Got my first Rapala.

[Jonathan Evans]

The weather killed my fishing this morning. Hit the local Walmart just to browse and got bit by the darn bait monkey. I got some more flukes and my first Ralapa lure. The package was all beat up so it was marked down from $8.00 to $5.00. I get to the register and find out its actually marked down to $3.00!!  I cannot believe this little guy is $8.00 originally!. Its called a Flat Rap and its made of Balsa wood. My grandpa used these back in the day and loved them. Cant wait to try this baby out!

image sharing

[Choporoz]

Great lure.  It WILL catch fish.  If you don't get bit with straight retrieve, try sort of pause/jerking it.  It will turn 'follows' into hits.

 

[scaleface]

Rapala makes darn good lures .That one looks good , I would have bought it too .

[tander]

Got a deal on that Rapala, bet it catches you some fish.

[Jonathan Evans]

Wow, Thanks guys. Apparently the Rapala has sort of a following by the looks of it. The reviews are all 5 star on every site I visit. The history of the lure is really interesting as well. The first Rapala came out in the 1930s! The original is still used by pros today, Now that's cool.

[Preytorien]

Heck ya. Rapala is a tried and true brand.

But be careful.....that bait monkey will sneak up on you more and more now!

[Kbral87]

Rapala is one of my favorite brands, not only do they make lures that catch fish but they are very well crafted and aesthetically pleasing.

[Red Bear]

i like my rapalas, but i seem to have always had a problem with the lips breaking off

[S. Sass]

I'm really getting into the crankbaits myself and have found the Rapalas DT to be one of my favorite from Rapala. I found the DT 10s to be very versatile. 

Great buy on that one. I almost got a deal like that on a DT14 with a old beat up box. It was marked down but the tag was even beat up and faded so it appeared to say .96¢ but there was a $6 that took a extremely close look to tell was ever there. $6.96 was no smoking deal. Haha

[bigbassin']

Outside of the original floater, that's the only model of rapala I've ever had any luck on. Did pretty good in prespawn jerking it as fast as I could in clear water this year.

[bigbill]

Get out there, cast it out and just twitch it or slow reel it. Be ready for the hard strikes.

[primetime]

Enjoy. The Flat rap is a great option when you want some added flash or if you want a tighter action like cold weather or anytime baitfish are sluggish. I use the Flat Rap and Original Rapala on every trip I take. Some days the flat sides work better but some days a more erratic action from the original Rapala works, but you can be confident that you have a Proven lure that will catch fish once you get the cadence right. 50% of the time they take it as it lands, first moves, or first pause....

Enjoy. I do better when I use the lightest line possible and keep in mind, the hooks are light guage since it is balsa, heavy line kills the action so diameter matters. Around weeds I just use braid since 20lb is 4-6 diamater but I prefer 8lb test since usually the Rapala Excels on edges and if it is just weeds you can another site with 8lb test.

I forget the exact quote but I believe Rapala Lures own more world records for both fresh and salt water than any other company or all combined...Something like that. I believe the Original Rapala Series from Floater to Countdown is still the best seller in the world for a lure.

The best part is the floating Rapala never get's fished since guys feel they can't cast it far enough, or use it on line that is way too heavy. Not every Rapala is a great lure, I have had bills break on the DT Flats and a few others but I will put the Original,

Shad Rap, Flat Raps, Shallow Shad Rap, and the X Rap Prop as baits that are as good as they get in that price range and easy to fish. Shad Raps are life savers as well. Especially the #7 and the #5 suspending Glass shad rap.

[lakeannaangler]

I sure have gave a lot of money to Rapala, X rap jerkbaits,  X rap prop, shadow rap, shad rap,floater, DT cranks , all proven fish catchers and there is no company that can compete with these baits in the price range. I've heard of lots of people breaking lips, I've only broke one and it was my own stupid fault.

[lo n slo]

my trusty #7 Shad Raps and an old Countdown Minnow that i haven't thrown in years.

 

[Jonathan Evans]

1 hour ago, primetime said:

Enjoy. The Flat rap is a great option when you want some added flash or if you want a tighter action like cold weather or anytime baitfish are sluggish. I use the Flat Rap and Original Rapala on every trip I take. Some days the flat sides work better but some days a more erratic action from the original Rapala works, but you can be confident that you have a Proven lure that will catch fish once you get the cadence right. 50% of the time they take it as it lands, first moves, or first pause....

Enjoy. I do better when I use the lightest line possible and keep in mind, the hooks are light guage since it is balsa, heavy line kills the action so diameter matters. Around weeds I just use braid since 20lb is 4-6 diamater but I prefer 8lb test since usually the Rapala Excels on edges and if it is just weeds you can another site with 8lb test.

I forget the exact quote but I believe Rapala Lures own more world records for both fresh and salt water than any other company or all combined...Something like that. I believe the Original Rapala Series from Floater to Countdown is still the best seller in the world for a lure.

The best part is the floating Rapala never get's fished since guys feel they can't cast it far enough, or use it on line that is way too heavy. Not every Rapala is a great lure, I have had bills break on the DT Flats and a few others but I will put the Original,

Shad Rap, Flat Raps, Shallow Shad Rap, and the X Rap Prop as baits that are as good as they get in that price range and easy to fish. Shad Raps are life savers as well. Especially the #7 and the #5 suspending Glass shad rap.

Yeah I have been doing research and they are praised across the web. i can see why they want 8 bucks for it. 

I see you live in Tampa, I am moving back in 2 weeks for a new job and I am super excited to come home. I know some really good spots for bass as well. . 

[primetime]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Evans said:

Yeah I have been doing research and they are praised across the web. i can see why they want 8 bucks for it. 

I see you live in Tampa, I am moving back in 2 weeks for a new job and I am super excited to come home. I know some really good spots for bass as well. . 

Well, If you ever want to go fishing when you get down here I am pretty flexible and always find time to put a line in the water. Simply send a PM and we can do some fishing when you get down here. We have some areas we found which are awesome from both boat and shore. 

Congrats on the new job and definitely feel free to reach out when you get to Tampa. The great thing about Florida is the fact you can fish so many different types of lakes, Rivers and even brackish areas where you can catch Snook for a few hours, when the tide stops, walk a few minutes and start catching Bass.

Perfect Timing, I prefer Fall Fishing over Spring as the Bass seem easiest to catch when it cools off.

[You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing]

good luck rapala is a classic!