Rapala Fishing Lures would have to be the most trusted brand of fishing lures on the planet and for good reason, their quality, lifelike realism and attention to detail are second to none in comparison to any other lures on the market.

Though what really makes Rapala Fishing Lures stand out from the pack and perform that much better than all the other freshwater fishing lures is there legendary lifelike swimming action.

But to maintain the edge that these elite freshwater fishing lures provide, there are a few cardinal rules when fishing with the Rapala Brand.



The Cardinal rules when using Rapala Lures.....


Use the lightest terminal tackle possible and tie your line directly to the eye of the your Rapala Lure

Why you should do this is simple! All Rapala Fishing Lures has been crafted to achieve perfect lightness and balance in order to yield the most natural simulated motion of bait fish swimming through the water.


Use your sinkers as far as practicable from the lure as possible.

When using three-way rigs involving extra weight, we recommend at least 18 inches of mono or line between swivel and lure. We can recommend much more, and for good reason: a sinker close to the natural eye of the Rapala impedes action as much as extra snaps and swivels.



You never want to burden the valuable fish catching action of your Rapala Lures with heavy hardware and sinkers located close to the lure.



Test your Rapala Lures’ action and optimal retrieval speed visually from the shore to confirm the best possible retrieve and rigging to maintain its lifelike action.

If you have used weight and line properly, the only other variable to be concerned with is speed. As you watch, vary the speed of the retrieve, noticing that there is an optimum rate at which the Rapala looks exactly like a bait fish struggling for its life! Of course, as you gain in experience and confidence, you might want to vary the speed, modifying the action for certain conditions and species.


Generally, the Rapala catches game fish like no other artificial lure because it imitates bait fish better than any other.

Observe these three simple rules and you are bound to get the most out of these great Freshwater Fishing Lures.

Every good freshwater fisherman knows that the better he or she understand his quarry and its environment the better the chances of fooling the fish to strike at what appears to be food.

For Largemouth Bass in particular, their sense of smell is highly developed. In fact the commercialization of million dollar Bass fishing tournaments has led to leading scientific breakthroughs in the understanding of how well Largemouth Bass can smell and sense chemicals in the water and how they react to these smells.

Recently, Dr. John Caprio of Louisiana State University measured the nervous response of bass to a variety of amino acids; the amino acids L-arginine and L-Lysine were especially potent. Funnily enough theses two amino acids are potently present in baitfish; furthermore Dr. Caprio also showed that bass can sense a dilution of four ounces of L-arginine mixed with 6,000 gallons of water.

Dr. Caprio’s research has found that when bass encounter the smell of something they believe to be food, they go through four stages.

• Arousal: bass detects the smell of something that they perceive to be food.
• Search, the bass attempts to find the object.
• Analyze: the Bass analyzes the object with its eyes,
• Taste: and the final the taste test.

Among many of Dr. Caprio’s findings are what smells and chemicals Bass find repulsive which may prevent you from making your catch.

One of the top chemicals which repel Bass is a chemical called L-Serine which is a amino acid secreted by human skin, other serious offenders are DEET which is most prevalent in insect repellents.

Dr. Caprio has found that Bass can detect levels of DEET and L-Serine as low as 1 part per million in the water. Other bass-offending substances commonly used by anglers include many food and lotion preservatives, especially derived from benzene which forms the active ingredient of many sunscreens.

So it goes without saying, be careful what you put on your hands before you handle your freshwater fishing lures or set live baits, because many fish species can literally smell you coming!

Some of these freshwater fishing tips you may well know and practice without giving a second thought, but for those of who are relatively new to the sport or if you’re looking for a few extra tips.

When fishing in murky waters, use a vibrating lure so as to not rely on the visual attractant of your lure. A Vibrating lure will have a better chance of attracting fish to a visual and striking range in water which has poor visibility.

Shallow timber and brush that is close to deep water will generally hold more Bass. In visible timber, begin looking for fish in deep pockets and along distinct tree or brush lines. Point’s pockets and bends are better than straight portions.


Look for docks which has planted cover and deep water close by, sometimes the pier owner will have placed treetops and artificial attractors around them to attract game fish.


Work a plastic worm slowly, many people get use to working the plastic worm as they do a Crankbait or Buzzbait. Remind yourself when fishing with a plastic worm to slow the tempo down and fish plastic worms methodically.

On rising water, look for new opened water areas, chances are bait fish will have moved to large newly flooded areas and Bass usually follow. Look for large newly flooded areas a few feet deep and look for the activity of bait fish on the surface.

Overall confidence can’t be purchased at your sporting goods store or acquired from a veteran angler, confidence in fishing is something which is earned from practice and experience and developing an understanding of your quarry and its habitat. You will probably never know all there is to know about fresh water fishing. But as you put more and more pieces of the puzzle together, you’ll soon see why confidence is the most important lure in your tackle box. Source: Google Books Get these tips and more great Tips and Tricks from the Fresh Water Fisherman Bible IGFA's 101 Freshwater Fishing Tips & Tricks