February Freshwater Lure of the Month: Rapala Crankin Rap Shad

February Freshwater Lure of the Month: Rapala Crankin Rap Shad

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  The Rapala Original Floater was originally made of timber, and this original intuition has spawned hundreds of different types of baits that solve this very need: how to make the baits look like wounded fish.  This month’s selection, Rapala Crankin Rap, evolved from that very first bait in Lauri Rapala’s garage to become the dynamic, dipping and diving bait that you will find in this box.  It's easy to use, durable, and most importantly - it catches fish!

Designed to target specific depth zones and keep you right on the fish, the Rapala Crankin’ Raps have you covered anywhere from 2 to 14 feet.  Their round body design and thin tail combine to produce an enticing wobbling action that bass and even other fish species can’t seem to resist.  Well constructed and durable, the Crankin Raps also feature holographic foil inserts and external scale patterns for added realism and underwater flashing.

The shallow-diving 03 and 05 sizes in the Crankin Rap feature a square-bill designed to plow through the water, while the deeper-diving 08, 10 & 14 sizes feature a round lip that allows them to plummet quickly to their desired depth.  Available in a variety of proven colors in each size, each Rapala Crankin Rap also has the running depth prominently displayed on its bill, allowing anglers determine at a glance which Cranking Rap to choose.

February Saltwater Lure of the Month: Luhr Jensen Pet Spoon

February Saltwater Lure of the Month: Luhr Jensen Pet Spoon

This pet spoon was created by Luhr-Jensen, a world class company with humble beginnings.  The company was founded by Luhr Jensen, Sr. in 1932 in an unused chicken coop on a depression-ridden fruit ranch in the upper Hood River Valley of Oregon.  In the words of Luhr, “Things were simpler then. We made a few different styles of spinners and had special relationships with our Northwest jobbers.  Everyone was “your friend”… it was not a bad time”. 

In 1932, Luhr was 41 years old and his family’s fruit growing businesses was struggling.  With some extra time on his hands, Luhr began stamping and assembling very carefully made, hand crafted salmon spinners.  His fishing knowledge and careful craftsmanship helped to create a very high quality lure.  Before he knew it, friends and associates started demanding his lures.  And so, a little factory was born in his little backyard chicken coop factory.

With the help of his wife and his son and daughter after school, the business grew and prospered.  Luhr was the lead creator, and the kids then replicated his creations.  Most of Luhr’s earliest creations can still be seen in some evolved form today, such as the Ford Fender, named after the Model A from which he obtained the headlight reflector and built the blades.

Luhr Sr. has long since passed, but 70 years later the company is as strong as ever. His lures today are still made in only the highest quality, just as Luhr always wanted.

Description:

• Heavy-duty construction
• Genuine chrome or gold plated corrosion-resistant finishes
• Versatile, multi-species design
• VMC® Perma Steel® 2X Strong hook

Everyone needs a pet, and Luhr-Jensen's Pet Spoon fills the bill nicely. The lure makes use of genuine chrome or gold plated corrosion-resistant finishes in a versatile multi-species design. The Pet Spoon features heavy-duty construction so it won't blink when facing down hawgs. Equipped with VMC Perma Steel 2X Strong hook.

The History of Fly Fishing - February 2016

The History of Fly Fishing - February 2016

Many credit the 1st recorded use of an artificial fly t othe Roman Claudius Aelianus near the end of the 2nd Century.  However, other than a few fragmented references, little was written on fly fishing until The Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle was published in 1496 with The Boke of Saint Albans, attributed to Dame Juliana Berners.  The book contains instructions on rod, line, and hook making and dressings for different flies to use at different times of the year.  By the 15th century, rods of approximately 14 ft in length with a twisted line attached at its tips were used in England. 

The earliest English poetical treatise on Angling by John Dennys, said to have been a fishing companion ofShakespeare, was published in 1613, The Secrets of Angling. Footnotes of the work, written by Dennys' editor, William Lawson, make the first mention of the phrase to 'cast a fly': "The trout gives the most gentlemanly and readiest sport of all, if you fish with an artificial fly, a line twice your rod's length of three hairs' thickness... and if you have learnt the cast of the fly."

The art of fly fishing took a great leap forward after the English Civil War, where a newly found interest in the activity left its mark on the many books and treatises that were written on the subject at the time.

The Compleat Angler was written by Izaak Walton in 1653 (although Walton continued to add to it for a quarter of a century) and described the fishing in theDerbyshire Wye. It was a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse; 6 verses were quoted from John Dennys's earlier work.

A second part to the book was added by Walton's friend Charles CWalton did not profess to be an expert with a fishing fly; the fly fishing in his first edition was contributed by Thomas Barker, a retired cook and humorist, who produced a treatise of his own in 1659; but in the use of the live worm, thegrasshopper and the frog "Piscator" himself could speak as a master. The famous passage about the frog, often misquoted as being about the worm—"use him as though you loved him, that is, harm him as little as you may possibly, that he may live the longer"—appears in the original edition. Cotton's additions completed the instruction in fly fishing and advised on the making of artificial flies where he listed sixty five varieties.