February Freshwater Lure of the Month: Rat-L-Trap

 

RAT L TRAP

 

"Often Imitated, Never Duplicated”

The Rat-l-Trap was invented by Bill Lewis in his small workshop in Boyce, Louisiana 30 years ago.  This lure is notable because it was the first crankbait of its kind in two respects.  Lewis designed his lure with a built-in rattle chamber and, more importantly, the Rat-l-Trap was the first crankbait to boast a lipless design.  These innovations allow the Rat-l-Trap to create a loud, unique underwater fish-attracting rattle and to display a tight wiggling action at nearly any speed.

Bill Lewis got his start selling the lure from the trunk of his car throughout Louisiana and Texas.  He knew immediately that he had a hit on his hands.  The Rat-l-Trap rapidly became one of the most sought after lures on the bass fishing circuit.  Today, the lure is a mainstay in most anglers’ tackle boxes and is fished successfully in saltwater and freshwater alike.

This made-by-hand lure has proven itself effective on big bass, stripers, and other game fish in all types of water.  It has been so successful, in fact, that nearly all recognized lure manufacturers now sell their own variation of this unique lure -- quite a compliment to Bill Lewis's ingenuity.  It’s interesting to note that there has not been a single change made to the Rat-l-Trap original design since its introduction, although Bill Lewis Lures has released several different versions of the original.  This truly classic lure can be found in a number of different sizes and dressed in literally dozens of colors.

Featured lure: Rat-l-Trap

Designer: Bill Lewis

Created: 1969

Manufacturer: Bill Lewis Lures ^®

Technique: 

The Rat-L-Trap can be fished with a variety of retrieves in a variety of conditions.  The lure tracks perfectly with a fast retrieve, demanding attention from feeding fish.  It can also be trolled at a slow speed with equal success.  Experiment with a yo-yo like retrieve for added results.

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FE January Saltwater Lure of the Month: Hopkins Spoon

January 2011

Saltwater Lure of the Month

Hopkins Spoon

The Hopkins Spoon was first hammered out by hand from a knife handle in the 1940’s by Robert Hopkins, an avid saltwater fisherman with an itch for a better lure.  It was Hopkins’ aim to create a lure with two key characteristics. First, Hopkins wanted the lure to cast unusually well into the wind. He succeeded wildly in this.  Hopkins also needed to create a lure that would land a number of different saltwater fish.  Mission accomplished. Two lures the NO=EQL and the Shorty, and one lure manufacturing company followed on the coattails of the “Robert Hopkins Experiment”.

It’s true that Robert Hopkins’ original spoon was crafted from everyday cutlery.  However, today’s Hopkins’ Spoons have come a long way, undergoing a rather complicated manufacturing process.  First the spoon is forged from stainless steel. Next it’s plated with copper, then plated with copper, then plated with nickel, and finally the spoon is chrome-plated for the finest finish possible.  All of this hard work pays off the very second the Hopkins Spoon hits the water.  Whether cast, trolled, or jigged, the Hopkins Spoon emulates a wounded or sick minnow with an action that drives fish of nearly every species out of their heads.

Technique:

Cast the Hopkins Spoon and slowly retrieve allowing the lure to evoke its unmatched life-like minnow action.  The Hopkins Spoon is also deadly when jigged over areas holding bait or large fish.


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January Trout Fly of the Month: The Blue Dun

January 2011

BLUE DUN

No other pattern is known under a wider variety of names, or dressed in a greater variety of methods.

The Blue Dun dates all of the way back to the days of Charles Cotton and Izaak Walton.  Cotton was an English fly-fishing authority and author of The Art of Fly-Fishing.  Wallton the legendary fisherman and author of The Compleat Angler.  The two met in 1655 and later collaborated on the 5^th edition of the venerable The Compleat Angler, in which the two wrote about the Blue Dun and other renowned patterns.  Because a bluish-gray hue is prevalent in so many natural insects, the Blue Dun is an essential pattern for fly fishers everywhere and in all conditions.  In fact, due to its popularity there may be no other fly pattern referred to under so many different names, nor tied in a greater variety of methods than this honorable and classic mayfly imitation.

The intrinsic characteristics of the natural dun make the artificial Blue Dun irresistible to trout.  Upon hatching, the dun rests on the water’s surface where it must wait for its wings to thoroughly dry.  Depending on the weather, its wings can dry in several seconds or, if raining, the drying process can takes a number of minutes.  This drying time makes the dun particularly vulnerable prey for feeding trout.  During an obvious early season hatch with little surface activity, the Blue Dun tied as a wet fly (enclosed), is a highly effective sub-surface selection.

Featured fly: The Blue Dun

Sizes enclosed: #10, #12, #14

Type: Wet fly

Materials:

• Hook: Ball-eyed

• Hackle: light blue hackle

•  Body: Blue-gray fur dubbing

• Tail: Light blue hackle

• Wing: Pale gray duck feathers

To join the Trout Fly of the Month Club, Visit FishingEnthusiast.com!

January Freshwater Lure of the Month: Husky Jerk

 

January 2011

Freshwater Lure of the Month

Husky Jerk

Lauri Rapala of Finland created the Original Minnow in 1936.  It’s the venerable inspiration behind this month’s selection.  Rapala, a fisherman by trade, invented the Original Minnow out of the necessity to increase his daily catch.  Hoping to double his effectiveness, the idea was to design a lure he could troll behind his rowboat while at the same time towing his nets below.  Always while fishing, Rapala closely studied the action of the actual baitfish that larger fish were feeding on.  He found that the baitfish attacked were those sick or dying, and they all had a fish-attracting wobble.  When off the water, Rapala designed his lure using tree bark and bits of foil that closely mimicked the enticing movement of the wounded baitfish he so often observed. Lauri’s lure caught fish.  Word spread locally and demand quickly grew for Rapala’s Original Minnow.  Worldwide demand would soon follow.

The wildly popular Husky Jerk enclosed is a direct descendant of Lauri Rapala’s classic Original Minnow.  The Husky Jerk boasts many of the same characteristics that made its predecessor a worldwide sensation (in fact, wild fans of the Husky Jerk actually brought it back from premature retirement just a few years ago). The two lures share Rapala’s trademark minnow shape and wounded-minnow wobble.  In addition, Rapala added a few new elements to the lure that are destined to make it, too, a classic.  The Husky Jerk’s most notable feature is the fact that it is delicately balanced to suspend in the water perfectly.  As a result, it can be retrieved at any speed and with any technique and still retain its enticing action. Rapala added a rattle chamber to mimic the sound of frenzied baitfish.  The weight of the Husky Jerk also makes this one of the best casting lures in its class.  Premium quality hooks and fittings are included to ensure a long and trouble-free life.  And, of course, the Husky Jerk is hand-tuned just like Lauri Rapala’s 1936 prototype. 

Technique:

The Husky Jerk was designed to dive deep, and has built-in suspending characteristic.  Use both to maximize your success.  The minnow will also produce spectacular strikes when cast out and left to rest on the surface quietly for several minutes.  Give the lure a twitch or two, letting it rest again for up to a minute.  The Husky Jerk can also be trolled, the method practiced by its inventor, with great success.

To become a member of the Freshwater Lure of the Month Club, check out www.FishingEnthusiast.com 

Canadian Ice Fishing Crazy Canucks Insane Fisherman

Right now we are getting crushed with snow. Got me to thinking about ice fishing. I have never tried it, largely because I don't do well in cold weather. And if it is anything like these guys... no thanks, I'll pass. Love the accents though.

December Freshwater Lure of the Month: Dardevle

December 2010

Freshwater Lure of the Month:

DARDEVLE

The creator of the Dardevle, Lou Eppinger, was making his living as a taxidermist in SE Michigan at the end of the 1800’s.  When Eppinger’s business hit somewhat of a slump, he decided to sell lures alongside his taxidermy services in order to help make ends meet.  As the tackle end of his business grew, Eppinger soon began to experiment with lures of his own design.  While on a fishing trip in the Canadian woods, Eppinger took along a spoon he had handcrafted back in Michigan.  He was pleasantly surprised with the results.  Eppinger particularly liked the long distances he could cast his lure—even into a stiff wind.  On top of everything, Eppinger’s prototype actually caught more fish than any other bait he fished on the trip.

After quite a bit of tinkering, Eppinger’s first lure made its official American debut in 1912.  Initially Eppinger called his lure the Osprey.  Eight years later, Eppinger changed the name of his wonder-lure to the Dardevle after the Marines, who had been nicknamed the “Dare Devils” for their feats of bravery in the first World War.  Today, Eppinger’s trademark red-and-white stripped Dardevle is perhaps the most recognizable and omnipresent lures ever to hit the fishing scene.  Alongside his trademark paint scheme, anglers will find dozens of color and size combinations.  Although all the colors have their fans, FE is partial to the classic red-and-white.

Featured lure: Dardevle

Created by: Lou Eppinger

Created: c. 1912

Manufacturer: Eppinger Manufacturing Company

Type: Spoon

Technique:

While this lure is not considered to be the most versatile of all lures, as many anglers will confirm, it’s highly effective when others simply are not.  The Dardevle can be relied upon to be a good selection for a broad number of species when fished with a consistent, moderate to rapid retrieve.  If you haven’t used the Dardevle while trolling, you could be in for a surprise.


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December Trout Fly of the Month: Light Cahill

December 2010

Fly of the Month:

Light Cahill

Within the vast pool of angling literature there exists somewhat of a division over the true origin of this classic pattern.  Several Americans claim the Cahill as their own creation, and they make a convincing argument.  But the Cahill owes its invention to a clever angler on the other side of the pond.  Don Cahill first tied this pattern in the last part of the 19th Century in the United Kingdom. Beyond any controversy, the Cahill has established itself as a requisite pattern in the fly boxes of anglers all over the world over the past one hundred-plus years since its introduction.

The Light Cahill is one of two dry fly color variations created by Don Cahill in the late 1880’s, the other being the very taking Dark Cahill.  Since its introduction, the Cahill has spawned pattern variations of nearly every type.  We’ve enclosed the dry fly version.  Also very successful are the wet fly and nymph versions of both the Light and Dark Cahill.  All are fished nearly everywhere water is found.  Ultimately, the success behind the Light Cahill, a mayfly imitation, can be attributed to its fantastic accuracy in imitating the lighter colored ephemerids, such as Stenacron canadense or Stenonema luteum

Featured Fly: Light Cahill

Designer: Don Cahill

Created: c. 1885-1890

Type: Dry Fly

Materials:

· Hook: 10-20

· Thread: Cream

· Hackle: Light ginger cock

· Wing: Wood duck flanks

· Body: Cream seal’s fur or synthetic dubbing of similar color

· Tail: Cream hackle fibers or light ginger hackle barbs