Rapala Floating Minnows & Creek Fishing

[ReggieT]

Hey guys,

 

I'm looking forward to exploring the myriad of streams & creeks that abound in my region.

I remember as kid having a couple of F05 Rapala Floating Minnows...never tossed them much.

Yet, later on I read I really missed out on their productivity in small bodies of water & for multi-species.

My plans revolve around an ultralight to light spinning rod, spooled with 4-8lb Triliene XL. 

What about the jointed Rapala's?

 

Share with me your memories, experiences, best colors, any tips on using this lure.

BTW...picked these up from Ebay on the cheap a couple days ago!!

 

 

Thanks,

Reg 

 

[Smells like fish]

I like the 2.5" AC Shiner (perch, sunfish, gold,) which is basically the same thing. Try 6 pound test P Line ccx line. I like the moss color. It has been good enough for catching a couple 30" musky when in search of little smallies and red eyes

[Tennessee Boy]

As a teenager 40+ years ago I waded small creeks in middle Tennessee.  The Rapala Floating Minnows and Rebel Wee Crawfish were my favorites.  I fished mostly craws May through July and mostly Rapalas in August and September.  I caught a lot of smallmouth and spots.   Less than 20 on a given day was a bad day but they were small.  Those were good times.

[GreenPig]

I always carry my F05 Rainbow Trout Rapala's when going to any pond. The bass and bream just can't help themselves they've got to eat it. It's almost like cheating.?

[Mbirdsley]

Jointed rapala J-7 black and silver.  The big smallie smashed it.  I think I had caught that fish a year earlier on a plastic rapala floating minnow Size 7 clown.  The silver jointed j-7 kills it on my local river.  The clown colored one was good for cloudy days. 
 

Size 5 rapala plastic floater in black and silver red body with red diving lip is good also 

 

basically Anything size 5-7 should natural colored darker lures when it is sunny and the clown, white and chartreuse when it’s over cast and or rainy.  

[ReggieT]

3 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I always carry my F05 Rainbow Trout Rapala's when going to any pond. The bass and bream just can't help themselves they've got to eat it. It's almost like cheating.?

Awesome!

Do you tie loop knots on all your Rapala's?

[Bluebasser86]

I like those but now Rebel has the little ultralight cranks with the single, barbless hook on the back that are excellent creek baits for whatever will bite and the single hook makes hook removal with those small baits much easier. The little popper is a hoot.

[smalljaw67]

5 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I always carry my F05 Rainbow Trout Rapala's when going to any pond. The bass and bream just can't help themselves they've got to eat it. It's almost like cheating.?

 

I have a friend that used the nothing but the original floater for years. Specifically late spring through summer and into early fall and only the Rainbow Trout pattern in the F9 and F11 sizes.

[J.Bass]

Shad Raps work the best but in a creek the original Rapala would be my Joyce. Shad rap dives deeper would get hung up more.

[MGF]

Yes, I haven't been using them much the last few years but I don't know why. I've caught a ton of fish on them in my river. Don't overlook the sinker/count down either. I've caught even more fish on that.

 

 

[GreenPig]

18 hours ago, ReggieT said:

Awesome!

Do you tie loop knots on all your Rapala's?

I typically just use the San Diego Jam knot with 6 lb mono and it produces 

[WRB]

Rapala hit the US market about the same time monofilament line became popular.

The Finland Minnow as it was known became Rapala F (for floating) and 13 for it's length. The sinking models followed as CD for count down 1' per second. The original Rapala came in 2 colors black back with silver foil body and black back with gold foil body, both worked so good they caught nearly every fresh water game fish that swims.

Jointed Rapalas are called broken back and maybe the best pond bass lure ever introduced. 

Tom

[ReggieT]

Yep, must be something pretty special about the jointed models.

A bud of mine who use to fish semi-pro tournaments told me that even the 2 inch jointed silver/black is a straight killer in ponds for all species and the J7 is murder everywhere he tosses it within reason!?

[Mbirdsley]

I’ve never really noticed a difference between the plastic and balsa models. except it seems like the balsa ones held up better And a dollar or two more.  Is there any real difference between plastic and balsa? 

[ReggieT]

2 hours ago, Mbirdsley said:

I’ve never really noticed a difference between the plastic and balsa models. except it seems like the balsa ones held up better And a dollar or two more.  Is there any real difference between plastic and balsa? 

Good question...that would default to somebody more experienced than me...?

[Defishman]

I used this. To catch this. Size 06

[AdamT]

Growing up fishing small creeks and rivers, there was only about 4 lures you ever needed.  Panther Martin spinners, rebel crawdad, curly tail grub, and Rapala minnows.  I always used a 5’ spinning rod with a light action and 6lb stren lo vis green mono.  I used the original floating minnow and the jointed version of the Rapala.  Mostly the silver color like the ones you got from eBay.   

[Harold Scoggins]

Clown

[MIbassyaker]

A gold/black back F07 was one of the first artificial lures of any kind I ever learned to successfully catch fish with as a kid (along with a #3 mepps aglia and a 3" Mister Twister curly tail). 

 

I still have it, and it's still (occasionally) in service.

[VolFan]

It really is one of the most versatile, catch-everything lures ever made. When fish are deep you can even carolina rig it. Im partial to the gold version but have caught a ton of fish on the silver as well. Shad area=silver, no shad=gold

[CHIP-MAINE]

i have always done well with these. like 3-4" ones that look like trout do real well. do best with flooaters because they are versatile. try giving little jerks when reeling it in stoping and starting and i have done great throwing it out and just twitching it on the surface. you can also manuver it around things just by letting it float to the surface.