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Walker Wobbler


frankS

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You all know the old Wonder Wobbler, well this one is the Walker Wobbler and it's the last one I have and don't want to loose it. I still have a few of the Wonder Wobblers but this is the last of the Walkers.

I intend to make my own copy of the lure and IF it works out OK I will make a mold so I can reproduce the lure in numbers ( not to sell as I don't have the marketing skills ) They will be Alloy OR possibly brass ( this one is alloy ). I have made it to as close as possible to the original as I can get. I will try it out on some fish before I bother with the etching.

wobbler.thumb.jpg.10eb1ae9e0232f1af972210579084d94.jpg

I ground a little too much off the lower section of the tail, which I will remedy IF I make others. I have the general shape including the curvature down pat so they should work as the original did. Hope so anyway.

Frank

PS Don't know why they were call Walker instead of Wonder. Perhaps Jarvis Walker made them ? WAZA ?.

Edited by frankS
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2 hours ago, frankS said:

You all know the old Wonder Wobbler, well this one is the Walker Wobbler and it's the last one I have and don't want to loose it. I still have a few of the Wonder Wobblers but this is the last of the Walkers.

I intend to make my own copy of the lure and IF it works out OK I will make a mold so I can reproduce the lure in numbers ( not to sell as I don't have the marketing skills ) They will be Alloy OR possibly brass ( this one is alloy ). I have made it to as close as possible to the original as I can get. I will try it out on some fish before I bother with the etching.

wobbler.thumb.jpg.10eb1ae9e0232f1af972210579084d94.jpg

I ground a little too much off the lower section of the tail, which I will remedy IF I make others. I have the general shape including the curvature down pat so they should work as the original did. Hope so anyway.

Frank

PS Don't know why they were call Walker instead of Wonder. Perhaps Jarvis Walker made them ? WAZA ?.

You hit the nail on the head Frank, that is exactly why they called them Walker Wobblers................they were in fact made by Jarvis Walker.

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Hi,

You said you don't have the marketing skills. How do you think the rest started ???????.

Take out an add in a well known fishing mag and see what happens.There are other places to start, think about it.

Good luck

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Rebel. More to the point If I made them in bulk and started selling them it would feel more like a job than a hobby and take the fun away from making them. Besides they can be bought much cheaper online than I would ask for them. Probably sounds like I am contradicting myself but I just feel I should make a few for maybe some close friends etc.

Frank

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7 hours ago, frankS said:

You all know the old Wonder Wobbler, well this one is the Walker Wobbler and it's the last one I have and don't want to loose it. I still have a few of the Wonder Wobblers but this is the last of the Walkers.

I intend to make my own copy of the lure and IF it works out OK I will make a mold so I can reproduce the lure in numbers ( not to sell as I don't have the marketing skills ) They will be Alloy OR possibly brass ( this one is alloy ). I have made it to as close as possible to the original as I can get. I will try it out on some fish before I bother with the etching.

wobbler.thumb.jpg.10eb1ae9e0232f1af972210579084d94.jpg

I ground a little too much off the lower section of the tail, which I will remedy IF I make others. I have the general shape including the curvature down pat so they should work as the original did. Hope so anyway.

Frank

PS Don't know why they were call Walker instead of Wonder. Perhaps Jarvis Walker made them ? WAZA ?.

Hi Frank yes Mullatt got it - Jarvis Walker - Alpha also made one with the red plastic tag. Love the nice edges on your one though. As you know, trying to get lures off the ground is difficult! (just ask me!!) You should still make some though, I bet a lot of old members would like a few (including me!) 

Fishing history brought back to life- love it!

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The good old Wonder Wobbler caught a lot of fish in the day. I still have a few and break them out occasionally when I tire of soft plastics on flathead etc. Halco (based in Fremantle, WA) still do a wobbler with a red tag. 😉 Yours look the goods, too, Frank! 😎

The 2nd fish I ever caught on a lure was a flathead caught on a 1/4oz Wonder Wobbler from the beach at Dolls Point when I was a kid. The 1st fish I caught on a lure was also a flathead at Dolls Point on a lure I made from a toothbrush. (The Wonder Wobbler was easier to cast!)

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There used to be a guy near me made all sorts of fishing stuff and sold them in the local Saturday market, I don't think he made much money, but he had fun, he made snagless sinkers, his famous Flathead lure and other odds and ends.

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10 hours ago, noelm said:

There used to be a guy near me made all sorts of fishing stuff and sold them in the local Saturday market, I don't think he made much money, but he had fun, he made snagless sinkers, his famous Flathead lure and other odds and ends.

I'm racking my brain to remember this guy's name. I'm sure he's the bloke who used to set up a caravan stall off the highway at the south end of Bombo Beach. 

Pretty sure he had something to do with Nat Nat lures too.

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Also decided to make some from Stainless steel for a little extra weight. I haven't weighed these yet but I don't think a gram or 2 either way will make that much difference and Stainless will polish up a lot shinier. Also thinking of making some Bream blades and other stuff. don't go fishing much these days so need something to keep my mind and hands occupied.

Frank

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You can still get these classic walker wobbler they come in packs of two in kmart and are about $5, perfect for tailor chasing them, used one of these with me and a mate under swansea bridge, caught several tailor in a 15 or so mins, third pilon at around 11pm, they love them. 

Walker Wobbler 2pk

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4 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

I'm racking my brain to remember this guy's name. I'm sure he's the bloke who used to set up a caravan stall off the highway at the south end of Bombo Beach. 

Pretty sure he had something to do with Nat Nat lures too.

The guy near me was Harry Rowe from Windang, I know of the person you are thinking of, somewhere in all my junk, I have one of Harry's Flathead lures, made out of Aluminium, they were all painted a kind of camouflage green and black, with a bit of yellow, they sure worked on Flathead in Lake Illawarra.

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1 hour ago, noelm said:

The guy near me was Harry Rowe from Windang, I know of the person you are thinking of, somewhere in all my junk, I have one of Harry's Flathead lures, made out of Aluminium, they were all painted a kind of camouflage green and black, with a bit of yellow, they sure worked on Flathead in Lake Illawarra.

Wasn’t there a guy that used to set up on the north side of the Minnamurra bridge?

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I was intrigued with the story about the Walker Wobbler. I was in K Mart today and there were the Wobblers.

Curiousity got the better of me so I bought two to try out next time I go fishing.

Cheers.

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9 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

I'm racking my brain to remember this guy's name. I'm sure he's the bloke who used to set up a caravan stall off the highway at the south end of Bombo Beach. 

Pretty sure he had something to do with Nat Nat lures too.

Maybe Bill Way? Not sure of surname spelling, but he was Nat Nat's I think

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Well there you go , Here's me thinking they are a thing of the past and no longer available . $5 for 2 not worth my while playing around with them.

Anyhow here's how the Stainless steel one turned out.

2049362999_wobbler4.thumb.jpg.75f03298bb516ae1d232fe17029ea066.jpg

Top one Stainless middle original bottom alloy.

Frank

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Awesome Frank, I like it. 

On 12/6/2019 at 2:37 PM, Green Hornet said:

As a kid, I remember there wasn't a petrol station or corner store without a few of these hanging on the wall.

I still have a couple of Wonder Wobblers, I think a 3/8 ounce and a 1 ounce.

How true, if there was a shop near water they were hanging there in plain view. I can still imagine them hanging on the wall at a shop, now long gone, at Laanacoorie here in Vic. 👍

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14 hours ago, frankS said:

Well there you go , Here's me thinking they are a thing of the past and no longer available . $5 for 2 not worth my while playing around with them.

 

I brought a heap  from tassie a couple of years ago, all the old colours , they still sell alright down there, the green with a touch of red on the nose is a  popular lure for tassie trout.

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On 12/7/2019 at 5:29 PM, frankS said:

Well there you go , Here's me thinking they are a thing of the past and no longer available . $5 for 2 not worth my while playing around with them.

Anyhow here's how the Stainless steel one turned out.

2049362999_wobbler4.thumb.jpg.75f03298bb516ae1d232fe17029ea066.jpg

Top one Stainless middle original bottom alloy.

Frank

Yours look better quality than the jarvis ones, atleast you can put a single hook on straight away instead of a triple, but for $5 from kmart and for the sake of changing the triple to a single you cant beat it.

Only thing i can say is the metal triple hook tend to bend after a little in the jarvis wobblers, and sometimes even straighten out after a big tailor sesh along with the split rings stretch, i have had this problem with tailor, change the split ring to a newer one like a brass one from bunnings and place small single U shape hook, seem to work a treat. 

Been using and buying these wobblers for years, for $5 i always buy atleast one 2pk every kmart trip, then modify them with a new split ring and a single or double hook. You can also use the small hooks with "feathers" off of a sabiki rig, works good off a boat when there is a bust up.

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Mine is Stainless steel not just plate mild steel, will not rust or loose it's shape. I would imagine the Jarvis ones would be pretty poor quality but IF they catch fish for the price you wouldn't mind loosing a few now and then.

I am not trying to compete with shop bought gear just something I enjoy doing and keeps my hands and mind occupied.

PS I should get better at engraving with a little practice.

Frank

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1 hour ago, Squ!rt said:

Do you have a weight on yours?? total weight of you steel vs jarvis??

No I don't know how they weigh compared with the Jarvis Walker ones, don't have any of the new cheap versions to compare to, and I don't have any scales capable of weighing these light weight items.

Wait a minute maybe I do . I have a set of antique scales that measure grams, will see IF I can find them.

Frank

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