Introducing the Floater Elite: The Original Rapala, Reborn
In 1936, Lauri Rapala ignited a legacy when he designed the Original Floating® lure in his Finnish garage. With spare cork, tinfoil from chocolate bars, and melted photographic negatives, Laurie fashioned a lure that could perfectly imitate a wounded minnow, and fish went after it like moths to a flame. Legend has it that Lauri sometimes caught 600 pounds of fish a day with this homemade lure.
Now, that legacy – scrappy, yet technically brilliant, and entirely inimitable – is paving the way for a new era of fishing with the new Floater Elite®.
The Floater Elite takes the proven profile and action of the Original Floating® and cranks the details and durability to 11.
Built around the core features of the proven Original Floating, the Floater Elite consists of premium balsa wood, a natural baitfish profile and the classic Rapala wounded-minnow action. Its increased weight generates longer, more accurate casts; while the forged, flattened, one-piece through wire construction maximizes durability. High-definition patterns with metallic gilded faces bring these finishes to a new level. Whether cast or trolled, the Elite performs at ultra-slow retrieves to super-fast without fail.
The Floater Elite is part of Rapala’s Elite Series, which reimagines Rapala’s most iconic lures with more durable construction and premium finishes.
The lure will be introduced in two models. FE85 has a running depth of 3-feet to 4-feet., a body length of 3 ¼-inches, weighs ¼ oz, and comes with two No.10 hooks. FE120 has a running depth of 4-feet to 6-feet, a body length of 4 ¾-inches, weighs ⅜ oz, and comes with two No.10 hooks.
The Floater Elite is available in 12 colours: Gilded Bluegill, Gilded Brown Trout, Gilded Firetiger, Gilded Glass Ghost, Gilded Gold Shad, Gilded Hot Steel, Gilded Night Aurora, Gilded Perch, Gilded Purpledescent, Gilded Rainbow Trout, Gilded Silver, Gilded Yellow Perch.


