DAIWA PRODUCT FOCUS: Double Clutch 95 By Mark Gercovich

When the “coming soon” posts began about a larger size of the super effective Double Clutch I began to get excited. I instantly though of some of the large local lakes and the how their big resident salmonids, who had proven over the years to love a 75mm clutch, were going to react to an even more significant offering. 

The stars seemed to be aligning because as soon as I got my hands on some, there was word of some xos chinook salmon being taken at nearby Lake Bullen Merri. However in true Bullen Merri fashion the bite was off by the time I had a chance to put the 95mm clutches into action. 

However big salmonids locally are not just restricted to the lakes. As soon as the rivers began to rise the 95mm clutches were swung into action, this time with some success. I usually prefer the shallower TD minnow in the dirty water/shallow runs but the deeper diving double clutch was a handy switch up along the deep undercut banks that some trout were holding on out of the main river flow.  The lures tacked well in the fast moving water and the variety of finishes allowed for either subtle or flashy presentation depending on the visibility/clarity of the water.

Soon enough though the 95mm clutches got their chance on the big lake salmonids when Lake Purrumbete fired up for some really big trout.  These fish weren’t prolific, or easy to catch, but with most being 4kg plus they were definitely worth the effort.  

As I’d hoped they were partial to a big double clutch and soon it was all we were trolling. Keeping the faith in what you are using is important when fishing’s tough, constant lure changing doesn’t help ones confidence and results in less lure time in the water. Being able to keep the lures in the water during short periods of bite time surely helped in putting some cracking fish in the boat to over 5kg. 

The set of three fine sharp SAQAS trebles that the 95mm clutches come armed with never let us down even with some of the epic thrashing antics these fish were putting on.   Long cast-ability due to the silent gravity oscillation system isn’t just handy when fishing off the bank or casting, but great when setting a trolling spread and hammering lure well out the back of the boat. 

Now if only these estuaries would begin to clear up because I’m sure the local mulloway population might also take a fancy to the new 95mm double clutch.