* Rapala Fishing Lures

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Rapala Fishing Lures - How They Developed
Author: Abhishek Agarwal

Rapala Fishing Lures first appeared on the market in 1936, still found in an angler's fishing box today as an essential item. At the beginning, the Rapala Fishing Lures were hand carved using cork and native balsa wood by Lauri Rapala, an avid fisherman from Finland. He noted how fish had a tendency to head towards any injured baitfish and bite aggressively, so he designed a lure that was lightweight and mimicked an injured fish as it moved through the water, so this made the ideal lure.



These first fishing lures were experimental, produced using materials that were accessed from the home. The carved cork with the wood was coved using ordinary tin foil, which produced an even greater result as large fish would make more strikes thinking they had struck lucky with an injured fish. Rapala melted photography negatives which was used as a clear coating to cover the fishing lures to make them waterproof and to seal the tin foil covering. This proved amazing results, in a part of the world that was used to daily fishing events.



All the original Rapala Fishing Lures were handmade and were tested in person by Rapala himself as he had invented them. The demand grew so soon more people were hired to help with production, with the same attention to detail and personal handmade that became Rapala's trademark for each lure that was sold. Today, all Rapala Fishing Lures go through the rigorous testing in a tank before being passed on for sale so as to ensure that it does have the correct movement of an injured fish in water.



Between 1936 and 1965 the Rapala floater was the original and only Rapala Fishing Lure available on the market, then came the balanced jigging lure and the introduction of the saltwater floater. A jointed diver was newly produced in 1974 and in the 1980's came the production of the shad lures.



From 1999, a newer version of Rapala Fishing Lure has been introduced just about every season. These lures are famously sold in over 140 countries worldwide in many stores that sell sporting goods, and with the internet even more have been sold globally. Each year sees a turnover of more than twenty million Rapala Fishing Lures that are sold, which just reflects the actual new ones that are sold in retail outlets. Rapala has also introduced many more fishing gadgest like a fish and fillet knife which came out in 1964, and then came the handheld digital weighing scale in the year 1989. The company, Normark, the owner of the Rapala line include in their product range - rods, reels, accessories and other fishing tools.



Today, the Rapala Fishing Lures continue to be mostly made and tested by the original method of Lauri Rapala's first lure made in his home in 1936, and is still a bestselling lure around the world.

About the Author:

Abhishek is an avid Fishing enthusiast and he has got some great Fishing Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 116 Pages Ebook, "Fishing Mastery!" from his website http://www.Fishing-Masters.com/772/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

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* Trolling reels are typically used for offshore big

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Trolling reels are typically used for offshore big-game trolling in open water.

Trolling is the process of dragging both bait and lures behind a moving vessel, which is a productive way to locate schools of migratory fish. The reason being, when a boat trolls over a school of fish, the wake and commotion on the surface emulates a ball of bait. This triggers the feeding instincts of many offshore species and immediately sends the leading edge of the school towards the commotion to investigate, with the rest of the pack following. As the most aggressive fish in the school frantically try and chase down this commotion, the trolling lures, jigs and baits are the first hint of a meal that they come across. They charge at them with reckless abandon, inhaling what appears to the fish as vulnerable stragglers, desperately trying to catch up with the rest of the pack.

As soon as one of the trolling lures or baits is inhaled, the trolling reel begins to sing, with the clicker of the reel creating a loud noise that notifies the angler to get ready. This sends the anglers into a dash for their gear, yelling "hook-up", which immediately causes the captain to throw the vessel into neutral to stop the boat. As the momentum of the vessel carries the boat forward, the crew begins to throw live bait, either by pieces or in full scoops. By now, the rest of the migrating school has caught up to the commotion and is met with the temptation of live bait, sending them into a feeding frenzy.

However, a wide-open bite is not always the result of a hook-up while trolling. When the fish are down, or when the conditions are far from ideal, trolling will produce the majority of the catch, with no feeding frenzy following the trolled up fish. On these days, it is essential to land every troll fish and having the right equipment is critical in accomplishing this. Trolling rod and reel combos are the most expensive combos on the market today. Due to their importance in locating roaming schools of open water fish, manufacturers like Shimano®, Penn®, Daiwa®, Okuma® and Accurate® incorporate the finest materials and technologies to ensure strength and durability in producing the best fishing reel capable of handling record-breaking trophies.

Trolling reels are typically found in the lever drag system. On these types of fishing reels, the drag pressure adjusts with the slide of a lever, which is located on the top of the reel to the right. Designated markings of, or similar to freespool, strike and full are found on reels like the Penn® International series, Shimano Tiagra® and the Acurrate Twin Drag® saltwater trolling reels. Most later models come in a two- speed version, with two separate gear ratios that serve different purposes. The high gear is to gain as much line as possible with every turn of the handle, sacrificing torque and power. Low gear, on the other hand, provides tremendous torque and in return, sacrifices the ability to retrieve a substantial amount of line per crank. When properly utilized, both gears are designed to maximize the chances of quickly and efficiently landing scale-busting size fish.

The most noticeable difference in a trolling reel are the two rings that sit atop all trolling fishing reels. These rings are part of the frame and hold an enormous amount of strength. Trolling straps are attached through these rings, as well as big game harnesses and on some occasions, a back-up rod and reel combo, a common practice when fishing on long range boats out of San Diego for huge bluefin and yellowfin tuna. Trolling reels are so strong and powerful, I have even seen anglers cut these rings off and even go so far as to make custom frames to readily access the spool and use trolling reels as live bait reels. I do not recommend this practice, as many of the latest star-drag conventional reels will serve the same purpose.

With the high prices of fuel, trolling around in offshore waters can be very costly. That is why every serious big-game angler should consider having the best saltwater tackle available when it comes to their arsenal. The properly maintained saltwater combo can mean the difference in coming home with a trophy of a lifetime, or coming home skunked, carrying an empty sack.
I have been fishing for over 20 years of my life and hope to continue to do so for the next 30. I have dedicated myself to sharing what I have learned through those years in the hopes of promoting this popular outdoor recreational activity by providing commentaries and reviews, video tutorials, fishing tips and more. Come visit my site at http://spinningreels.com for freshwater and saltwater fishing information.

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