REVIEW: Thirsty paddler topwater Cod lures

Surface fishing for Murray cod has absolutely exploded over the past few years, and is only going to keep growing. People have realised what an exciting and visual way it is to fish for this iconic Australian species, and can be a very rewarding way to catch one.

It was not that long ago when I remember seeing 100mm long surface lures in a tackle shop and thought “wow” such a big lure! But by god how times have changed now, with the “bigger lure – bigger fish” way of thinking 100mm is definitely on the small side. It is now not uncommon to see cod surface lures that are 200mm plus long, and while these big lures do require some more specialist gear to fish effectively, that gear is much more readily available and these big lures and outfits sure as hell work on catching big Murray Cod.

About Thirsty Lures

Thirsty Lures is a small handmade lure company from Northern Vic that specialize in Surface lures for Murray Cod. CJ from Thirsty lures does a range of timber Surface paddlers and wakebaits, ranging from 100mm up to 220mm, and 1 through to 4 piece jointed versions. This review will concentrate on the Thirsty Paddlers only.

In the Paddlers Thirsty lures offer, 1 piece 125mm, 2 piece 100/125/170mm, 3 piece 150/175/200mm versions. So plenty of options for whatever you are looking for.
He can do any colour you want, as the lures are generally made to order.

The paddlers already come rigged with some decent hardware, and it’s only the really particular cod fishermen that will upgrade to their favourite trebles etc. On a side note, CJ does offer a Owner ST56 upgrade now if that’s what your after.

Lure Finish

As with any handmade timber lures the finish is never going to be as good as a mass produced plastic injection moulded hardbody lure, and nor should it be. Handmade timber lures have a certain romance about them. Knowing they were generally made in someones backyard shed in front of a wood fire with a beer in hand. Actually makes me a bit jealous! haha. Australia’s handmade timber Cod lures are definitely a great little industry we need to support, and the damn things work so well on Murray Cod.

The Thirsty’s are a multi piece swallow tail cut Paddler lure with a large polycarbonate bib. The components are high quality and suitable for all but the biggest Murray cod you will encounter. As stated earlier all but the fussiest cod fishermen will be happy enough with the standard components, but if you think you have a chance of catching an absolute monster then I would recommend upgrading the split rings and hooks. I saw a 112cm Cod caught on a thirsty paddler and the split rings had opened up a fair way. Other issues may have been at play, but better to be safe than sorry.

The Paint job on the lures is great, well finished and the lures look great when opening your mail package, and what a bonus that you can get custom paint colours done to suit your needs.

In the Field

I have mainly been using the 125mm 2 piece and 150mm triple threat paddlers so far. On the water the lures float and swim really nicely. The paddlers give quite a tight fast action through the water, which I would say is on the more subtle side, but give enough noise and commotion to attract anything in the vicinity.
At rest, the last piece of the paddler, whether it be a two or three piece, drops, and hangs down nearly vertical, giving a really good hook up point for any fish who comes and tries to have a chew.

As with most fishing confidence play a huge part, and that includes confidence lures. Generally these are the lures you have had success with in the past and you know the fish will eat. Well for Cod thirsty lures are my go to confidence lure, particularly the 150mm triple threat paddler. This lure has been great to me, getting me 2 meter plus fish in the last few months, and numerous other smaller specimens.

Conclusion

There is quite a lot of hype and options for big timber surface lures now. Numerous small lure makers just like Thirsty are scattered around the country, and with a bit of searching on google or Facebook they are easy to find. Ive been a huge fan of the thirsty products since introduced to them last year and they are definitely now one of my go to Cod lures. CJ is great to deal with which makes the whole buying process much easier, and as for the effectiveness of these lure, well the results speak for themselves!