Fishing With Chasebaits Flick Prawns

Most people that know me personally or have fished with me before will know that I am a really big fan of the various prawn imitation lures available on the market. I always have at least one (and sometimes two) of my rods rigged and ready to go with them. They are a very versatile lure that is foolproof, very easy to use and have a terrific strike rate.

I have tried and tested most of the popular brands on the market in and around the Gold Coast waterways including the Savagegear TPE Shrimp, Zerek Cherabin, Zerek Live Shrimps and Berkley Shimma Shrimps with great success. However for me personally there is one prawn imitation that stands head and shoulders above the rest – the Chasebaits Flick Prawn.

The Chasebait Flick Prawn‘s profile was designed from that of an actual prawn and therefore has one of the most realistic shapes and movements on the market. Made from high-quality strong TPE material they have the ability to be very durable and hold up really well to the power of predatory estuary species like Mangrove Jack. Despite the strong TPE material, these lures have a delicate life-like movement in the water with soft legs that almost vibrate along the bottom with an action that is irresistible to fish.

One of the things I love about these lures is the size and weight options available. The Flick Prawns come in a 65mm, 95mm and 125mm size and also have the added benefit of choosing between the ‘heavy prawn’ with a fast sinking action or the ‘light prawn’ with a slow sinking action for the two larger models (which I predominantly use).

I generally use the heavyweight prawn for the majority of my fishing to get it down to the bottom a bit quicker in the faster-moving water. I tend to allow it to sink to the bottom and then give it a few gentle twitches and short lifts (no more than around 30cm). The lightweight prawn also comes in very handy while fishing rock walls and heavily structured areas as it sinks at a slower rate giving you more time to work the lure and get it moving in the desired way. With the light-weighted prawn, I generally cast it along rock structures and retrieve it with a slow wind, allowing it to gradually sink. I find that using this technique often results in a strike or a hook up long before the lure ever hits the bottom.

I mainly use the 125mm Flick Prawn for larger predatory species such as Mangrove Jack, Estuary Cod, Trevally and big Flathead. These are paired with a 15lb-20lb braid and a 30lb-40lb leader. Due to the realism of the lure’s profile, I’ve never found using a heavier leader to have a negative impact on the strike rate. With the 95mm Flick Prawn, I find it to be just a fantastic all-rounder. With this lure, I usually run a slightly lighter set up of 10lb braid and a 10lb-12lb leader and I haven’t ever been out for a session where this lure hasn’t been nailed hard. There aren’t too many fish in the estuaries that won’t have a crack at the 95mm Prawns and matched with a lure scent such as ‘crab’ or ‘shrimp’ they are absolutely dynamite!

Having a built-in weedless hook on these lures means they are also perfect for trolling. I find that drifting with the tide at a slow speed with a Flick Prawn out the back has proven to be absolutely deadly with fish like Flathead and Snapper. Due to the profile of the prawn being so accurate to the real thing, it stays upright and doesn’t tend to lean to the side or tip over like some other brands can do. Being able to troll these lures also means that they are perfect for beginner fishermen that are just starting out with soft plastics and lures as they require very little to no effort. I have caught quite a few great sized Flathead and Estuary Cod while having the Flick Prawn just dragging along behind the kayak.

The colour range of the Flick Prawns are also fantastic. They aren’t quite as large and varied as some of the other brands on the market, but the colour styles available work incredibly well and will certainly cover any form of fishing in any systems they’re used in.

There are four colours that I predominantly use when I am fishing which are Banana Prawn, Native Prawn, Crystal and Jelly Prawn. I have been using one or more of these lures for almost every saltwater fishing trip I have had for the past year or two when fishing around Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The places I have found the Flick Prawn to have the most success for me have been the Port Of Brisbane, Coomera River, Logan River and Jacobs Well. I normally use the Native Prawn and Banana Prawn colours while targeting Mangrove Jack both at night and daytime. The Crystal colour is probably my favourite all-round colour in the range. They reflect the light really nicely and have a transparent appearance to them which adds to the realism. In addition to this, they also have a red painted weight on the weedless hook which I find makes all the difference when using this colour in the estuaries and rivers as it seems to attract and draw the fish in. Flathead, Snapper and Trevally are constantly hitting this colour and many times hitting so hard they bust be off or dislodge the hook out of the lure. The Native Prawn speaks for itself – it is probably the most realistic colour in the range and is perfect for targeting any species. Most fish eat prawns and going with the most natural colour in the range is definitely a great place to start. The Jelly Prawn colour with the opaque body and UV purple tint highlights really shimmer in the water and seem to be irresistible to Estuary Cod and Flathead. I have caught more Cod on the Jelly Prawn colour than any other style.

Do yourself a favour and make sure you always have a Flick Prawn rigged!

‘Til next time,

Chris