Tried And True Hard Baits

Rapala’s reputation of crafting premium fishing lures dates back to the 1930s when Lauri Rapala began carving lures to mimic the movements of a wounded minnow. These prototypes eventually lead to the legendary Original Floating Rapala, which has helped more fishermen experience the thrill of more big fish than any other lure.

The Original, though, is just one of many innovative Rapala hard-baits that have stood the test of time and continue to catch fish today. Below are a few others, along with a look towards the future by showcasing some recent releases of industry-leading lures.

The lure that started it all remains potent to this day. Whether slow crawled or twitched on top as a surface bait, swam steadily as a shallow runner, weighted with a split shot for medium depth  or brought to bottom using a three-way rig or bottom bouncer, the Original’s wounded minnow action remains irresistible to fish everywhere. Available in sizes spanning 1-1/2 to 7 inches, this premium balsa hard-bait catches everything from panfish to big pike.

Building on the successful design, profile and action of the Original, the CountDown is precision weighted to sink at a consistent rate of one foot per second, letting an angler easily target specific depths whether trolling or casting. No matter if the fish are suspended, hovering at the weed tops or holding on bottom structure, the CountDown gets to them consistently.

The Shad Rap set the standard to which all other crankbaits are measured. Its taller, “shad” profile and deeper running depth complements the slender, shallow-running attributes of the Original Floating Rapala. Constructed of premium balsa, the Shad Rap is equally effective cast or trolled, and performs from ultra-slow to super fast speeds without fail. Hence, why this lure is considered a must-have for Canadian anglers targeting walleye, pike, bass, yellow perch, crappie, trout and many other fish species.

Often replicated but never duplicated, the premium balsa wood DT has long been a fan favourite. The genius of DT crankbaits is their ability to dive fast to a preset depth and stay in the strike zone longer than any than other crankbait on the market. And with six sizes delivering consistent running depths of 4, 6, 8, 10, 14 and 16 feet, fish have no where to hide.

When the Jigging Rap hit the scene over 60 years ago[1] , it embodied Rapala’s ethos of creating baitfish profiled hard-baits with tantalizing lifelike actions — but this time with a lure designed for jigging applications. Fast forward to today, and Jigging Raps remain one of the hottest lures for catching walleye, bass and other fish in open-water and through the ice. More, the Jigging Rap has spawned similar lures with distinct features, like the Jigging Shad Rap and Jigging Shadow Rap, not to mention several imposters unable to capture the enticing swimming, circular action of the legendary Jigging Rap Series.

Never one to rest on their laurels and fame of past successes, Rapala continues pushing the envelope with many new, innovative hard-baits. Nowhere is this more apparent than the recently released Elite versions of the CountDown and Shad Rap, and the Precision Xtreme Series.

The CountDown Elite and Shad Rap Elite are crafted out of premium balsa wood and retain the classic Rapala wobbling, wounded-minnow action fish can’t resist — yet feature modern upgrades. Cutting-edge construction enhances durability and performance. The premium high-def patterns and metallic gilded faces cause Elite lures to reflect light and produce fish-triggering flash.

Another major advantage is the Elite’s tungsten weight system, which maximizes casting accuracy and distance, and gives the CountDown Elite a faster 1.5-foot/second sink rate. The dense metal is also responsible for an Elite lure to produce a strong return on forward-facing sonar.

The Precision Xtreme Series are meticulously constructed with unmatched technical qualities and eye-catching finishes. The Precision Xtreme Mavrik and Deep Mavrik 110 boast ultra-long, precise casting ability, strong returns with forward-facing sonar, and a hard-cutting, semi-erratic action fish can’t resist.

The unique mouth design of the Precision Xtreme Jowler produces maximum surface disturbance, and allows for the lure’s hard-cutting, splash-n’-walk action at any speed. The Jowler’s dual frequency knocker also amps up audio stimulus to evoke a feeding response.

The above is just a snapshot of tried-and-true Rapala lures that have been helping anglers catch fish for decades. Zoom out a little further to include Rapala Respected Brands, and more proven hard-baits enter the conversation. Storm’s Original Hot ’N Tot crankbait and Rattlin’ Chug Bug topwater, Blue Fox’s Classic Vibrax inline spinner, and Luhr-Jensen’s aggressive, wide-action Kwikfish crankbaits, being just a few tried-and-true lures.

With such a laundry list of hard-baits that have stood the test of time, as well as new releases embodying the latest innovative, fishing lure technologies, is it any wonder why so many anglers put their trust in lures from Rapala and Rapala Respected Brands to get the job done on the water?