Favorite Rapala's

[Splash]

I don't know much about them so I am asking for help. Floaters, count downs, 2", 5", bigger", jointed. It's all so confusing. Let me propose 2 questions.

1) What are your favorite patterns and sizes?

2) Which ones are non-producers for you?

Hopefully this will help those of us less knowledgeable. Any additonal info like species and time of year would be most helpful.

Stories anyone? :flowered:

[fish-on-bend]

All are proven producers for various species in various conditions. What are you trying to target? Casting or trolling? AS a side note, my nephew caught the former Oregon state record on an F13 floating black and silver.

[Wingmaster]

Black and silver has been deadly on kokes and browns. I don't usually use the huge ones hoping for a larger range (and hopefully more) fish. The perch and brown colors are nice too, they look a lot like chub that are in many lakes.

One time we halted the boat to untangle a trolling flasher set and we forgot one rig was still in the water with a floating rapala. After we were stopped a few minutes the rod really went crazy, ended up with a solid brown that attacked it as it floated to the surface.

[Got One!]

Agreed on the black and silvers, I've had fish the same size as the lure take it :D I personally have more success with floaters, and STILL have some I bought 35 years ago (the hooks have changed a few times). A lure worth the cost that can catch anything in the lake.

[Davy]

I like the smaller black/silver too, I think the one I use is "suspending"

My favorite one though is a Deep Shad Rap 12" flourescent blue/black. Certainly designed for Marlin and other billfish, but it sure looks hot in my tackle tray. It has a diving bill the size of a clam shovel.

I occaisonally throw it on for Mac's but have yet to find a fish willing to step up to the big bait!

[salmontime]

4 1/2" rainbow trout floating Rapala for smallmouth bass on the Umpqua. It's pretty much automatic in the morning and evening.

[Jimmy]

I have caught a lot of fish off Rapala's. In the spring I like fishing LBC for the Bull Trout and my favorite lure would be a Sliver (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=saltwater_sliver&freshorsalt=Salt) in a black and silver size 13. Before the general trout opener I try to fish Crescent and Suttle lakes. At Suttle hands down lure for me is a jointed size 11 (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=jointed&freshorsalt=Fresh) in the orange color. I have caught a lot of browns along the hwy side of the lake trolling in front of the down trees. Crescent we target both Browns and Mackinaw. Mackinaw love the CD 18 or 22 size stainless Magnums (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=magnums&freshorsalt=Salt) in the spring and fall. For the browns I try a lot of different colors, rainbow, black and silver, gold,perch and orange. The size ranges from a size f11 to f18 (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=original_floater&freshorsalt=Both&live=1). Which is from 4.5" to 7". I like to use both straight body and jointed lures. My favorite way to fish Rapala's is to troll them at Crane Prairie in the fall. I haven't been there for a few years but the fishing was great for large rainbow and brook trout over 5 pounds. We used small f5 and f7 floating minnows and trolled the channels and out on the flats out in front of the dam. Just writing this makes me think of getting back to Crane again this fall. Some might say I am giving you all my secrets but there is no secret that big fish feed on small fish for food. Rapala's are a good choice when hunting for trophy trout. I hope this helps.

Jimmy

[Splash]

Thanks a ton guys. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting money on unproductive models. Figured I could purchase a few standard producers before stepping down that all to familiar path of Davey's billfish lure. You'ld think a guy would learn after collecting 3 huge tackleboxes crammed full of pretty (useless) stuff. :whistle: I certainly hope your geared up to handle whatever fish has the attitude to gobble that beast.:thisbig:

An excellent post Jimmy. The links were great. :applause:

You have all been most helpful.

Trout Forum Rocks!

:)

[bwild]

:yeahthat::agree:I have caught a lot of fish off Rapala's. In the spring I like fishing LBC for the Bull Trout and my favorite lure would be a Sliver (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=saltwater_sliver&freshorsalt=Salt) in a black and silver size 13. Before the general trout opener I try to fish Crescent and Suttle lakes. At Suttle hands down lure for me is a jointed size 11 (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=jointed&freshorsalt=Fresh) in the orange color. I have caught a lot of browns along the hwy side of the lake trolling in front of the down trees. Crescent we target both Browns and Mackinaw. Mackinaw love the CD 18 or 22 size stainless Magnums (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=magnums&freshorsalt=Salt) in the spring and fall. For the browns I try a lot of different colors, rainbow, black and silver, gold,perch and orange. The size ranges from a size f11 to f18 (http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=original_floater&freshorsalt=Both&live=1). Which is from 4.5" to 7". I like to use both straight body and jointed lures. My favorite way to fish Rapala's is to troll them at Crane Prairie in the fall. I haven't been there for a few years but the fishing was great for large rainbow and brook trout over 5 pounds. We used small f5 and f7 floating minnows and trolled the channels and out on the flats out in front of the dam. Just writing this makes me think of getting back to Crane again this fall. Some might say I am giving you all my secrets but there is no secret that big fish feed on small fish for food. Rapala's are a good choice when hunting for trophy trout. I hope this helps.

Jimmy

[fish-on-bend]

Quote: "Thanks a ton guys. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting money on unproductive models"


Theres no such thing as unproductive Rapalas. Only unproductive fishermen. :D 2 of the 3 biggest browns caught in Oregon were on Rapalas. The state record bull trout was caught on one. And they were originally marketed in America as a bass lure.

[HammerinHonkers]

Rapalas are a under utilized lure for trout. I infact never really used them for trout until last year when my buddy was killing the rainbows on them one morning, now I have "a few" in my box, and use them all over the place. my favorite is a jointed F6 in brown trout, works great.

[Nonates Buckheninigloo]

They work in rivers also
Here is an f-13 at work below steelhead falls a month ago. She put some time in yesterday and caught my biggest brown to date 18-20"

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/brown3.jpg

[Dan Grbavac]

In the upper Deschutes we used DT 7-9 from a boat drifting down stream
casting behind the boat to the shore with a fast retrieve. Rainbow color
worked the best. The browns would not hit them trolled or against the flow,
only drifting down stream.

[bwild]

I like the fat raps myself.:twocents:

[Dullhook]

Got some good memories of using the black and silver 4 1/2 inch floater and have had pretty good success with it. I remember at Paulina a few years back it was really slow for kokes one late afternoon and it was starting to get dark. Decided to hang it up and visit some friends at their camp. I could see their big campfire from the lake and the air was really getting cold. Threw out a Rapala while fast trolling past the resort boat moorage and all of a sudden the rod bent over and I saw a big fish roll and it started taking out line like crazy. I had 8 lb test Ultragreen on that rod and was pretty confident about landing it. Well after having it on for a while the line snapped. I never was able to turn the fish. Of course it had to have been "faulty" line from the factory :wink: because my knots are always perfect and I always check it regularly for nicks. :jester:
Anyhow, I never did get a good look at the fish but it must have certainly been a new state record! When I told my friends about it at camp I received one of those "another one of those monsters that got away" looks. It sure was fun and I can't wait til springtime in the Cascades. :excited:

[fish Addict80]

the 3 inch blue and white countdown has produced some large browns for me.

Luke

[fish-on-bend]

Dullhook, your story reminds me of a few of my own. I remember when the firetiger pattern came out for Rapalas. I took a friend up to Paulina one evening in the summer about 10 years ago. He caught about 10 browns in 3 hours on his firetiger and I kept changing colors and only managed 1 or 2. I immediately bought about 5 firetigers and that was my go to color for years, still is 1 of my favorites for browns. I don't think theres a better brand for browns. All of my biggest browns have been on Rapalas. I also had a big one break me off up there right at dark. Left my heart racing for about an hour.

[Davy]

Haven't caught a fish on it yet, or even fished it, but this is my new favorite Rapala. Don't it look goooood????

OliveBleedingMinnow 5" ;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v370/buffalow/rapala2.jpg

[bwild]

Yes, that looks very, very good. I think you must've been on the same wavelength as my buddy who went to Cabela's last weekend. He picked up this EXACT lure. Tui? I think so!

[BuKuBass]

At the depth that that Rapala runs, those hook and that bill will appear to be black. So what's the point..so that it looks like an Ubangi?:D

[Dullhook]

Don't it look goooood????


It sure does. Looks like it would really be effective at East or Paulina along those rocky drop-offs. Let us know how you do with it. Thinkin' I may pick one up myself to try this Spring. :smash:

[Davy]

At the depth that that Rapala runs, those hook and that bill will appear to be black. So what's the point..so that it looks like an Ubangi?:D


I think the rest of us want to know what your point is

[Splash]

Runs 5-11'. Sounds like the red should be just fine to me. :shrug:

http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=minnow_rap&freshorsalt=Fresh

[Penobscot]

I've had luck with the really small, single treble rainbow floater. Trolled or rowed close to shore I've pulled a few Browns out of lakes not known to have them.

[icbig1s]

CD 5 Firetiger, Black and Silver, Orange, Rainbow Trout have all produced for me trolling on a longline.