This week Tom looks at a common dilemma faced by anglers around Australia:

The New England area of northern New South Wales boasts some spectacular river gorges.

I recently returned from a week of fishing these waters and our success was helped by local lure maker, Jamie Flett.

We used a wide selection of his 'mudeye' lures and they certainly caught plenty of fish. Designed specifically for the rivers we fished, they were cast into rocks all day and chewed on by sizable Murray cod, but never missed a beat. Talking with Jamie got me thinking about the vast selection of different lures available and how a budding angler should pick the right one from so many choices.

To make an educated decision we need to learn a few basic principles.

This article will concentrate on diving or bibbed lures, probably the most versatile lures found in your average tackle box.

When a diving lure is pulled through the water, the bib will dig in and pull it down. As the lure moves, water is deflected off the body in pressure waves. This is what causes the lure to sway from side to side. The lure bib is the major determining factor in a lure's diving depth. The larger and closer to horizontal the bib is, the deeper the lure will dive. A smaller bib with an angle more towards vertical will result in a shallower diving depth.

Lure action also comes in to play. A very strong action will send a pulse through the line that will be felt and seen through the fishing rod. This can be used to indicate if the lure is swimming correctly, and is useful for early detection of a fouled lure while trolling. A strong action also puts out more underwater 'noise'.

They often say that lures catch more anglers than fish, a fair comment given the range of incredible colour patterns available. However this should be your last deciding factor. Choose natural colour patterns in clearer water that imitate available food sources. Metallic lures also work well, but as visibility is reduced, go for the brighter more fluorescent colours.