First look! Halco reverse-engineers an Australian classic

Halco’s new TB55 lure is so new it hasn’t even been officially released yet. That will happen at the AFTA show next month.

But the guys from the Fremantle company just couldn’t resist showing off their new creation when Angling International called by their booth at ICAST on Wednesday morning.

And it turns out the lure has a fascinating backstory. Designed by Til Martinello of Tilson Bass several decades back, the wooden bait was still in the range when the company was acquired by Halco 20 years ago.

The problem was that it was difficult to get consistency in timber supplies and this affected the action. Determined not to let the lure lapse into redundancy, Halco owner Ben Patrick made it his mission to reincarnate the Tilson Bass in plastic, so it would perform the same every single time.

Halco’s Curtis Waterman takes up the story. “The action had to be exactly the same and it has taken a year to get there. We’ve shot underwater film of both versions and you can’t tell the difference, even when slowing down the footage.

“It’s a great piece of reverse engineering that allows us to make different patterns that you can’t make with wood.”

Designed for Australian bass but also effective for species such as flathead and jewfish, the TB55 is receiving positive feedback from retailers and media at ICAST booth 2003.