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ICAST P R O D U C TT P R E V I E W |
ICAST Preview : Rapala's New Offerings for 2010/11
| Date: |
7/1/10 |
| Tackle type: |
Lures |
| Manufacturer: |
Normark/Rapala |
| Reviewer: |
Pete Robbins |
Introduction: For ardent anglers, the Rapala story is legendary. Lauri Rapala hand-carved his first lure over 70 years ago in Finland in order to feed his family. It imitated a wounded baitfish so well that he caught fish when others struggled. The commercial version of his product hit US shores in the 1960s, spurred on by a story in Life magazine, and soon enough anglers would beg, borrow or steal just to get their hands on one.
Rapala introduces new sizes for the popular Clackin' Rap.
Background: The clamoring for Rapala products has abated somewhat since the floating minnow first reached American shores, but not much. In addition to their Original Floating Minnow, the company has developed staples such as the Shad Rap, the Fat Rap and the Husky Jerk, all of which have stood the test of time. In fact the Shad Rap family, nearly 30 years old, is still considered by many to be the best and the brightest of its lure class.
The CNR-9 measures 3 1/2" and weighs a whopping 1 3/16 ounces!
Not content to rest on their laurels, the company continues to expand their offerings. Not only does the Rapala lineup itself seem to expand every year, but so too does the parent company’s roster of subsidiaries. Over the years they’ve acquired Storm, Luhr-Jensen, Terminator, Blue Fox, VMC and Sufix. They’ve also introduced the Trigger-X brand of soft plastics.
While the new CNR-7 measures 2 3/4" and weighs 5/8 ounces.
In anticipation of ICAST, the company graciously sent us some samples of their new additions, and while we haven’t fished them yet and can’t report back on their effectiveness, we’ve handled the goods and present the following report.
Rapala extends their Clackin' technology to rip baits and cranks.
Keep On Cranking: In 2009 Rapala introduced the Clackin’ Rap, a lipless crank with one primary feature to distinguish it from its competitors – an exposed chamber in the middle of the bait that contained a single steel ball. So-called “One Knockers” aren’t anything new. In fact, decades Cotton Cordell made a Spot with a single knocker that is still very much coveted by devotees who will pay high prices for them on Ebay. But the Clackin’ Rap had not only a loud sound chamber but also improved finishes and quality hooks straight out of the package to update this old time standard.
Introducing the new Clackin' Crank series.
At first they came out with the CNR06 and CNR08, 7/16 ounce and 7/8 ounce, respectively. This year they add two new models, the CNR07 and the CNR09, which weigh in at 5/8 ounce and 1 3/16 ounces. But even though they’re still fairly heavy, they have relatively small profiles. The CNR07 isn’t much bigger than many others’ ¼ ounce models and the CNR09 is about the same size as a ¾ ounce Rat-L-Trap. The former should be an all-around workhorse. The latter will excel in saltwater. It should also be a great bait to yo-yo for bass hanging around deep water structure, a technique that Rapala pro David Fritts has used to win hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.
The CNC-74 measures 2 3/4", weighs 5/8ths of an ounce, and is rated to run 4' deep.
They’ve also added two new colors to their previous lineup of 17 different hues. The new ones, Helsinki Shad and Royal Shad, look sort of “sexy” if you know what we mean.
The CNC-53 measures 2", weighs 5/16ths of an ounce, and is rated to run 3' deep.
Next Section: Clackin’Minnow,
available in 16 colors |
