Product Review                  

Week of March 17, 2014

Rapala Lures & Accessories

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Storm Super Crankin Rattling Arashis

Now Wired For Sound, Are Even More Awesome

Storm released two new, rattling models in the Arashi line of crankbaits.

 

Based on the successful Silent Square 3 and 5 Arashis, the new Rattling Square models feature a multi-ball rattle system that imitates the sound of baitfish feeding in the shallows. The numbers in the name indicate the bait's maximum diving depth. Like their silent brethren, both the Rattling Square 3 and 5 run with a lively rolling action and a pronounced tail kick.

 

Featuring a sturdy, square, circuit board lip and premium finish, both Silent Square and Rattling Square Arashis are built to withstand repeated contact with cover.

 

Anytime you’re throwing a crankbait, especially a shallow-water crankbait, you want to be deflecting that bait off of cover. So you need to have a bait that is able to handle that abuse. And that’s where the circuit board lip comes in and the premium finishes come into play.

 

Both the Rattling Square 3 and 5 feature a large head that extends to a thin, sharp tail. That combination creates unadulterated buoyancy to back out of cover, practically eliminating hang-ups.

 

The Rattling Square 3 is 2 1/8” long, weighs 1/2 ounce and comes with two No. 4 Premium Black Nickel VMC hooks. The Rattling Square 5 is 2 3/8” long, weighs 5/8 ounce and comes with two No. 2 Premium Black Nickel VMC hooks. Both are equipped with an intricately built, patent pending self-tuning line tie, which Palaniuk says makes the Arashi an unmatched force and a bass angler’s dream bait.

 

The self-tuning line tie allows the bait to get back on track quicker after deflecting off of cover than a conventional shallow-diving crankbait. And you can turn this bait on a high-speed reel as fast as you can possibly move your hand on the reel, and it will run true all the time. It will never blow out, and never kick out to the side.

 

All Arashi crankbaits feature rotated hook hangers that accommodate larger hooks. Both the Rattling Square 3 and 5 are available in 12 color patterns: Hot Blue Shad, Bluegill, Baby Bass, Crappie, Blue Back Herring, Wakasagi, Rusty Craw, Mossy Chartreuse Craw, Red Craw, Hot Chartreuse, Parrot and Black Silver Shad.

 

“Arashi” means “storm” in Japanese. Storm is one of many respected names in the Rapala family of brands.

 

About $8.99

 

www.rapala.com

 

Rapala 50-pound Digital Fish Gripper

Functionality meets high performance with the new Digital Fish Gripper from Rapala. Chock-full of features, the Digital Fish Gripper features rugged high-grade stainless steel construction for unmatched toughness against fresh and saltwater environments. 

 

Anglers can choose between measuring in pounds or ounces with a max display of 50 pounds. When anglers safely hoist their catch, the easy-to-read, waterproof digital readout will be clearly visible in the day’s trophy pictures.

 

With a whopping 600-hour run time powered by two AAA batteries, a two-minute auto shut-off and wrist lanyard, the new Rapala Digital Fish Gripper is the crème de la crème of combo tools.

 

About $54.99

 

www.rapala.com

 

Rapala Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife

At double the speed and three times the power of average electric fillet knives, the new Rapala® Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife turns fillet chores into the simplest of tasks.

 

Anglers will immediately notice the incredible control thanks to the increased power, and with twice the blade speed, they’ll slice through rib and backbones like a hot knife through butter, making fast work of walleye, salmon, trout and other large fish.

 

The comfortable, relaxed grip provides fatigue- free filleting, and the 8-foot power cord provides ample opportunity to maneuver around the fillet table when cleaning the day’s catch.

 

The new Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife’s custom airflow body design keeps the motor running cool and smooth, while dampening vibration. Dishwasher safe 7-1/2 inch blades are included and are the perfect size for any job.

 

Here’s to being the finest fillet artist in camp.

 

About $59.99

 

www.rapala.com/

 

Rapala Shallow-Running Scatter Raps

With Rapala’s release of new shallow-running Scatter Raps, bass can run, but have nowhere left to hide.

 

While the initial Scatter Rap models covered the mid-depth range, the new Scatter Rap Crank Shallow covers water three feet deep and shallower. But the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story – Scatter Raps not only cover the water column vertically, they extend coverage horizontally as well.

 

Featuring what’s best described as evasive action, Scatter Raps perfectly mimic a spooked baitfish fleeing attack, moving from one side to the next, triggering reactive bites. Built on classic Rapala balsa body shapes, Scatter Raps derive their name and signature evasive sweeping action from an innovative, patent-pending, curved Scatter Lip.

 

The Scatter Rap Crank Shallow measures two inches and weigh 5/16 ounce. They run silently, float when paused and come with No. 5 Black Nickel Round-Bend VMC hooks. They come in 18 color patterns, including four new “Ike’s Custom Ink” patterns – Bruise, Girlfriend, Mule and Rasta.

 

Reeling the Scatter Rap Crank Shallow over the top of submergent grass, varying your retrieve speed from slow to moderate – rather than ripping it out of the grass. Erratically sweeping wide left and wide right, then back to center again, can trigger a phenomenal bite.  It looks like a little baitfish that’s trying to hide in that grass and coming out and trying to get away.

 

The Scatter Crank Shallow will be most productive in the middle to late pre-spawn period, when water temps are between 52 and 55 degrees and bass are holding in shallow flats in less than four feet of water.

 

About $8.99

 

www.rapala.com/

 

Rapala DT -6 (Dive-to Series)

Rapala’s DT crankbaits are designed to dive fast to a pre-set depth and stay in the strike zone longer than any than other crankbait on the market.

 

Made from the top 7 percent of balsa wood, this consistently perfect wood combined with carefully placed internal weights, a tapered fuselage and a thin tail design creates the ultimate crankbait action. An ultra-thin polycarbonate lip digs the bait down quickly to desired depth.

 

Swimming with a side-to-side action only balsa crankbaits can achieve, DTs pull with ease when cranked. Perfectly weighted to rest in a “quick-dive,” nose-down position allowing for immediate descent to desired depth, DTs can be easily cast up to 150 feet.

The farther your cast, the longer your bait stays in the strike zone.

 

DTs feature an internal baritone rattle tuned for optimal bite-triggering sound. They come in 27 color patterns, including eight “Ike’s Custom Ink” patterns designed personally by Iaconelli, exclusively for Rapala. All come with premium VMC hooks. Each is hand-tuned and tank-tested to swim perfectly right out of the box.

 

Simply put, the farther the cast, the longer the bait stays in the strike zone. It's the most effective way to cover more water and catch more fish. Internal baritone rattle is tuned for best sound performance. Premiere finishes in all the right color patterns, finished with 3D holographic or painted eyes. All come with premium VMC SureSet tail hook and black nickel belly hook. Each lure is hand-tuned and tank-tested to swim perfectly right out of the box.

 

Features Include:

  • Quick-Dive Resting Position

  • Extra Thin Polycarbonate Lip

  • Perfect Balance

  • 3D Holographic or Painted Eyes

  • Long-Casting up to 150 ft.

  • Thin Tail Design

  • Internal Rattle Chamber

  •  VMC® SureSe Tail Hook

  •  VMC® Black Nickel Belly Hook

  •  Balsa Wood Construction

  •  3D Holographic Eyes

  •  Hand-Tuned & Tank-Tested

About $7.59

 

www.rapala.com

 

Rapala 50-pound Mechanical Fish Gripper

Safe handling of trophy catches has never been easier with the new Rapala® 50-pound Mechanical Fish Gripper. One-handed operation allows anglers to quickly and easily attach the fish gripper to the toothiest fish, then lift and precisely measure the weight on the easy-to-read spring-loaded scale. With the simple release mechanism, anglers can carefully glide and release the catch back into the depths.

 

The new 50-pound Mechanical Fish Gripper features corrosion-resistant aluminum construction for longevity and the soft handle provides a slip-resistant grip, with a backup wrist lanyard, to ensure during all the excitement that the fish is the only one headed back in the water.

 

Weighing in 1-pound increments, this new tool of the trade is a must-have for every on-the-water outing.

 

About $29.99

 

www.rapala.com

 

Rapala 6 1/2" Pliers

Made with carbon steel

Designed for years of reliable service, the Rapala Fisherman’s pliers are made of durable carbon steel with a nickel plated finish. Co-molded grips for comfort with a double leaf spring for ease of use and convenience.

 

These pliers also feature a Split shot crimper, a Rapala lure tuning tool and light duty side cutters.

 

Every angler should have one! Rapala’s fine construction ensures you won't be "fishing" for a new pair anytime soon.. Also features: Split shot crimper; Rapala lure tuning tool; Double leaf spring side cutter.

 

These Rapala pliers are ideal for any tool kit. They're weatherproof, so they work well for indoor or outdoor projects. Soft handles make them comfortable to use

 

Features Include

  • Co-Molded Soft Grip Handles

  • Rapala Lure Tuning Tool

  • Split Shot Crimper

  • Light Duty Side Cutter

  • Double Leaf Spring

  • Carbon Steel Construction

  • Weight: less than ½ lb

About $10.99

 

www.rapala.com/

 

Rapala Deep-Running Scatter Raps

With Rapala’s release of the new deep-running Scatter Raps, bass can run, but have nowhere left to hide.

 

While the initial Scatter Rap models covered the mid-depth range, the new Scatter Rap Crank Deep dives 10- to 12-feet. But the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story – Scatter Raps not only cover the water column vertically, they extend coverage horizontally as well.  Built on classic Rapala balsa body shapes, Scatter Raps derive their name and signature evasive sweeping action from an innovative, patent-pending, curved Scatter Lip.

 

The Scatter Rap Crank Deep measures two inches and weigh 5/16 ounce, runs silently, floats when paused and comes with No. 5 Black Nickel Round-Bend VMC hooks. The Scatter Rap Deep comes in 18 color patterns, including four new “Ike’s Custom Ink” patterns – Bruise, Girlfriend, Mule and Rasta.

 

Whether you’re fishing deep weedline edges, extended points or rockpile humps, there’s a lot of feeding activity that happens offshore in that depth. Throw the Scatter Crank Deep at isolated vegetation clumps off the sides of points, It will be a killer out there, because it’s got that lateral actions. “Fish have never seen that action out there. Also, use the Scatter Crank Deep for targeting rocky slopes in the cold water of early spring.

 

About $8.99

 

www.rapala.com/

 

 

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