If not rapala, what???

[qbert]

I know we are all rapala users here, but when a rapala lure is not on the end of your line, what is???
Personally, i often used soft plastics. I love gary yamamoto senkos, but u catch 1 fish and they get destroyed. Last year i had great success with a netbait paca craw, alone texas rigged, or as a jig trailer. When it comes to hard baits the only non-rapalas i use are the rebel crawfish and the abrogast jitterbug(great at dusk) and hula popper.

[Fishooked]

Im with you, its all Senkos or Berkley sinking minnows....

[bacon]

Senko's here too, that and spinnerbaits, almost only terminators. spin n imiges are a favorite topwater, have a bunch from the pre skitterwalk era, most have been replaced, but not all. i also use a fair amount of smaller hair jigs for smallies and sometimes to flip under peirs for largemouths aswell.

[walleye270]

For bass, I use Berkley Powerbait Realistix 4" lizards. For walleye, live bait, reefrunners, or storm rattle tots.

[wlb]

When I'm throwing cranks if it's not a Rapala,
then it's usually a Bandit.
For plastics, I love fishin the Zoom fluke.

[casey10]

I like using Storm hot-n-tots and large spinners like mepps or panther martin. I have never seen another lure with as much movement as a hot-n-tot!!!

[bryms2003]

last year Started with char/silver J-ll then to storm jointed minnow stick pearl white and live bait for my kids

[guitarguy]

I like to troll with Storm Thundersticks. Storm is a Rapala company, so I'm not sure if it should exactly count.
I do like to use some of Strike King's cranks too sometimes.
Otherwise, I'm usually fishing for Musky, so I'm using bucktails, jerkbaits and topwaters.

[walter]

i use most of the time cheap spinners. sometimes i use panther martin spinners or small minnows or spinnerbaits.

[Tom]

1 word: STORM

[omigosh]

I make my own spinnerbaits for muskie. I'll use berkley gulp leech on a lindy rig for walleye but I prefer a taildancer or minnow rap. In salt I'll use a jig and gulp shrimp.

[eloosecannon]

If I'm using a plastic then it's a Gulp. If I'm using a non rap hardbait then it's either a strike king lipless or a jitterbug (I do a LOT of night fishing).

[muskiehunter]

I would say 99% of the time when I'm using hardbaits they are Rapala, the other 1% is a mix of Lucky Craft,Storm,Rebel Crawfish,and Reef Runners.

Soft plastics which I use a majority of the time there are ALOT. Some of my favorites are Yamamoto Senkos all the other copies don't measure up.Just wish they were more durable

Zoom Flukes,Paca Craws,Chigger Craws,Sweet Beavers and Rage Toads.There are too many worms to list but the 10" Berkley Power Worm is tops.

And last but not least Pig-n-Jigs Seems like when Bass won't hit anything else when one of these drops in front of them they whack it.

Muskie fishing I would say I use bucktails and depth raiders the most.

[fishfingers007]

im a bit limited as i target salmon, but rapala is my favorite but when river conditions are low or very high i use , worms , shrimps and sometimes sandeel, or fly or in spinning lures i use the flying condoms, i make my own as shop bought one's dont tend to spin to good, plus its cheaper, great lure for getting down to the fish and spin slow , so they stay in the strike zone longer.

[Fishooked]

Lately I have been on a mission to try to catch fish on other Rapala colors that I never have before, as well as other models that typically for me just haven't cut it.

So as a result I have been using even less of my Senkos and Berkley plastics...

[ospreynn]

the only non-rapala I use is a Smithwick devils horse.... otherwise I'm 99.9% rapala for hardbaits.
On plastics: Yum, Berkley, Lake Fork, Strike King. I have something against Zoom, I don't know what it is, but I can't even try them......
Buzzbaits and Spinners: Booyah
Swimbaits: Money Minnow, SK Shadalicious
In-line spinners: Blue fox

[rattlebait]

When not rapala.....I use a mixture of Lucky craft, Norman, xcalibur, and bomber lures

[rocfish]

Berkley soft plastics, PowerBait or Gulp, worms or tubes.
Spinnerbaits, usually Strike King.
Other crankbaits besides Rapala would have to be; Strike King (Sexy Shad), Sebile (Crankster), and Argobast (Hula Popper).
In addition, one "gimmicky" rig I've been having some success with is a Blakemore Roadrunner spinner jig-head with a full 6-10" Berkley soft plastic attached.

[fishing_in_israel]

I have a couple of Bomber A Salt 146a's, a couple of Daiwa Sp Minnows, some Yo-Zuri's, a small Strike Pro minnow and an Xcalibur Xw6.

I'm doing a lot of experimenting and trying to find out what works best for the various conditions in my area and am amazed at how expensive some of the lures out there are

I actually intend getting a couple of the Salmo Skinners in the #10 size and perhaps a Bomber W5 Wind-Cheater to try out.

I need medium sized lures that have a decent weight, shallow runners, cast well and float (lots of submerged shallow reefs). So I'm really waiting for the Max Rap 11's to start showing up - as long as they're not too expensive -- if they are then I will have to try something else that will be a cheaper alternative......

[Tom]

Nov 13, 2010 9:34:23 GMT -4 fishing_in_israel said:

I have a couple of Bomber A Salt 146a's, a couple of Daiwa Sp Minnows, some Yo-Zuri's, a small Strike Pro minnow and an Xcalibur Xw6.

I'm doing a lot of experimenting and trying to find out what works best for the various conditions in my area and am amazed at how expensive some of the lures out there are

I actually intend getting a couple of the Salmo Skinners in the #10 size and perhaps a Bomber W5 Wind-Cheater to try out.

I need medium sized lures that have a decent weight, shallow runners, cast well and float (lots of submerged shallow reefs). So I'm really waiting for the Max Rap 11's to start showing up - as long as they're not too expensive -- if they are then I will have to try something else that will be a cheaper alternative......

Ever tried the shakespeare big S and little S?
Both are cheap, effective crankbaits that don't dive much more than 2 or 3 feet at most. The little S is also incredibly snag resistant, i tried snagging it up on rocks and stumps just in front of me before just to see if i could get it to hook a snag, it just bumps off them every single time. I don't know if you change the hooks and split rings on your lures desgined for freshwater, because my experience with the sea is that if you leave the tiniest amount of salt water on anything thats not rust resistant, it will have rusted away before you know it, i've lost count of the amount of tackle trashed by the sea when we go sea fishing in Spain. Anyway, if you do replace hooks normally, you will certainly have to replace them on the big S and little S, even freshwater has started to make mine go slightly rusty, although its not bad rust, if i really wanted i could just scrape it off.

[fishing_in_israel]

Nov 13, 2010 16:00:16 GMT -4 Tom said:

Nov 13, 2010 9:34:23 GMT -4 fishing_in_israel said:

I have a couple of Bomber A Salt 146a's, a couple of Daiwa Sp Minnows, some Yo-Zuri's, a small Strike Pro minnow and an Xcalibur Xw6.

I'm doing a lot of experimenting and trying to find out what works best for the various conditions in my area and am amazed at how expensive some of the lures out there are

I actually intend getting a couple of the Salmo Skinners in the #10 size and perhaps a Bomber W5 Wind-Cheater to try out.

I need medium sized lures that have a decent weight, shallow runners, cast well and float (lots of submerged shallow reefs). So I'm really waiting for the Max Rap 11's to start showing up - as long as they're not too expensive -- if they are then I will have to try something else that will be a cheaper alternative......

Ever tried the shakespeare big S and little S?
Both are cheap, effective crankbaits that don't dive much more than 2 or 3 feet at most. The little S is also incredibly snag resistant, i tried snagging it up on rocks and stumps just in front of me before just to see if i could get it to hook a snag, it just bumps off them every single time. I don't know if you change the hooks and split rings on your lures desgined for freshwater, because my experience with the sea is that if you leave the tiniest amount of salt water on anything thats not rust resistant, it will have rusted away before you know it, i've lost count of the amount of tackle trashed by the sea when we go sea fishing in Spain. Anyway, if you do replace hooks normally, you will certainly have to replace them on the big S and little S, even freshwater has started to make mine go slightly rusty, although its not bad rust, if i really wanted i could just scrape it off.

Sea water is definitely bad for hardware. After I finishing using a lure I always rinse it with freshwater before letting it dry in the sun. So far all the hooks are still looking good.

What kind of fish do you catch off the coast of Spain?

[Tom]

Ha, well i fish with lures in spain, but i've never caught anything on them. When i do fish in the sea there, it is usually in a harbour and i catch hundreds of tiny little fish about half the size of my hand. I don't know what species they are, they are flat and silver, with no scales, they have very spikey fins and tiny little teeth. If you fish closer in to the harbour wall, you sometimes catch small sea bream and little fish that look a bit like mullet, but they have browny-purple stripes. There are also these cool little fish that you catch on the bottom, they are a bit like some catfish, but with no whiskers. If you fish off the rocks at another spot, these fish grow much larger, although you get snagged all the time there. My mum also caught a tiny mullet from that spot. In the harbour there are a few nice size mullet and some big fish down deep, but i've never caught either of them. I once caught something that i think was a dogfish, it was orange with white and black spots, about the size of my hand, and had little teeth. It fought really well for its size, like the fight you would expect from a 1lb+ fish. Apparently there are also barracuda in the harbour, although i have never seen one there.
Do you know any of the names of these fish?

[fishing_in_israel]

Nov 15, 2010 13:03:17 GMT -4 Tom said:

Ha, well i fish with lures in spain, but i've never caught anything on them. When i do fish in the sea there, it is usually in a harbour and i catch hundreds of tiny little fish about half the size of my hand. I don't know what species they are, they are flat and silver, with no scales, they have very spikey fins and tiny little teeth. If you fish closer in to the harbour wall, you sometimes catch small sea bream and little fish that look a bit like mullet, but they have browny-purple stripes. There are also these cool little fish that you catch on the bottom, they are a bit like some catfish, but with no whiskers. If you fish off the rocks at another spot, these fish grow much larger, although you get snagged all the time there. My mum also caught a tiny mullet from that spot. In the harbour there are a few nice size mullet and some big fish down deep, but i've never caught either of them. I once caught something that i think was a dogfish, it was orange with white and black spots, about the size of my hand, and had little teeth. It fought really well for its size, like the fight you would expect from a 1lb+ fish. Apparently there are also barracuda in the harbour, although i have never seen one there.
Do you know any of the names of these fish?

You can see a complete list here:
Species in Mediterranean Sea

It is a text list but with links to more info and pics of the fish.

[hot0n0tot]

HOT N TOT!!!!

They have to be the originals though. The models that Normark has produced are not worth anything in my book. I wouldnt pay a penny for the post Rapala models. These have been the biggest producer for me for walleye, pike, and bass.

Side note: While i am writing this i have noticed that Rapala is not in this programs vocabulary. Strange in my head since we are on a Rapala website!

For plastics i have to give it to the Yum dinger. They are just as good as the Yamamoto's in my book, just a little cheaper and they have a salty covering that the bass simply cant resist.

[predatorshunter]

hi everyone...it's just the first time i'm in Rapalanation..
i just think that Rapala lures are the first lures that a fisherman buy but not the only, in fact i can say (just fby personal experience ) that there are many lures that works fine than rapala for example the italian Matthew's lures(trout and bass), the japanese Yo-zuri, the Ugly duckling and more but when you're talking to non-fisherman and try to explain what spinning is...you cannot use Rapala to let him understand what kind of lures you use!!!
P.S. Sorry for my bad english!!!

[fishing_in_israel]

Nov 15, 2010 13:03:17 GMT -4 Tom said:

Ha, well i fish with lures in spain, but i've never caught anything on them. When i do fish in the sea there, it is usually in a harbour and i catch hundreds of tiny little fish about half the size of my hand. I don't know what species they are, they are flat and silver, with no scales, they have very spikey fins and tiny little teeth. If you fish closer in to the harbour wall, you sometimes catch small sea bream and little fish that look a bit like mullet, but they have browny-purple stripes. There are also these cool little fish that you catch on the bottom, they are a bit like some catfish, but with no whiskers. If you fish off the rocks at another spot, these fish grow much larger, although you get snagged all the time there. My mum also caught a tiny mullet from that spot. In the harbour there are a few nice size mullet and some big fish down deep, but i've never caught either of them. I once caught something that i think was a dogfish, it was orange with white and black spots, about the size of my hand, and had little teeth. It fought really well for its size, like the fight you would expect from a 1lb+ fish. Apparently there are also barracuda in the harbour, although i have never seen one there.
Do you know any of the names of these fish?

Tom, I'm not sure when you go on holiday to Spain but the best time for fishing is just before dawn until just after the sun starts to rise and again in the evening towards dusk and an hour or so afterwards.

Try using some smaller floating Rapalas - like the LC 10 (if you can find any) or the [freshwater] X-Rap 10's (the freshwater ones have a slow float in saltwater) or even the Max Raps - 13 and/or 11 if you are feeling rich.
Fish them close to the rocks, throwing them at an angle to the rocks rather than out to sea. Lift your rod tip high as you get closer to the rocks to stop the lure running too deep and getting snagged.

There are usually comb groupers that like to ambush baitfish from the crevices and gaps in the rocks.

[Tom]

Nov 16, 2010 10:41:07 GMT -4 fishing_in_israel said:

Nov 15, 2010 13:03:17 GMT -4 Tom said:

Ha, well i fish with lures in spain, but i've never caught anything on them. When i do fish in the sea there, it is usually in a harbour and i catch hundreds of tiny little fish about half the size of my hand. I don't know what species they are, they are flat and silver, with no scales, they have very spikey fins and tiny little teeth. If you fish closer in to the harbour wall, you sometimes catch small sea bream and little fish that look a bit like mullet, but they have browny-purple stripes. There are also these cool little fish that you catch on the bottom, they are a bit like some catfish, but with no whiskers. If you fish off the rocks at another spot, these fish grow much larger, although you get snagged all the time there. My mum also caught a tiny mullet from that spot. In the harbour there are a few nice size mullet and some big fish down deep, but i've never caught either of them. I once caught something that i think was a dogfish, it was orange with white and black spots, about the size of my hand, and had little teeth. It fought really well for its size, like the fight you would expect from a 1lb+ fish. Apparently there are also barracuda in the harbour, although i have never seen one there.
Do you know any of the names of these fish?

Tom, I'm not sure when you go on holiday to Spain but the best time for fishing is just before dawn until just after the sun starts to rise and again in the evening towards dusk and an hour or so afterwards.

Try using some smaller floating Rapalas - like the LC 10 (if you can find any) or the [freshwater] X-Rap 10's (the freshwater ones have a slow float in saltwater) or even the Max Raps - 13 and/or 11 if you are feeling rich.
Fish them close to the rocks, throwing them at an angle to the rocks rather than out to sea. Lift your rod tip high as you get closer to the rocks to stop the lure running too deep and getting snagged.

There are usually comb groupers that like to ambush baitfish from the crevices and gaps in the rocks.

I might actually try that you know! i might just buy 1 maxrap in a nice colour and if i get it snagged i will just swim out and get it, thats one good thing about sea fishing i suppose, if you get something snagged, just jump in and go fetch it! Although no chance of me doing that in the harbour, wouldn't trust that water 1 little bit. Its really deep, and i've seen hundreds of jellyfish and all kinds of other nasties, although i would probably not fish with lures their anyway.
I only fish in the mornings or in the evenings there anyway, its far too hot to fish any other time (except at night obviously), especially as i get migraines, usually triggered by not drinking enough water, or by being too hot for too long, so obviously going fishing in temperatures sometimes hotter than 40 degrees C, in direct sunlight, for hours on end isn't too clever!

[Tom]

Lipophrys pholis-thats the catfishy thing i was on about, can't find the other 2 mystery fish though

[fireman1979]

If it's not an Rapala it would be an Salmo Perch to catch a fish that can save the day.

[fishing_in_israel]

I'm still searching for THE best lure - don't laugh
My criteria is that it has to be easily obtainable (to replace MIA's), reasonably cheap, good quality, floating, shallow runner (max to about 1.5m), minnow profile and long casting.

There are quite a few out there but most are pretty darned expensive and watching my [hard to get hold of] FXR12 flying off into the distance because I didn't retie the knot as often as I should have (knots do need retying every so often to avoid failure from the stress of constant casting etc.) made me all the more determined to find my ideal lure.

So far I've tried Bomber 146A and W5 (quality on the finish is not so wonderful) - good consistent casts and quite cheap; Daiwa SP Minnow - very good but expensive and have just got hold of a couple of River2Sea Sea Minnow 120F's -- the quality looks impressive as is the price $6.99.

Like Tom said in another thread, the MaxRap is somewhat overrated - for it's weight it does cast pretty good - especially into a head wind - but for it's size (13cm) there are other lures that cast a lot further including the LC12 (it's actually 13cm) and the XR12.