Have been a fan of rapala for decades, 2 just broke on me with just normal use. Are the balsa series more durable? On the one the bill pulled right off the body. Might start looking to buy older used ones. Sad when a used plug is more durable than one right out of the box.
Rapala has great designs, colors,& engineering, but what good is it when the materiels are crap?
some friends and I use rapala scatter raps and the bills have been pulling out for us this year some big fish lost in tournaments with them also we wont use them at tournament time and once were out of them wont buy anymore
I broke a handful on rocks this year on the river. In a situation where you wouldn’t think they’d break the bill off.
Ive had so many Shadow Raps break on me I emailed Rapala. Their response “they are designed for bass which have soft lips, not walleye.” *Im talking trebles here*.
Funny how they are sold in walleye aisles.
I’d love to send their response up the company management ladder just to see if anyone at all within the company, gives a rats behind.
I bought a couple of DT’s a while ago. Both baits failed within minutes, the bills broke off when the lure hit the water. Rapala’s “customer service” told me they must have failed because I was slapping them against the side of the boat to get weeds off. I tried going up the chain with that and had no luck. I’m done buying Rapalas.
SR
I’ve never been a big fan. The trebles they have are cheap and bend easily. Rather just buy a better quality crank bait or jerk bait that comes with quality components.
I’ve had several scatter raps break. Bills broken and hooks pulled out of the body on walleyes and small pike. I sent 3 in once and they replaced them. Nothing extra for my shipping or an explanation. The last batch of 3 I sent in never heard a word or got replacements. For what they cost they should be top of the line in cranks. Screw Rapala.
I always thought they looked pretty good next to flicker shads . Holy untuned .
I’ve had a handful of shadraps break on my this summer. Every time, it’s the rear end. The inner rod breaks through the balsa and bends out. Very frustrating considering the cost.
I’ve had many fins break off my jigging raps.
I had this happen eight years ago with their rattle traps, chrome coming off and balsa break out in the rear with some of their other lures.
I called them while I was on the water and they stated it was likely from banging lures on the boat or improper usage, WTF!!
I was told to send them in anyway and after examination they would replace them if it was determined it was their fault.
I made it easy for them, I told them with that mindset I would never buy another one of their lures again and hung up.
They havent been the same since they were bought out years ago.
Just be glad u guys are only just experiencing this now… I’ve been breaking bills off b*****ss rapalas for 6-7 years, mostly in ways/circumstances in which they shouldn’t… I still buy some because unfortunately they have some unique, fish-catching action. Sucks that the quality has gone way downhill tho.
i put super glu on the scatter raps i have left just to try keeping the bills on will see if that helps they still run true and so far there holding together
Under the umbrella of Normark/Rapala is Luhr Jensen. I fish a lot of Kwikfish lures and the quality of the paint has been terrible since Normark/Rapala acquired them. I have lures that are nearly 30 years old and the paint is perfect. I can’t fish a new Kwikfish lure for a day before the paint will chip and flake off. I still buy them because they catch fish, but it’s frustrating considering the cost.
This is an age-old issue that has plagued the tackle industry. Someone develops a super good lure, and the fishing public get spoiled on it. Then that someone sells to someone else, and they make the same lure, but now have China make it for them so that the profit is on the side of the company, but quality has been shoveled right out the door. The company can get by with made in the USA on the packaging as long as the lures are assembled here but using the cheap Chinese components.
Rapala and Thill come to mind as a couple of the more recent companies to fail the American fishing market. I won’t buy a balsa Rapala and since Thill’s new ownership discontinued the Mini Stealth float, I make my own using non-balsa components that are way better than the original Thill used in the first place.
Maybe I’m in the minority. I drop probably $200-$300 a year on crank baits and they are mostly rapalas with a few salmo, berkley mixed in. I guess I consider these disposable items, I don’t ever expect to get more than a season or 2 out of them. Everything costs more than we feel it should, and few things last as long as they once did. I feel this is just the reality of our economy and it’s not limited to fishing tackle or one specific brand. You gotta pay to play and raps just plain put fish in my boat year after year.
Why would you be spending 300 per year on cranks? I haven’t bought a new one in years unless I lose it.
$200 is like 20-30 raps after tax. I spend many hours banging bottom on the river and fishing rocky Canadian Shield lakes and I insist on running 6lb flouro leaders. I lose and break a LOT of crankbaits, and I never want to be without the one that’s hot that day so I keep my boxes fully stocked. But I don’t spend much on live bait so it’s all the same to me.
Why would you be spending 300 per year on cranks? I haven’t bought a new one in years unless I lose it.
300 isn’t very much. We spend that in one trip to fleet farm or one time on tackle where house. I spend probably double that a season on cranks. Especially branching away from rapala. I’m also a tackle junkie and have way to much.
Yeah Im in the boat of that much spent on cranks as well. After adding a VMC bladed treble to my shadow rap, it’s probably a $15 bait.
But last night it was the only thing the fish wanted. Whacked em! Can see the shadow rap hanging in there
IMG_4701-scaled.jpeg
Yeah Im in the boat of that much spent on cranks as well. After adding a VMC bladed treble to my shadow rap, it’s probably a $15 bait.
But last night it was the only thing the fish wanted. Whacked em!
What was the magic color last night ?
Never mind a see its pictured.
I guess I don’t lose many baits or they don’t break you guys want to buy mine because they are durable unlike the new crap apparently. I have close to 1000 cranks and haven’t used one in years.
Yeah Im in the boat of that much spent on cranks as well. After adding a VMC bladed treble to my shadow rap, it’s probably a $15 bait.
But last night it was the only thing the fish wanted. Whacked em! Can see the shadow rap hanging in there
Nice haul! Was that last night? It sure looks like a lot of sunlight in your photo. No matter when you got ‘em, awesome catch.
Nice catch Gander!
I’m not opposed to paying a bit more if the lure is not junk. I used to use a balsa Fat Rap for bass a lot, if I got weeds or moss on the lure I would slap it against the water hard to get it off. No more.
Rapala’s “customer service” told me they must have failed because I was slapping them against the side of the boat to get weeds off.
SR
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I’ve never saw a fisherperson beating lures on the side their boat to remove weeds.:???:
What a stupid reply from Rapala. 
Their CS rep must not fish.
The fish were from last night in the BLA. Left em in the water overnight and cleaned em in the morning.
I go about 3 for 5 on hook-ups with shadow raps, and 4.5 for 5 with husky jerks. Get more bites running shadow raps to Rapala’s delight.
To Tim’s main Q : The Balsa series “BX” are somehow even more fragile. I lost the bill’s on those quick and vowed never again.
Berkely Hit Sticks are good Husky Jerk replacements, but I don’t have the hook issues with HJ’s.
Yep the walleyes on the river liked the hit stick a couple nights ago. Plus I love the hooks on the berkley lures. I want to say they’re called “fusion” trebles? Things are hard as a rock and sharp as a needle, and they don’t dull easily.
I probably break 2 Rapala Shad Raps a year trolling, and probably lose 8-10 more between that or casting them at wingdams. It’s not like my stock is rolled over each year, but I probably buy ~$150 or so per season worth.
Most of mine that have broke over the years are the result of pike hitting a crank pulled 3-3.5mph on the river and the wire pulls right through and out the side. It’s frustrating, but I also beat on mine off rocks, pulled fast, etc. They are not a perfect product by any means but I have yet to find one that is. The Flickershads have carved out a pretty big spot in my crank boxes now, solely due to price. Even if 1/5 can’t really ever be tuned to run perfect – I am still ahead.
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