Rapala
Rapala (pronounced RAP-ah-lah[1] is the world's largest manufacturer of fishing lures and other fishing related products. It was founded in Finland in the 1930s by Lauri Rapala. Their most popular product is a balsa wood minnow imitation lure called the Original Floater.
Rapala sells over 20 million lures each year, in 140 different countries. 242 all-time world-record fish were set on Rapala lures, and 15 new records in 2005. It is also the only fishing lure manufacturer that mass-produces balsa wood lures.
Company timeline
- 1936- First lure carved out of cork by Lauri Rapala
- 1959- Normark established, begins distributing Rapala lures in U.S.
- 1962- Life publishes article on Rapala. The issue it appeared featured a retrospective on the recently deceased Marilyn Monroe and proved to have the highest circulation in the magazine's history. As such, Rapala's article gave it enough exposure for it to receive two million orders for lures, overwhelming its company staff of two.[2]
- 1964- Fish 'N Fillet Knife introduced
- 1974- Jointed Floater put on market
- 1982- Shad Rap brought to market
- 1998- Normark Corporation goes public
Lures and products
Some top-running lures (3 feet or shallower) that they make include Skitter Pop, Skitter Prop, Skitter Walk, Jigging Shad Rap, Jigging Rap, X-Rap Prop, and X-Rap Pop.
Some Medium diving (about 3–10 feet) lures include Original Floater, Twitchin' Rap, Long Cast Minnow, Scatter Rap Minnow, Scatter Rap Countdown, Scatter Rap Shad, BX Minnow, BX Jointed Minnow, BX Jointed Shad, BX Swimmer, Scatter Rap Crank Shallow, X-Rap Shad Shallow, CountDown, X-Rap, Shallow Shad Rap, Husky Jerk, X-Rap Jointed Shad, X-Rap 14, Rattlin' Rapala, Jointed Shad Rap, Shad Rap, Dives-to Series, Sure Set Series, Super Shad Rap, Glass Fat Rap, Dives-to Flat, and Fat Rap.
Some Deep diving Lures (10 feet or deeper) include Magnum, Down Deep Husky Jerk, Scatter Rap Crank Deep, Scatter Rap Crank, Saltwater Sliver, X-Rap Magnum 30, and Deep Tail Dancer.
Other Rapala products include crankbaits, jigging lures, lipless crankbaits, surface poppers, filet knives, fishing rods, reels, and various fishing tools as well as the Rapala Giant 6 foot Lure.
References
- ↑ Rapala Group. "How Do You Pronounce Rapala? The Debate on How to Pronounce the World's Most Popular Fishing Lure Continues" (Press release). PRNewswire. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
- ↑ O'Reilly, Terry. "Timing Is Everything". Under the Influence. CBC. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
External links
- Rapala Web Site for North America
- Rapala Web Site for Australia
- International Rapala Brand Site
- Rapala VMC Corporation
