January Walleye Lure of the Month: Rapala 07 Floating Silver Lure

Walleye Lure of the Month: Rapala 07 Floating Silver Lure

In the 1930's, Lauri Rapala had a very simple revelation: wounded fish get eaten by big fish, so all he needed to do was to create a lure that resembled a wounded minnow.  Such a simple thought process, but it is one that has transcended generations and helped to catch millions of fish.  The Rapala Original Floater was originally made of timber, and has since been updated to what is included in this month's selection.  It's easy to use, durable, and most importantly - it catches fish!

Used as a trolling lure, it is easy to maintain a consistent speed.  Also because of the balsa wood construction, you will find that it has a nice, rolling action through the water, further enticing the fish.  If you are lure casting, simply cast it out and pull it back in.  

As a variation, if you see fish flashing at the lure but not striking, try this: cast it out, increase the tempo of the retrieve, and add in short, sharp stops that get the Rapala minnow darting and weaving, darting and weaving.  This may "wake up" the fish that were previously not interested, and get them to chase and try to catch the lure with a new life to it.

For more info, check out FishingEnthusiast.BlogSpot.com to watch a video put together by Patrick Brennan on best practices of fishing this beautiful lure!

Features:

*Swimming Depth: 0.6-1.8 m

*Available in classic and bleeding patterns

*Can be fished top to bottom

*Balsa Wood Construction

*Natural Minnow Profile

*Run Fast or Slow

*VMC Hooks

January Freshwater Fly of the Month: Dave's Hopper Orange

January Freshwater Fly of the Month: Dave's Hopper Orange

So many different hoppers, so many first names! How did this happen?  Well we do know the story of Dave's Hopper, this months Freshwater Fly of the Month.  The hopper is named for Dave Whitlock, a fishermen that we owe a great bit of gratitude to for his many creations.  Not only did he create the Dave's Hopper, but also the Matuka, Mouse Rat, Redhead flies and about several dozen bass and saltwater patterns.  His nymph and streamer patterns are old standbys at most fly shops.  Many consider Dave's contribution to fly trying, in terms of pattersn, are broader and more numerous than the contributions of Lee Wulff, one of the most famous fly tyers of all time.

Dave's hopper is somewhat of a tradition to many western fly fishers.  Many fishermen say that once you master spinning deer hair, this is one of the easiest hopper patterns to tie (reason enough to learn how!).  This fly can be tied with all-black materials to create a cricket, or stonefly colors to imitate any of the stoneflies that inhabit the mountain streams. The hopper is tied with trimmed hackle legs that were knotted and bent to shape.  Some of the later variations used knotted pheasant tail fibers, rubber hackle, and hair for legs.  Depending on the area that you live in, and the terrestrials of the local area, feel free to use artistic creativity to add any features as you see fit.

Dave's Hopper casts like a bullet.  The fly is the best in wind because it shoots through wind and tends to land right up tight to the bank more than the other bugs.  It does hold some water, but then it seems to "punch" through blades of grass and fall in the water.  This gives it great fishability.  This fly can also be fished sunk (it's an old timers trick... but it works!).  Try fishing it with a little piece of split shot under a Hopper-Cator, which will allow it to drift up under the grass and into the trout's mouth.  Try it and let me know how it goes!

January Saltwater Lure of the Month: Rapala Silver Mackerel

January Saltwater Lure of the Month

Rapala Magnum Silver Mackerel

Happy New Year!  2013 is going to be a great year for fishing.  This month's selection, the Rapala Countdown Magnum mackerel is (according to IGFA records), the world's best selling hard bodied saltwater lure.  The best! More world record fish have been caught with these Rapalas than any other lure, which makes this lure "Your Best Shot at a World Record"! Rapala originally created the floating magnum in 1969 and were amazed by it's fish catching attraction of fish, specifically the silver blue mackerel color that was introduced in 1976.  It was a lethal combination.  In 1987, Rapala improved the model, and created a harder bodied saltwater lure that would more consistently dive to the required depths.  This new change helped the lure to take off, and sales haven't looked back since.

The Magnum is made from tough, African Abachi wood and has salt water resistant VMC perma steel trebles.  The metal lip, welded line tie and heavy duty split rings provide long life and premium performance.  The Abachi wood allows the lure to swim true at any speed, cast or trolled.  Built saltwater tough, the Magnum is build to take the abuse of Blues, Tarpon, Tuna, and Wahoo.

Tips to Fish:

• Try high speed trolling for tuna
• Use matching leaders, and snap locks, for safety
• Concentrate around both floating and submerged features for the best action
• The controlled sinking rate allows you to easily gauge the depth at which the bait is sitting, to better capture specific fish

Technique: Trolling

Running Depth: 2.7-7.5 meters

Colours Available: (SM) Silver Mackerel, (S) Silver, (BTO) Bonito, (RH) Redhead

Sizes Available: 14 cm & 18cm

Features

• Super Tough Abachi Wood Construction
• Sinking Models
• Anti-Broach Design
• Rugged Rust Resistant Hardware
• Natural and Stimulator Patterns
• VMC® Perma Steel® Hooks

January Freshwater Lure of the Month - Heddon Super Spook Jr.

January Freshwater Lure of the Month - 2013

Heddon Super Spook Jr.

“For any fish that feeds on other fish”

The Zara Spook was invented in Pensacola, a seaport in NW Florida, on Pensacola Bay, in 1922. This seductive lure with its trademark wiggle was originally called the Zaragossa, aptly named after the "wiggling" women on Zaragossa Street, which at the time was Pensacola’s red-light district.  A few years later the lure was given a new design (1939) and the name was forever changed to the Zara Spook.  The latter portion of its new name was inspired by the skeleton-like design painted along the sides of the first version of this popular lure.

To this day the Zara Spook remains one of the most often fished lures of all time.  In fact, even after all of these years and despite its enormous success, the Zara Spook's left-to-right, right-to-left top water action remains unique in the marketplace.  This 'walk the dog' motion pulls even the most stubborn game fish from the bottom when no other lure can.  The version of the classic enclosed is crafted from plastic, but the original was hand-carved from white cedar.  Not to worry, today’s Zara Spook is as deadly as the original.  Heddon, a company whose history dates back to 1894, originally sold the lure.  It’s now manufactured under the careful eye of EBSCO Industries, Inc.

Date Created: 1922 (The original Zara Spook received its name in 1939 and the Super Spook followed)

Manufacturer: EBSCO Industries, Inc

Technique:

Cast the Super Spook out into likely cover.  Let it rest long enough for the ripples to disperse.   With your rod tip at a 30 degree angle from the water, begin twitching the lure from side to side with an occasional short pause to induce its trademark 'walk-the-dog' style action.