He Invented a Wiggle the Fish Couldn't Resist

I'm talking, of course, about Lauri Rapala, who, in 1936, in Finland, carved a lure out of cork, wrapped it in tinfoil from cheese and chocolate, and covered it in melted film negatives as a cheap alternative to lacquer. That lure is what we know as the original floater.

Available today in at least seven different sizes and 20 or more different colors, the original floater can be found in many anglers' tackleboxes. It's reported to be the best-selling lure that Rapala makes and, possibly, the best-selling in the world. Further, it holds more world records than any other lure.

When retrieved, the original floater swims with a tantalizing action that mimics a wounded baitfish. Lauri designed it this way after watching the behavior of minnows and fish in lakes near his home as a youth in Finland. His observations revealed that an injured minnow, when swimming with an odd wobble in a school of minnows, becomes the target of larger fish looking for an easy meal.

Legend has it that Lauri sometimes caught 600 pounds of fish a day with his new lure. As news of these abundant catches spread, so did the lure's reputation. And as they say, the rest is history.

Fishermen around the globe began catching more and bigger fish with the original floater, and it soon became clear the reason was the lure's unique wiggle and wobble. Accordingly, Lauri tested each lure to make sure it lived up to its billing. Even today, Rapala baits are hand-tuned and tank-tested to ensure they swim perfectly straight out of the box.

With the growing popularity of the original floater, it became abundantly clear that the whole Rapala family would have to pitch in to keep up with the increased demand. Lauri's sons learned to make the lures and soon became so skilled that his son, Ensio, won a national craftsmanship award. The same son also invented a machine to help mass produce the lure.

Even with mass production, though, there have been times when it was difficult for Rapala to keep up with the demand for their products. Take, for instance, when their shad rap made its debut on the fishing scene in 1982.

Word of its amazing fish-catching ability spread so fast that tackle shops all across the country sold out overnight. Resort owners and mom-and-pop operations started renting shad raps by the day--even some by the hour. And more than 30 years later, it's still one of fishing's most successful lures.

Rapala takes great pride in the fact that so many fishermen put faith in their lures. It's a confidence that encompasses 140 countries and is validated each year by the 20 million Rapala lures that are sold.

As Rapala officials noted, "Our products make better fishermen. Nothing rushed to market but carefully crafted from years of experience. No shortcuts. No gimmicks. No flash in the pan, next greatest things. It's a legacy of unwavering quality...a legacy that continues with new offerings of more lures, new actions, new sizes, new colors, new finishes, new tools, new accessories, and new ways of catching more fish.

"The sweet smell of success lingers long after the scent of fish slime fades. Tens of millions of walleye, trout, bass, wahoo, snook, and tarpon later, Rapala continues to stand the test of time. Through the industry's ups and downs, through the coldest cold fronts, through it all, one simple truth has endured: That which is irresistible to fish will always be irresistible to the fisherman," the officials concluded.