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Testimonials

Do you love catching fish?

these guys do....

What they are saying....

“Jerking the Prawnstar Shrimp simulates live Shrimp action, and it makes the difference with our shrimp fed sea-trout.”
Jim Pochurek (Lt Col USAF Retired...US Outdoor Writer)

Prawnstar Shrimp delivers instant action on for snook, sea trout, tarpon and red fish. Don’t go fishing without one”.
Chris Hunter (Fishing Guide)

“As a professional fishing guide, it is my job to make sure my clients catch fish. The prawnstar consistently produces fish. It is the first lure I generally tie on and it has produced many happy clients.
Jason Medcalf- Topwater Sportfishing Adventures

“Prawn Star is the most ingenious local lure design to come along since the Scorpion. It's the brain child of Andrew Fogarty, a biologist who's active in the breeding of barra and jacks. The things that most impressed me about the Prawn Star were the natural presentations it facilitates, superlative fish hooking and holding qualities and the extraordinary degree of snag-proofing inherent in the design. Needless to say I wouldn't contemplate going anywhere near barra & jacks without a few in my boat. The Prawn Star will rise to the top of the heap. This concept and the finished job is Australian ingenuity at its best. I hope they cream both local & export markets.
Rod Harrison- Recognised as one of Australia's Premier Sportsfishermen

“I’ve got a bucket full of lures at home that I never caught anything on. Since I’ve been using the prawnstar, I keep on catching fish. I’m so impressed, I went and bought 20 of them”. Paul Russo- Angler-NQ

“They are brilliant. I’ve had great success on them & more often than not, it is the only lure the fish were interested in, even though friends were casting minnow style lures to the exact same areas as me”. Justin Day- Fishing Writer

“Prawnstar Shrimp is the benchmark lure by which I judge all others” Garry Smith (Fishing & Boating writer)

So many fish can’t be wrong...

I wanted to see if our Florida flats fish (Snook, Redfish, Spotted Seatrout) were willing to hit an international, Australian offering. I fished with my good friend, Dr. Hal Morris, now retired like me. The grassy flats just a mile off my dock in Palm Harbor hold plenty of shrimp and bait fish, attracting the game fish. Buying and maintaining live shrimp and netting bait fish is less of a challenge and more expensive than fishing with artificials. Most of my fishing pals agree.

I just bought a new Key West flats boat with a 90 horse Yamaha, and invited Hal over for a trial run. With some cloud cover and an incoming tide,I hooked Hal up with a Medium Pink Fink, and I opted for the El Natural. We drifted in four to five foot water depth over some good turtle grass. We tried various colors. After about 15 minutes, I hooked up and landed a 20 inch seatrout. Immediate bragging rights! A few minutes later, over the same grass patch, Hal nailed a fish, and then five minutes later, netted a 23 inch keeper. We hit a few more to achieve our bag limit, and headed back in when the storm clouds threatened.

Jerking the Prawn Star simulates live shrimp action, and I think it makes the difference with our shrimp-fed seatrout. I hope you can make them available to our Florida fishermen. Jim Pochurek- Florida 2002

Scoring Big on Soft Plastics- Kim Bain- March 2003 Queensland Fishing Monthly
The Prawnstar is the latest must have item to be displayed on the trophy wall of every jack lair. This lure is rigged with two underbelly weights and two trebles, but you might prefer to upgrade to a chemically sharpened treble to give the lure extras pinning power. My preferred Prawnstar colour is the very natural and clear “Honey Pot”, but it depends on the water clarity. In dark water, one of the fluoro colours can be a better choice.

One way to fish the simple to use Prawnstar is to cast out to the snags- paying particular attention to fallen trees, shady spots, deeper holes and forks in submerged branches- and let the lure sink momentarily. The sink rate depends on the number of removeable weights in the Prawnstar. With two weights the lure sinks quickly, and with one weight removed , the lure has an eratic freefall that's perfect for midwater fish.

Once the lure is at the required depth, commence the retrieve with a few slow cranks of the reel handle, give the Prawnstar a flick with a gentle snap (lift) of the rod tip and pause. Repeat this technique until the lure is out of the strike zone. If the strike zoneis small and tight, after about two hops, retrieve the lure back to the boat and cast it in the snag again. It's important to fan casts along the bank, covering water and concentrating on fishy looking areas. To target fish holding deeper in the snag, you can let the Prawnstar sink right down and work it through the zone. Letting the lure sink amongst a tangle of submerged branches may sound crazy, but the Prawnstar is relatively snag proof for a treble rigged lure. This allows anglers to productively fish the cover where predators are waiting in ambush.

Often there are lots of underwater structures deep in the water column, like rock bars and timber. Local knowledge and use of a sounders helps paint the picture. To fish these structures, let the lure sink all the way to the bottom. Next, slowly retrieve the lure and stay in contact with it so that you can feel the lure ticking the bottom. You may get a hit at any time, so fish the lure all the way back to the boat and don't lose concentration. When the hit happens, it happens quickly! Once I was watching a fellow angler land a fish while my Prawnstar was wafting around beneath the boat. Unbeknown to me, the lure had enticed a big bruiser from the snags to come out and investigate. My rod doubled over, catching me by surprise, and the line sizzled from the reel. Unfortunately, that fish found its way back to the snags. Sometimes you can even let your Prawnstar lay on the bottom. Jacks will scoop up the lifelike lure, just like the real thing. Mangrove Jacks taken off the bottom often expel plenty of mud , indicating that they have scooped the lure up off the river bed.

If there is activity around mid-river and on/near the surface, you may match the behaviour of a a slowly swimming prawn by retrieving the lure back to the boat a foot or two below the surface. You can do this by just turning the reel handle at a cautious pace.

TEMPTING COLD WEATHER BARRA by Garry Smith QFM September 2002
Since arriving in Cairns, in mid 95, I have been trying to nail barra on a regular basis in the winter, with little success. In Townsville, where I lived for five years, I had put in the time and come up with two successful and relatively consistent methods of nailing cold weather barra.

Trolling the rock walls out the front of the harbour, on a calm sunny winter's morning, when everyone else was out chasing mackerel had certainly proven a winner. The other sure-fire method was to fish the deep-water snags, with live prawns, on a dropper rig. The secret to this method was spending the time (up to a couple of hours) searching the snags with a sounder, until one was located that showed barra. If they didn't bite in half an hour then it was time to move on. In the Cairns area, these two methods have not produced the goods for me, so I have been trying a gambit of tactics to nail barra with some consistency, in the few months of the year when Cairns' residents have to wear more than a T-shirt, and heaven forbid, shoes and socks to keep their toes warm.

Dave Powell, the barramundi World All Tackle Record holder and I decided to try our luck during a cold snap in late June. Dave reckoned they should be on the chew in the freshwater, as the moon and tides were not right for the saltwater. Just to add to the lack of ideal conditions, it was blowing 25 knots in open waters. The only thing in our favour was the sunny clear blue sky. Dave has a 12 foot barra punt, that he carts around on top of his Hi Lux, so it was just a matter of loading the boat, a couple of rods, the electric and battery and we were away.

The first location, in the freshwater reaches of the Russell/ Mulgrave River system, turned up a few sooties and a tarpon but no pink eyes, so we motored and walked the punt back up through the series of rapids we had shot, loaded the Tow Jo and headed for another hole. The water level was so low, due to the poor Wet, that holes that can normally be reached by boat from the tidal section were only accessible by land. Next stop was a deep bend, with a nice patch of weed beds upstream from the hole. The exact location of the hole is a secret, which I had to swear to keep, while sitting in the punt the middle of a croc infested stream, with Dave glaring into my eyes with laser intensity. The consequences of letting the secret slip are too chilling to contemplate! The first fifteen minutes were relatively fruitless, with the exception of Dave hooking one nice barra, which spat the hooks late in the fight. I had been working the hole with soft plastics, while Dave had been tossing small minnows, which had produced the goods on other occasions. After Dave dropped the barra I decided it was time to return to a tried and true PrawnStar lure. Since coming across these fantastic lures, at about the time they hit the market, my faith in them has reached fanatical proportions. I won't go lure tossing without them and have to force myself to remove them to test or try any other lure. It sure gives me a very solid benchmark by which to compare other lures.

Dave on the other hand was a definite skeptic. (Until after my first cast anyway!) He had given them a few tries without success and relegated them to the depths of his tackle box, where the huge majority of anglers' lure collections gather rust.

As we were in freshwater, I chose the PrawnStar Junior, as I figured it best matched the hatch. The weed beds had to be full of juvenile prawns and freshwater shrimp. (I can't wait until the PrawnStar Shrimp hits the market! I think it will lead to an absolute revolution in freshwater barra fishing.) First cast - I turned the handle, let it sink to the count of ten, gave it a sharp flick and I was on. Now Dave, being the true skeptic he is, was prepared to put the first barra down to luck, but a few casts later and he was on his knees begging the use of a Junior PrawnStar. I was tempted to be a real mongrel and let him suffer a bit longer, but his wife Barb makes the best home made cookies and I didn't want to get served up packet rubbish next time I visited, so I handed over a honey coloured PrawnStar Junior - the same as I was using. I think we would have done better with the El natural colour but we'll never know, as I didn't have any left. They had all been sacrificed to fish and the rock gods.

The reason for Dave's previous lack of success with PrawnStars soon became apparent. Just like in his single days, he had all the right equipment but the wrong technique. How Barb ever got hooked, I'll never know!

I have found the key to success with PrawnStars is what you do after you jerk the rod tip to make it flick. And YES they do "flick" in spite of what some say. The problem is it is too quick for the naked eye to see, but the evidence is there for the observant. If you have ever seen a live prawn flick and then swim away, you will observe the exact same action with a PrawnStar, when worked properly. The other bit of evidence comes when you use a blood knot, made with a lot of turns, to tie the lure to the leader. The tail will sometimes catch on the knot when it flicks. Just to help you along, Primal Fishing now have some super slow motion video footage of the lure flicking, on their website www.primalfishing.com . The action was so fast they had to go to 500 frames per second to capture it on film.

IT'S ALL ABOUT TECHNIQUE
Anyway back to the technique. Use a sharp jerk of the rod tip, (moving it about a metre) wind in a bit of slack, then slowly lower the tip back towards the lure, keeping slight tension on the line. Dave likens it to fishing for bream with no lead. You lower the lure slowly back down and strike the moment you feel a touch. The difference may seem slight but the affect on the sinking lure is significant. If the rod tip is brought back too far, and the line goes slack, the PrawnStar spirals as it sinks and is not as appealing to fish. If they do hit it spiraling on the drop, the slack in the line results in a lot of missed strikes. Keeping slight tension on the line makes the lure sink slowly in a horizontal position, just like a live prawn and barra in particular can't resist it. Once I demonstrated this technique to Dave, close to the boat in the crystal clear water, he was away and in a matter of one frantic session he became a true believer. So much so, that I went home minus every PrawnStar Junior in my tackle box, and I didn't lose a single one to fish. On that bright sunny afternoon Dave saw the light, as we landed eight barra. Incidentally all the barra hit the lure on the drop, with many hits coming more than five seconds after the last jerk.

EQUIPMENT As for line, I prefer braid, as I believe it gives better feel and was using a Shimano Calcutta 250 bait caster, with 30lb Penn ProPower braid, while Dave was using a Shimano Aerocast thread line with 15lb Penn S4. We were both using 30lb Penn 10x as leader. The score was four barra each. - Like many things in life, the technique was more important than the equipment. Just to prove a point, Dave returned the next afternoon with his wife Barb, and she landed four more barra, all on the honey coloured PrawnStar Junior. Dave used the large size PrawnStar and didn't even get a hit. - It also goes to show, that sometimes bigger isn't better!
Prawnstar- Gary Smith QFM February 2001

OCCASIONALLY a lure comes onto the market which captures the angler's imagination. This is certainly the case with the recently released Prawn Star lure from Primal Fishing. This incredibly life-like prawn lure is the brainchild of Innisfail angler Andrew Fogarty, who has spent 10 years in aquaculture. Working with his brother Michael and friend Paul Signitzer, Andrew set out to create a prawn lure which mimicked the natural thing as closely as possible. The Prawn Star has an uncanny likeness in appearance, texture, sound, and flicking action to the real McCoy. Like all great lures, it not only catches the fisherman but actually catches fish. It certainly showed its wares on a recent trip to Hinchinbrook Island. Seven anglers spent six days fishing Missionary Bay, and the Prawn Star lure was the outstanding casting lure of the trip. Any lure that can consistently nail fingermark in 20-30 feet of water has certainly got my attention! We were targeting fingermark in the deeper water, as it was the closed season for barra, but we still managed to accidentally hook a few pink eyes. The method of retrieve we employed has been termed 'flickjigging' by the crew at Primal Fishing, but I prefer to call it 'lazy man's luring'. It sure suits my style of fishing! The lure is cast up current and allowed to sink to the bottom. It is then retrieved with a series of short, sharp flicks; a small wind and then let it sink again. The strike invariably comes on the sink, immediately following the flicks. The adrenalin goes into overdrive when this relaxing form of luring is rudely interrupted by a rampaging fingermark, which doubles the rod over on the strike and nearly brings you to your knees on locked up braid. What a buzz! The Prawn Star comes with two removable lead weights which allow different sink rates depending on conditions. For fingermark we left both leads in to get down to the depth we were working. In shallower water of three to 10 feet, I removed one lead without any great reduction in casting distance but a considerable improvement in the natural look of the lure, while sinking. It tends to drift back to the bottom at a far more natural rate. With both leads removed the prawns can be skipped along the surface with an uncanny likeness to the real thing. The likes of queenies and salmon just wouldn't be able to resist this presentation. The key to the success of the Prawn Star lure is its flexible back, which allows it to flick through the water like a livey. Short, sharp jerks of the rod tip produce a flicking action so reminiscent of a prawn that I want to grab the thing and boil it up! It pays to spend some time with the lure in sight so that you can develop the best technique. Make sure your drag is properly set, as we have had a huge barra take a swipe at one right next to the boat. Currently the Prawn Star only comes in one size and in colours 'natural' and 'pink'. Primal Fishing is field-testing a smaller version, which is proving to be a real hit. This should be an absolute killer on southern species such as bream, flathead, yellowbelly and Australian bass. Prawns are the number one food source in the aquatic environment, so it comes as no surprise that over 40 species have been caught on the lure to date, with inventor Andrew Fogarty personally accounting for more than 30 species. The true test of any lure is in the field, and my fishing mate Rob Cannon best illustrates the enthusiasm the Prawn Star ignites in anglers. Rob rocked up to the Hinchinbrook trip with a Prawn Star in his tackle box after seeing it on a demonstration stand at a tackle store. He was immediately captivated by the lifelike action of the lure. During six days luring around Hinchinbrook, Rob experienced the Prawn Star's phenomenal fish catching ability and was hooked. I ran into Rob on the afternoon of our return to Cairns when he was restocking his tackle box for a further few weeks of fishing - this time on Thursday Island. Lucky bastard! Sitting on the counter, among his collection of terminal tackle, was a pile of Prawn Star lures. Trade inquiries can be made to Primal Fishing by phoning (07) 3882 0355 or emailing sales@primalfishing.com. Prawnstar- Gary Smith QFM July 2001

AFTER using the sensational Prawnstar lure by Primal Fishing steadily for six months, I thought it time to tell readers which techniques have been most productive for me. Fishing around structure has been the key to success, with rocks being my favourite. The biggest problems with luring around rocks are getting hung up, not being able to reach into those deep gutters, and getting tight in against the base of steep ledges. This is where the Prawnstar comes into its own. Being a sinking lure, the Prawnstar can be dropped into these holes and wiggled right on the fish's nose, with outstanding results. Sacrificing lures to the rock gods is also kept to a bearable level, as Prawnstars come off readily because of the flexing tail. Provided the line isn't pulled tight on the lure, nine times out of 10 the Prawnstar lure can be jiggled off if it does hang up on structure. If the line is pulled tight it tends to bury the hooks, making it harder to dislodge. During the time I have been using Prawnstars I have lost less of them to mother earth than I have conventional lures fished in the same places.

METHODS - TRIED AND TRUE
The methods I have found particularly successful have been anchoring up current and down current from structure, and luring over and along ledges from the bank. In all cases I use a simple method of counting down the lure until I think it is on the bottom. This process often starts with letting the first cast sink until the line goes slack, indicating it has settled on the bottom. This gives me the count needed after each cast to be sure it is down among the action. The Prawnstar is then given a single jerk of around one half to one metre, and then the rod tip is slowly lowered to keep light tension on the lure, as the strikes invariably come on the drop. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes a small amount of line is retrieved as the rod tip is lowered, at other times no line is wound in, and sometimes line is let out. After each jerk, the lure is counted down again for five to 20 seconds to be sure it is back on or near the bottom. In water over three metres deep, I leave both leads in the Prawnstar. Under three meters of water I remove one lead. This method has been successfully used in water up to 10 metres deep. I haven't tried anywhere deeper yet, but I think it would work if the current is light. If a particular structure allows anchoring on either side, I usually anchor up current if the current is strong, and down current if it is only gentle. If the current is strong the Prawnstar cannot be kept in the strike zone long enough when worked with the flow. When the run is slight, the water movement can be used to move the lure across the bottom, giving a more natural action to the lure. When anchored up current, the initial cast is made so that once the lure sinks it will be just off the structure. It is then lifted and the rod tip slowly lowered. Once it has settled on the bottom, after a few flicks, let off a metre or so of line and repeat the process. Don't let line off just after a lift, as that is the most likely strike time and a bunch of grapes or a blistered thumb will follow. This method gradually places the Prawnstar closer to the structure, right at the base. After 30 years of diving, I know that most predatory fish sit at the base of structure, on the up current side, waiting for prey to drift past. In a slight run, anchoring downstream of structure and working down the sides of a rock or straight over the top of it will bring home the bacon. The disadvantage of this method is that the fish initially have the upper hand if hooked on the far side of the obstacle, as it's an easy run to cover. Working down the sides, gradually getting closer to the cover with each cast, will hopefully draw them out and give you a sporting chance. When working with the flow, lift the lure with the same single jerk, or multiple little jerks if that takes your fancy. Super slowly, retrieve line as the Prawnstar sinks, to keep weight on the line. Use the same counting method as previously mentioned to ensure the lure is bouncing along the bottom. When working from the bank over a ledge which has the deep side away from you, it is necessary to make each count longer to get the lure on the bottom tight into the ledge. This is the hot-spot and Prawnstars have a big advantage over minnows in this situation because they can get over into that corner. The secret is longer counts the closer the lure gets to the ledge, otherwise it will lift and come up over the top, just like a minnow. The rod tip needs to be fished high, with a deliberate lift of the tip to move the lure each time. When the ledge is the same as in the previous example and there is a cross current, start with a cast wide and upstream and work the lure so it will be in tight to the ledge as it drifts past. This is the most challenging way to fish a ledge but it will produce surprising results, as the lure is worked across every little hidey-hole in the rock. When working a ledge which runs away from the angler and has the deep side down current, land the cast on top of the ledge and use a lifting action of the rod tip to make the lure move down current. Make each count longer as the Prawnstar sinks into deeper water (there is little or no need to retrieve line). Work the length of the ledge by positioning the cast further along the ledge each time.

LINE AND HOOKS
I have found line selection to be an important factor when using Prawnstars, with braid the only choice in my book. I use 20lb Pro Power braid for the estuaries and 50lb Pro Power when casting from rock headlands. The low stretch of braid gives a much better feel and higher hook-up rate. If you haven't made the jump to braid, then I'd recommend Penn 10X for its high abrasive resistance and low stretch. Prawnstars have the ability to accommodate interchangeable trebles and I have converted mine to VMC 3X Strong 9626PS Size 1. I have found this hook size ideal when chasing big barra off the headlands using 50lb braid, but it isn't really necessary when fishing the estuaries with 20lb braid. There are as many methods of working a Prawnstar as there are people controlling the rod, and hopefully these tips will bring you the success necessary to keep experimenting to come up with your own deadly repertoire.

Prawnstar Junior is here-Part 1- Jason Medcalf QFM MAy 2001
MOST keen lure fishermen have seen or heard about the new Prawnstar released late last year by the all-Australian Primal Fishing company. On my first trip with this lure, I caught five species in about four hours: mangrove jack; estuary cod; trevally; flathead; and Moses perch. All monstered the Prawnstar - some hooking up on the second and third strike. After that trip I called Andrew Fogarty, one of the designers of the lure, and he said the lure was working very well in the northern areas. I asked if there were plans for a smaller model, because I believed they would be much more successful around the southern states, and he replied that such a model had been designed and needed field testing. I put my hand up (of course), and have since put many hours on the water to develop techniques and strategies on how to use this innovative lure. After a great summer, 15 species of fish, several big bust-ups and some fantastic fishing sessions, I believe the Prawnstar Junior can produce fish in most of the situations you will encounter in both fresh and salt water. Especially in areas where the fish are used to having all manner of hardware thrown at them. This lure could open up new fishing frontiers, even in your own back yard.

SPECIFICATIONS
The Prawnstar Junior is 88mm long (3.5 inches), but is otherwise identical to the original. It has two removable casting weights and is rigged by passing the leader through the head through the centre treble, then tied to the back treble. The colours I tested were Funky Fluoro (chartreuse green), Lumenite (lumo green), El Natural (natural), Kakadu (blue), and honey pot (creamed honey colour), all of which caught fish.

SNAG FISHING TECHNIQUES
The standard rigging supplied with the lure is two leads in the head area, but I have had better success around shallow cover from 1-12 feet by removing the lead closer to the tail. This gives you a couple of benefits. Firstly, when sinking down the front of the cover it sinks head first, giving you the ability to drive the lure in the direction you want it to sink. Secondly, when casting there is very little roll in he air, which means no leader wrapping up in the trebles. When casting to cover, don't be afraid to go deep into the abyss. The lure's head design means that when worked slowly over branches and mangroves, the head actually flips the body around and over obstacles, making it one of the most snag-proof lures I have used. Once in the zone, most of the work is done. The sheer presence of the lifelike imitation in the cover usually produces a strike on the drop. If not, let it sink and sit, then give your rod a short, sharp lift. This will produce a flicking motion in the lure (this works best with low-stretch braided lines and a 20-30lb mono leader). Once the lure has settled, give it another jig and let it sink again. Repeat this pause/jig action all the way back to the boat. It is important not to over-jig the lure, as this tends to prevent it from sinking down into the strike zone, and can also spook tentative fish and cost you a strike. If you slow down and leave the lure down deep, you will find that a lot of fish will come out of their cover, even striking the Prawn as you start lifting it off the bottom in the middle of the creek. If you have ever seen a prawn in its natural environment, you'll know that they swim forward, and when spooked will flick upwards and then glide, motionless, back down. By mimicking this action in the strike zone you will definitely improve your changes of turning a looker into a taker. If you get a hit and don't hook up, just let the lure sink where it is, then flick it, let it sink, and hold on. You can expect to feel a lot of small hits. These are usually very small fish attacking the lure, and you will be amazed at what will have a go at it!

Developing The Flick The amount of movement of your rod to produce a flick of the tail depends greatly on the rod's action. I prefer a short, fast action rod with plenty of sensitivity, such as the Wilson Live Fibre series. The flick itself should be a short, sharp lifting of the rod tip - all done with the wrist, not the arm (if you use your arm you generally pull the lure too far out of the cover). It can help to have a well-balanced, light outfit that fits neatly in your hand, to make the flicking easier on your wrists. The design of the head acts as resistance for you to pull the tail up into the body of the Prawnstar, thus creating the action and the sonic click underwater that attracts the attention of your quarry. But this is just one way to work this lure. Stay tuned for future information on colours, shallow and deep water use, and specific species targeting.
Jason Medcalf (Top Water Sportfishing Adventures, Bundaberg).

Prawnstar Junior is here-Part 2- Jason Medcalf QFM June 2001
IN PART 1 of my series I discribed how to fish the Prawnstar 'Junior' around snags and cover, and I also described the 'flicking' technique. This article is about how to fish the lure around deep structure and shallow sand flats also colours and how to improve hookups.

DEEP WATER 'FLICK JIGGING'
The term 'flick jigging' is unique to this lure because its the only lure you can jig that really flicks. Firstly, you need to find yourself some deep water with cover, whether it be a rock ledge, a bridge pylon, or just the deep hole left in a creek at low tide. When using the Prawnstar Junior in deep water I like to leave both leads in the lure, as this gets it down faster.

BRIDGE PYLONS
Position yourself up current of the pylons (this can be done with an electric motor or an anchor). If you cast the lure in front of the pylon it will sink straight down the pylon. If you need to free spool to get the lure right down be ready, as being hit on the drop can happen at any time. Once the lure hits the bottom you can start jigging with short, sharp lifts of the rod, then stop, let the lure sink again, and repeat all the way back to the boat. You should fan your casts from your spot as this will cover more ground. One tip for this is that trevally and tarpon tend to sit in front of the pylons, so you can work the lure mid-water in the pressure wave caused by the running tide against the pylon. You can adapt this technique to deep holes in creeks and estuaries. All you need to do is sound the area, find the ledges and drop-offs, and fish the prawn over the ledges and let it drop deep into the holes and flick jig it out. Also, flick jigging works extremely well when fished vertically over deep water structure.

SHALLOW WATER WORK
There have been many good articles written about locating fish in estuaries so I shouldn't need to tell you where to fish. What I will do is expand a little on using the Prawnstar in the same situations. Firstly, remove the weight closer to the tail, and by slicing the other lead down you can get a slow sink that gives it a more natural appearance when worked across the bottom. Unlike in deeper water when I flick the lure, I jerk the rod down - this causes the lure to bite down and stirs up the bottom, waking up any predators in the area. When working shallow weed beds or shale bottom, swim the lure just above the bottom by holding the rod tip high, as this keeps the head of the lure up. Only pause to drop it into any crevices or holes. This has produced fantastic visual strikes from flathead, bream and trevally.

COLOURS
Favourite colours are always going to be a personal choice depending on water colour and clarity. In my expierience, the colour many people catch the most on is the one they use the oftenest and have the most confidence in. I too have favorites developed over many years of experimenting, and so this is a guide only. In deeper water and out going tides when the water has a foot or so good visability, the lumo green and chartreuse green have produced well for me. In clear incoming tide I prefer the natural or gold, and in tea-tree water the honey and browns have worked well. There are plenty colour choices availible, so grab a couple and try them out. IMPROVING HOOK-UPS When using the lure you will notice the centre hook sits in a moulded keeper. It comes out ocassionaly when using the lure, and it is not essential to keep putting it back. It doesn't affect the action of the lure - only the snag resistance. If you leave it hanging (which I often do), you will notice most of the hookups you get are on the hanging hook. I fish them with a leader of about 20-30lb. This is neccesary because after catching fish on that middle hook, the leader tends to fray, and when fishing deep into cover even bream take a toll on your leader. Keep an eye on it and re-tie if neccessary. A couple of minutes spent checking and tying a new leader could mean the difference between hooking and landing that good fish. I also use a catch scent on my lures to mask any smell I have on my hands (things such as sunscreen, insect repellant, and fuel can leave a nasty residue). One more tip - keep your hooks sharp and don't be afraid to squash down your barbs. This makes releasing fish easier, and makes them easier to remove from yourself or your fishing partner. Next month: bass fishing the Prawnstar, and breaming in back water.
Jason Medcalf (Top Water Sportfishing Adventures, Bundaberg).

Pancake Creek Primer- Steve Morgan QFM July 2001
A PANCAKE CREEK PRIMER UNTIL recently, I've been a stranger to the area between Hervey Bay and Rockhampton. Reading about spots like 1770, Bustard Head and Pancake Creek had always inspired further investigation, but, in my case, that investigation proceeded no further than drooling over maps of these diverse systems. Serendipitously, Bundaberg local Jason Medcalf and his partner in guiding, boating instructor Brad Young, called and recommended a set of tides earlier this year that 'should be pretty good to get a look at what's around up here'. They didn't have to ask twice. Around four hours drive north of Brisbane is Bundaberg, and it's from here that Topwater Fishing Adventures bases their single- and multi-day guided trips for novice or expert anglers. After embedding several wayward lures solidly into a nexus of mangrove branches, I'd firmly placed myself in the novice class, but I reckoned that the couple of days that I and PrawnStar co-developer Paul Signitzer had lined up with Jason would get that casting arm back into range. Jason had chosen the Pancake/Middle Creek estuary system to give us a taste of what the area had to offer and as we drifted across flats of live coral in the mouth of Pancake on the top of a morning high-tide chasing pods of trevally around, I thought that he was off to a pretty good start. Especially after one little GT laughed at my bream spinning tackle and stitched me up in a shoreline mangrove and another of his mates bashed a soft plastic skipped across the surface. As the tide dropped, we explored the tributaries and upper section of Pancake, catching fish on lures varying from plastics to PrawnStars. The variety of fish available was exceptional, with flag tail flathead, dusky flathead, pikey bream, yellowfin bream, queenfish, golden trevally, great trevally, coral trout, javelin fish, stripeys and Moses perch all being deceived within the confines of the estuary system. We've all read about the PrawnStar techniques in the last few editions of QFM, and rest assured that I became a convert over the weekend. In fact, there was always the dilemma whether I should use a paddle-tailed plastic or a PrawnStar from snag to snag. Probably the most visual fishing came from the big, black pikey bream that seem to sun themselves in the snags during autumn. These fish responded well to lures "tea-bagged" in front of their noses. Tea-bagging involves casting the lure over a branch and dabbling it gently in the water to attract attention. They sucked down tea-bagged plastics like they were pieces of spaghetti and were good sport in the sticks. One particularly evil snag saw us tea-bagging a PrawnStar right in the heart of trouble country. A small yellowfin bream was contemplating its angle of attack when it panicked and fled. Thinking nothing of it, I continued to jiggle when the biggest mangrove jack I'd ever seen in an estuary blasted it off the surface. For a while, the 30lb braid and heavy Schneider leader kept the fish out of trouble and tearing the surface to foam in its bid for freedom. Dragging the boat towards the snag, it got a tail-full of water and stole enough line to tree me severely. Jason needs little encouragement to jump in after a fish and after doing some hand-to-hand with this one, finished second. Got the PrawnStar back, though. Topwater Sportfishing Adventures operates a friendly, experienced local operation. We had a blast on a great part of the Queensland coast. Call 0411 134 316 for rates or more information. - Steve Morgan.