Timber vs Plastic Body Lures- Tilsan Lures

Todays lures tend to be built from modern plastic blends, designed to last longer than ever before. While most large lure manufacturers shy away from traditional wood lure crafting techniques, Halco Tackle has chosen to buck the trend. Transitioning into a global player in the tackle industry, this Australian Lure Company has had to make some tough calls in axing and adjusting product range to demand, yet proudly the Tilsan Timber lure range remains- siting alongside the remaining hard plastic-body lures.

Wood and plastic lures are worth a spot in every angler’s tackle box, with many of todays hard-plastic lures actually mimicking the motion of Tilsan, regarded one of the world’s greatest timber fishing lures. Regardless, both lure compounds offer an excitingly diverse experience and should belong in an anglers’ arsenal.

Tilsan lures have one of the best in-water actions for a timber lure due to their buoyancy unique Centerline Design. The lure is constructed with a flat stainless steel frame to add strength when battling big fish, as well as ensuring the line is always connected to the hooks.

It’s important when choosing a wood lure to know what that lure is designed to do. The Halco range of Tilsan timber lures consists of four models.

Tilsan Bass

Species: Bass, Bream, Flathead, Mangrove Jacks, Barra
Size: 55mm/10gm
Hooks: #8 Black Nickel Trebles
Trolling: 0.4-3 knots / 3.5m depth

The Tilsan Bass is a crash-diving neutrally buoyant lure, meaning the average cast will get the lure immediately down to 3.5 meters, landing it quickly in the strike zone. Due to its neutral buoyancy, the Tilsan Bass can be held in this zone for a long time by slowing the retrieve and twitching the lure. The Tilsan Bass is designed to be paused for a couple seconds before another short retrieve is carried out, and fishes excellently on deep water snags and fast drop-offs.

Tilsan Minnow

Species: Trout, Bass, Flathead, Redfin
Size: 33mm/6gm
Hooks: #10 Black Nickel Trebles
Trolling: 0.3-3 knots / 3m depth

One of the first Tilsan lures on market, the Minnow has a natural baitfish profile and lifelike decoration, coupled with incredible strength and versatility. Able to be cast and trolled, however when pausing and twitching mid-retrieve, especially around structure, the lure excels. When stationary, the lure sits almost horizontal with a slight downward bias at the head. This is perfect for an immediate start as soon as the retrieve is commenced.

Barra 80

Species: Barramundi, Flathead, Mangrove Jack
Size: 80mm / 23gm
Hooks: #2 Mustad 3XX Trebles
Trolling: 1-7 knots / 3m depth

The Tilsan Barra 80 is an incredibly versatile timber lure. From dead slow twitch-retrieve in heavy snags, to a super fast troll out wide. It is the smaller of the two Tilsan Barra models, yet this lure does the lot and has a range of unique colour combinations. The Barra 80 is perfect for shallow snags and rock walls.

Big Barra

Species: Barramundi, Flathead, Mangrove Jack, Snapper
Size: 80mm / 23gm
Hooks: #2 Mustad 3XX Trebles
Trolling: 1-7 knots / 5m depth

The Big Barra is a new dimension of timber lures from Tilsan. Designed to troll deep for big predators such as Barra, Jacks and large Flathead, the Tilsan Big Barra is also a perfectly weighted cast and retrieve lure. Action starts with the smallest twitch of the rod tip and near neutral buoyancy.

Diving at an incredible 5m, the Tilsan Big Barra is best cast at snags and structure where you want to crank the lure down to a desired depth and hold it in the strike zone either by twitching the lure or using a “rip and stop” type action. With many predatory fish, the strike often occurs when the lure is stopped and is suspending at mid water. Upon twitching the lure again, the aggression exhibited by most fish is exhilarating. This style of sight fishing is a fantastic way of gaining a better understanding of fish reaction when the lure cannot be seen, such as fishing deeper or darker water.

Although often perceived as estuary lures, the Tilsan Timber range has also proven a considerable contender in reef and near-shore fishing. The natural buoyancy and weight of hand-selected wood, combined with the vivid and unique paintwork makes the Tilsan Timber lure range an asset to every tackle box.