My first memories of successfully fishing with lipless crankbaits goes back to the mid 1990s when I watched a good mate of mine absolutely clean up on the golden perch at Googong Dam on a lipless crankbait I had abandoned to the bottom tray of my tackle box.  Since that day I have always carried at least one of these lures in my arsenal.  However, over the years they have been less favoured to bibbed lures and spinnerbaits.

Over the last two years I have acquired a lot of knowledge and experience in the use of lipless crankbaits.  In stating that, what I aim to do over this two part article is pass on some information that I have learnt through the use of these very effective lures.  In this first instalment I will focus more on the lipless crankbait lure itself, as well as some tips on outfits and rigging.  Next month, in part two, I will share a few of my techniques targeting a freshwater favourite - the golden perch – at Lake Windamere and Googong Dam with lipless crankbaits. &nbsp

Regardless of what species you target there is no doubt that the re-incarnation of soft plastic lures has added a new dimension to the way we approach our quarry.  In general soft plastic lures can be split into two categories – un-rigged and pre-rigged.  Un-rigged soft plastics are the most versatile as they can be rigged in a variety of ways to suit the intended species or environment.  However one of the down sides to un-rigged soft plastics (particularly for the beginner) is the