Ultralight Minnow and Ultralight Shad

Behold the Rapala Ultralight Shad and Ultralight Minnow! Two of the many new products coming our way for 2012, the new ultralight offerings from Rapala are in response to anglers seeking smaller lures for finesse applications. Fished with 6lb tackle or less, the Ultralight lures are an ideal presentation to very delicate or wary fish. Though small in size, they are appropriately weighted to allow maximum casting distance on ultralight tackle and certainly gives an attractive tight, wiggling action. These snack-sized lures also sink slowly when paused on the retrieve.

I recommend getting a moderately-fast action rod around 5 to 6ft of 2-6lb rating. A 1000-sized (Shimano size standard) reel with 4lb braid or less would be ideal with a 4-6lb leader topping. Clips would be optional. They do make changing lures easier but at the same time dampens the lure from achieving its maximum action potential. That said, I still use snap swivels ;)  

The Ultralight Minnow comes in two sizes:

ULM04 (4cm, 3grams, runs from 0.6-0.9m)

ULM06 (6cm, 4grams, runs from 0.6-0.9m)

The Ultralight Shad comes in only one size:

ULS04 (4cm, 3grams, runs 1.2-1.5m)

The one thing I really like about the Ultralight Shad and Minnow is the exceptional chrome finish on some of the patterns. The scales and eyes look pretty realistic too!

One of my favourite hot colours - CLN (Clown)

Next in line - SBR (Silver Brown)!

It was an overcast day and the weather was fickle. The big fish were not so hot on the bite though the little ones were pretty active. The good thing about ultralight lures is that the fish are less wary of small offerings compared to bigger lures. The lighter and finer leader is also less obvious in the water too which adds on to the angler's advantage. I've found working the Ultralight Minnow with intermittent twitches of the rod tip gives a fast, darting kind of action just under the surface of the water. On the other hand, the Ultralight Shad emits its tight, wiggling action even just by cranking it flat out. Twitching the rod tip causes it to lunge forwards in a more aggressive manner but still maintaining that tight wiggle. 

We caught one...

And another... 

And another....

And another!

We landed a lot of juvenile Peacock Bass up to 2 pounds, which were often considered 'pesky' when we were going for big ones but by significantly downsizing one's tackle, these little fellas definitely gave good accounts of themselves and were absolutely fun! It was one of those moments when you are happily engaging the 'norm' when the odd Biggie slams your lure! Fred was the lucky bloke to have a nice sized Temensis slam into an Ultralight Minnow 06. Although it had him worried a little at the beginning, he was confident of his tackle and it was soon taken care of.

As he was releasing the beauty back into the water, he sighted its mate, a significantly bigger specimen patrolling the deep. Instinctively, I cast out my own Ultralight Minnow.... only to be bullied into submission in the blink of an eye. I had no chance. The fellow took me right towards a huge snag 10m to my left before I could even say "HEEEELLLLP!" There was no way the 2-6lb noodlestick I was using could have stopped him (at least I'd like to console myself and think so!).

Baby Tomans were in love with Shads too 

This one slurped down a Gold ULM

Limited Edition Skitter Pops

Just received word that there are some cool Skitter Pop designs coming our way to Singapore and Malaysia in the coming weeks. The highly anticipated Skitter Pops come only in 9cm in the following yummy flavours:

1. Sebarau
2. Cichla Temensis (Peacock Bass)
3. Baby Channa (Toman Baby)

Can't wait!

More little Snackies

Little peanuts galore! The long awaited Ultralight Shad & Ultralight Minnow have landed! I don't think they have hit the stores yet but these little peanuts have been producing on test trips. I fished them on an ultralight whippy China-made 2-6lb rod with an Okuma Epixor 20 loaded with Sufix 832 6lb line. I'd think the lure action would have been better on 4lb but beggars can't be choosers, ey?

Somehow big fish seem to know when you have the lightest tackle on. I wished I could show you the photos of biggies landed with these little UL treats but due to lack of big-fish-fighting skills, they won't be posing for the camera today. Heck, they gave no chance... it was straight for the nearest thicket. *sob*

Nevertheless, 1-2lbers gave plenty of fun especially on such light tackle.  

Still more to come.... :)

Could it be?

Ultralight series. More to come... :) 

Rapala Life Belt

What a long break from writing! Has it been 2 months already?! Time flies...

There are plenty of inflatable Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) these days and the good news is that it's getting more and more affordable to own one. With good reason too - personal safety on the water is very important. If you drown, the bad news is you can't fish no more! Now that wouldn't be fun since we all love fishing don't we?

Jokes aside, it wasn't too many years ago that inflatable life vests were far out of reach for most anglers due to their expensive price tags. So for those on budget constraints, we would wear those thick, orange-coloured foam vests that double up as pillows on overnight trips offshore. Not the most comfortable and hygienic (they start to grow mildew if your mate borrowed and conveniently forgot to clean them) but they do keep you afloat in case you topple overboard. Not to mention they restrict your movement pretty much.

A new addition to the existing Rapala inflatable life vest family is the Rapala WP-1 Inflatable Life Belt. Worn on the waist like a pouch, the WP-1 automatically inflates when its user enters the water. Being on the waist gives the user free range of movement whether casting or jigging. 

The Rapala WP-1 Inflatable Life Belt. Made in Japan.

 FG models for the camera (I assure you he's not being rude here!)

The Rapala WP-1 Life Belt fully inflated  

Product details (unfortunately I don't read Japanese) 

Comes with a whistle for the user to attract attention 

If needed, the user can also tug the cord to inflate the belt 

D-rings for the user to hang accessories

Auto-inflatable mechanism. I wouldn't go dancing under the rain in case it inflates! 

Reflective tape on the sides

FG unrestricted, comfortable and assured of his personal safety on the water

FiSH On! Magazine

After a long, long wait... the magazine is finally published! Yes folks, there's a new quarterly fishing magazine in town. FiSH On! Magazine is currently sold in Singapore & Malaysia for SGD$5.00 and RM10.00 respectively. Unfortunately you can't get them off most news stands. Find out where you can get your copy at the FiSH On! Magazine Facebook page. (Click on 'Where to buy?"). There's a store locator with Google Map directions to guide you to the store too!

So folks that have been closely following The Rapala Insider would now know why there are so little trip updates on this page. (Or rather, trip updates are not as regular as before). The stories would all be in the magazine :) The whole idea behind the mag is to have one that focuses on capturing memorable fishing moments through photography. It is hoped that fellow anglers would be inspired to take good shots for your own memories too!

So pick up your copy of FiSH On! Magazine today :) I trust you will have an enjoyable read. :)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

The Rapala Insider wishes our Muslim readers a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Thailand Sebarau Adventure

Here's the long awaited report back from a certain Dam in central Thailand... unfortunately I cannot write too much here or it will be a spoiler - do look out for full story and photos in an upcoming local fishing magazine (more details later on!)

This was an extremely short trip and although the season was still dry, the Sebarau (Pla Krasoob in Thai) were still around in fair numbers.

We arrived at our guest house at almost midnight and tucked into bed after arranging the logistics for the following day. And as dawn approached, we set off in search for the mighty Pla Krasoob.

This feisty Krasoob was caught right next to our houseboat before we set off

 Who let the dawgs out? 

 A sight for Toman hunters!

 Upon hitting the river, we were greeted with Krasoob action. Not big, but still fun!

 Taildancer Deep in the OCW colour was the lure of the day

 But so was the TailDancer Deep 07 in Clown (CLN) colour!

One of the lady pro anglers from Thailand, Ms Suwanna

Som, another lady pro-angler. She can outcast some guys I know!

Som showed her prowess in catching Krasoob, this time with Skitter Pop (Photo by Boyd)

 And then this 2kg fatboy came along. 

Som was working a Skitter Walk when a nice Sebarau hit! (Photo by Boyd)

 More action...

 Boyd works the edges with a Skitter Walk

Walking the dog...

Soon, it was time to go home and we bade each other goodbye

Photo by Boyd

I'd like to say a special thank you to Jack & Aey of Rapala Thailand, Ms. Suwanna K., Boyd, Som and the rest of the Rapala Thailand team for your warm Thai hospitality. Looking forward to fish with you all again soon...

Thailand! Thailand!

Just touched back from the Land of Smiles. Unfortunately the Risto Raps didn't have a chance to swim much - we couldn't find the Tommys... but the Sebbies were around though. Here's just one of em.. a fatboy courtesy of Rapala Taildancer TDD07 in OCW pattern.

Risto Rap in 7 Wonders

Named after founder Lauri Rapala's eldest son, Risto Rapala, the Risto Rap was a very popular lure for Toman hunters in Malaysia & Thailand apart from the Fat Rap. They were great casting, deep diving and oooh... that sexy balsa wood action! Sadly, they were discontinued some years ago and finding one in the popular Fire Tiger colour in tackle shops was like striking a lottery - not impossible, but you get my point.

Recognizing the feedback from local anglers for the need of these lures, Rapala Southeast Asia brought back a limited number of Fat Raps in 2009. This week, Rapala Southeast Asia officially announced via their Facebook page a limited re-run of the legendary 8cm Risto Rap.  Though I haven't seen the actual 7 colours, it seems to be the same range as the 7 wonders colours that appeared some time ago on the Tail Dancer Deep range. 

I'll be heading up to Thailand this weekend for some Toman action. Now that there are more Risto Raps available, it's safe to bring out the 'older generation' Ristos for a swim. 

Risto Rap in the older colours - GFR, FT & PRT

Fitted with VMC 3X Spark Points of course! :)