IT'S commonly said that necessity is the mother of all invention, and when the need to catch fish is the driving force behind your sport, then there is always room for something new. To flip open the lid of my tackle box is to see a small multi-coloured mortgage made up of a squillion different lures. Each and every one designed to catch even the most elusive of fish.

And while many do what they claim, my wife would agree I have more than enough even though the fish seem to think otherwise.

I too have my own ideas on multi-coloured mortgages, and while fish drive mine, I fail to see the link between shoes and centipedes, but hey that's another story.

The first time I saw the new Sebile lures was at a tackle expo in Canberra. The range was huge but most importantly many of the lures were different.

I took a particular shine to a range of crank-styled models labelled as Flat Shads. After very good success in our local waters on Koolabung blades this past season, the attraction was obvious.

Larger in size and lighter in weight they looked as though they would create a similar strong body action like blades but more importantly they might attain it at a much slower speed.

Damn it's good to be right, as the first cast ever of the new lure was smashed hard by a fish that loaded the rod to the butt.

In truth the lure selection was made more for golden perch as it suited these fish in both size and action, but as we know Murray cod will eat whatever they want and in this case it did. Not a bad start: one cast, one fish. After a few snaps the cod was returned to the river and the lure recast to the same location the fish had been hiding.

As it found the bottom, a slow lift kick started the shad into gear only to have it shut down by the caning strike of a much bigger fish. Two casts, two strikes and this fish was no doubt a ripper as it tore line from the reel and churned the water with its powerful tail.

Still a little stunned at what was going on, the cod was finally brought to the boat and secured in the landing net. At every bit the metre it was a prize catch indeed and after a few happy snaps it too was returned back to the water from where it came.

While I was very happy with the new lure, in truth I could not wait to check out a few others in the range that might also work on our local fish. And so it goes, the revolving door of lure needs kick starts another new mortgage as the next new lure is but a purchase away.

This article appeared in Saturday's Sunraysia Daily 10-12-2011. http://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/