Capturing the cast


Bomber Lures shoot is a great success

Bomber Lures Mullet SS Andy Crawford Photography

An angler places the Mullet just off the marshy bank.

The forecast called for a hard north wind and a falling tide, which was likely to result in ultra low water levels in Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area. But buddy Darren Cooper and I packed up my boat and headed out anyway.

Fishing was definitely part of our plan, but the main deal for the day was shooting photos for Bomber Lures and Cotton Cordell Lures showing some of the companies’ baits in action.

As expected, we discovered the water pouring out of the marshes. But, in the first light of day, we made a short run to a shallow bay and worked the shoreline in search of a redfish. We didn’t get so much as a sniff.

With the sun barely poking its face above the horizon, I switched gears and captured photos of a couple of lures on the deck of the boat. Two of the baits are yet to be released, so the images were needed in the introduction campaign to come in the next few months.

I added some shots of Darren tying the lures to his line, focusing in tight to get the details of the baits.

Soon, I was pulling on waders as Darren trolled toward the bank. The plan was simple: I’d get out and take images of him casting the lures to me. The water bottom was filled with oyster shells, so we hoped it would be solid enough to hold my weight.

No luck. I sank up to my knees as soon as I slipped out of the boat.

Another adjustment was necessary: I grabbed the camera off the front deck of the boat and headed to the bank on my knees, which at least slowed the rate at which I sank. Moments later, I dragged myself out of the muck and onto the three-cord grass.

We spent the next 45 minutes switching out baits and capturing images of the lures in mid-air. It took some work, but I finally got the camera set to stop action — you can even read the bait names and model numbers on the sides of the lures.

When I finished up, Darren turned the trolling motor toward the bank — and discovered he was stuck solid about 20 yards out. The water had dropped so much in that short amount of time that the flat we were on was about 2 inches shallower than my boat drafts.

I had to crawl on my knees from the bank to the boat, working my way along carefully to ensure I didn’t dunk my camera.

It took the outboard to get the boat off the flat.

But at the end of the day we had some really cool photos to turn in. Unfortunately, I’m unable to share all the images yet, but here are two of the Bomber Mullet SS that has been on the market for a couple of years. The others are being held by the manufacturer until the lures are released onto the market.

If you have any photography needs, I would be thrilled to help show off your products in real-world situations. Of course, I also can do standard white-background images. Just email me to schedule a consultation.

Bomber Mullet Andy Crawford Photography

A Bomber Mullet SS is tossed to the shoreline of a Louisiana marsh in search of redfish or trout.


About Andy Crawford

Andy Crawford has been a photographer and writer for more than 20 years, with thousands of images and articles published in magazines and newspapers around the country. He now focuses on Louisiana photography, landscapes, HDR photography, urban prints and other fine art photography. He also is a portrait photographer.