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Home » Fishing-Tips-Techniques » Freshwater-Fishing » Tricking up the Mustad Armlock

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With the 2022 Cod National coming up in March, our resident cod nut Boothy has been out playing in the warehouse looking for options that will 'make the difference'.

He's had a good look at the Mustad Armlock Spinnerbait range and the newly arrived McArthy soft plastics and hit upon a great combination of lure body colours and trailer additions.

Adding a trailer to a spinnerbait adds bulk, reduces sink rates and gives the angler more options with the same lure. Sure you can fish the Armlock Spinner Baits without a trailer as they come out of the packet, but having options is always a positive for tinkering tournament fishers.

The pic attached shows Boothy's Best Bets and he'll run through them one by one giving some reasons why and also some of his thoughts on the matches.

Starting from the Top left and moving across the top and then down to the bottom left.

1. Mustad 14g Armlock Lime Chartruese with McArthy Coppertruese 5" Paddle Tail. This combination provides a high visibility option in dirty water with the chartreuse colour being built in to both the Armlock and the Paddle Tail. The yellow is highly UV reflective and the Coppertreuse plastic extends the UV highlight along the entire bottom of the lure.

2. Mustad 14g Armlock Pearl White with McArthy Pearl 5" Paddle Tail. This is a classic pearl white combination that is favoured by many anglers. Perfect in clear water, the pearlescent sheen on the Armlock and Paddle Tail give a 'natural' look to this combination. Anglers everywhere love pearl/white and this combination delivers the goods. It's definitely going to get eaten!

3. Mustad 14g Armlock Wakasagi with McArthy Olive Pearl 5" Paddle Tail. Wakasagi is a standout colour and resembles a rainbow trout pattern to some degree. The addition of the Olive Pearl McArthy adds to this effect with a stronger green top blending into a pearl belly that has hints of pinks throughout. A classic that I like a lot.

4. Mustad 14g Armlock Black with McArthy Orca 5" Paddle Tail. Dark coloured lures with muted black blades are one of the unsung heroes of pressured waterways and Mulwala certainly sees its fair share of anglers! Black provides the highest degree of contrast to almost any background without the flash of silver or gold blades. May well be the first lure I tie on for day 4!

5. Mustad 14g Armlock AYU with McArthy Olive Deceiver 5" Paddle Tail. A more natural combination of Armlock and Paddle Tail is hard to find and the classic green on white colouration makes this perfect for so many fishing situations. I must admit that olive is one of my favourite cod colours in spinnerbaits, so this combo will get used a lot.

6. Mustad 14g Armlock Black Orange with McArthy Hot Orange 5" Paddle Tail. A mix of in your face loud with muted dark contrast gives this combination that classic desert sunset feel about it. The oranges in this combination are highly UV reflective adding an extra element to an already awesome looking combination.

7. Mustad 14g Armlock Orange Gold with McArthy Motor Oil 5" Paddle Tail. This was perhaps the hardest colour to put a tail on. I wanted to go the Hot Orange, but after seeing Motor Oil under the UV light, this colour inserted itself into the picture. Under natural light the plastic blends well with the overall Armlock design but if you want UV, Motor Oil is the bomb! It glows intensely under UV light and provides a very high UV option that is not ultra bright like hot orange and chartreuse.

8. Mustad 14g Armlock Chartreuse White with McArthy Chartreuse Pearl 5" Paddle Tail. Another combination that just looks like it was meant to be. A high UV top with a white/pearl belly makes this a standout match and a great looking lure. I'd have a lot of confidence fishing this combination anywhere in Mulwala.

The only other extra I would add to these combinations is a stinger hook. You can either take the time to rig the stinger internally in the plastic (this holds the stinger in position very well) or run it free-swinging above the plastic. The second method is the easiest but does snag just that little bit more and can catch just a touch more weed. On the boat I will rig this way, but in the evening as I'm getting ready for the next day I'll rig the stinger hook internally.

Time is everything and extra casts are important and I'm really looking forward to seeing just how well these lures go on Mulwala's Murray cod.

And don't just take my recommendations as Gospel. You can mix and match by putting the Chartreuse Pearl tail on the Black Armlock for super high contrast, or stick the Motor Oil tail on any of the Armlocks for a huge amount of UV if that's what you're chasing.

And I suppose that's all part of the preparation for any event - the mixing and the matching, the thoughts and plans, and the chase for the ultimate success. I can't wait!