A Brief Background About Rapala Fishing Lures

Whether famous brands or no-names, there are lots of companies out there for fishing that produce everything you can think of in the branch from lures, hooks, and rods to beginner fly fishing rods. Among the oldest companies in this business there are Heddon and Rapala. But before talking about Rapala fishing lures, maybe we should first see a little of its history. The lure production was initiated some 60 years ago. The products are clearly crafted from experience and the company's track record and current unique distribution network, brand portfolio and manufacturing brand gives it a great position for further growth.

Rapala fishing lures were first produced in Finland. Lauri Rapala, the one who founded the business, was born in Finland in 1905 in a poor family, later in life making a buck by working on farms and fishing. As the saying goes 'Necessity is the mother of invention', so did Rapala decide to improve his fishing productivity, by developing a better lure. In 1936 Lauri Rapala finally created a carved rough-looking lure which would produce an off-center and entice wobbling action. This initial model is still the basis for a lot of the Rapala fishing lures.

Rapala company won most of its fame after the Second World War. We could actually speak of a revival of the small Rapala business. Lauri Rapala made the fishing lures himself at first, but in time, the craft was also learned by some other family members. Lauri always wanted to test each and every lure to make sure it worked properly. Even at present all Rapala fishing lures are first tested and only afterwards packed.

The international episode in the Rapala fishing lures story started after the Olympic Games of Helsinkin, 1952, when foreign visitors took some of the products abroad with them. From this moment, exports started, initially toSweden and Norway and then to the USA. In 1957 the business changed its official name into Rapala and Sons or Rapala-Uistin. In 1962, Life Magazine published a long article about Rapala products. Maybe the fact that the article appeared in the same magazine issue that wrote about the death of Marilyn Monroe, had something to do with the company’s growing popularity in America; however the quality of its products definitely helped.

The rest of the international market opened a lot more easily after success of Rapala products in the United States, but there appeared lots of imitators too. Legal actions have been taken against unauthorized copying, yet, forged versions still exist; yet, the quality provided by Rapala still remains a good criterion of appreciation that is surely unsurpassed.