Cudgeefish Lures - NSW
Cudgeefish Lures were made by Kel and Donna Bartley of Rylstone and are extremely well made and original lure. Kel sadly passed away in 2007. Model names include Big Cudgeeshrimp, Long Bob, Cranky Franky, Lil Fish, Grumblebum or Taddy, Fat Bob, Cudgeeshrimp and Demon. Cudgeefish Lures really are high quality and you can see the effort, skill and attention to detail in all the models Extremely clever colour patterns and a great lure to collect but getting harder to find all the time.
'With the passing of Kel Bartley they will not be made again. The packaging should be a bright yellow card (as shown below) with a stylised aggressive fish on it and Rylstone address'. Frank Prokop, 2009
Right is an extremely rare Cudgeefish cloth badge that was uncovered in 2019 with the collection of lures shown below
The lures showcased here include some of the earliest Cudgeefish Lures made by Kel. A one off segmented yabby, lures showing Deception influence and flat sided early prototypes of the Cudgeefish range.
Right is a letter that was supplied to Fishing Tackle Australia (which became Mo's Tackle) in 1997. It outlines the way the lures were made and the wholesale price which was $8 per lure.
Also found on a light blue card with the same aggressive fish logo and rumour has it that Kel used to tune them in the Kandos sewerage ponds.
Unsure of the name for this Cudgeefish model showing belly markings 'CF'.
Above shows two fine examples of the Cudgeeshrimp 1
Below is the original photos of the Cudgeefish range and colour combinations that were sent with the above letter. This documents the colour range c.1997 however there will be other variations and special order colours out there. The sizes and details of each model are hand written on the photos.
