.W
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puglee62
Stall Holder Fugly Lures Joined: 03 Feb 2010 Location: ipswich Status: Offline Points: 7937 |
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Well done Matt what a great read ,I cant wait to see Shanes display at the expo.Shane you are a legend buddy
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that's no how ye make porridge!
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Cod Classic
Senior Member Joined: 26 Jun 2014 Location: Lake Mulwala Status: Online Points: 519 |
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Matt
Brilliant work, well put together. Cheers TB
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camo83
Member Joined: 03 Aug 2014 Location: Bathurst Status: Offline Points: 23 |
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A great read and very well put together. Well done Matt.
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Mr Viper
LureLovers.com Fanatic Viper Lures (Still Young) Joined: 23 Dec 2010 Location: BaysideBrisbane Status: Offline Points: 1990 |
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Matt, truly a nicely put together article on some facts and figures . A lot went on in between the lines and it's hard to recollect exact time lines but I hope the viewing public get something out of what you have put together. As Matt said I believe its time we all got together our backgrounds and history and stored it appropriately for the generations to come to view and explore the Art of lure making as it was in the 20th century , our up and coming younger makers should be encouraged to come and learn, and information shared unreservedly with them from the makers of today to progress the skills involved , again thanks for twisting my arm Matt you've done a good job.
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Fishing ??? Lets do it !!!!!!!!!!
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Steve B
Senior Member Joined: 27 Jan 2014 Location: Darwin Status: Offline Points: 747 |
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This is a very good piece a shining example for all, I've very much enjoyed it. Not wanting to highjack this thread, however I'd like to see similar posts on the likes of Richard Lee, Terry Leadbetter and Carl Grist. I really like the timeline of lures in this thread, it's enthalling
Cheers Steve |
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