History of the Floating Minnow Bait - Rapala Minnow and Beyond!

[@tedlincolnsfishinglife]

Thanks for the support my friend! I’m glad I could send you down the minnow bait rabbit hole. Definitely a couple I forgot about and a couple I didn’t know about. Looking forward to getting out on the water together soon!

[@CRAIGPOWERSOUTDOORS]

I would love to see a video of your true vintage fishing clothing.

[@RetroBassin]

Ha! First request on that, but I have a ton, good buddy!

[@billlumberg5746]

Rapala had such a tremendous influence on the fishing industry.

[@richparks1966]

That upswept Norman tail was the 1st time I saw that feature, now look at the most popular (and costly) Megabass stickbaits, upswept tails.

[@StIdes811]

Those old packaging redfins in the different finishes 😮

[@chrisduffy2737]

A. C. Shiners are still sold today.I learned about them from a comment from KVD. I sold a Hellcat minnow on eBay that did not have a reinforced lip. Appreciate the vid.

[@Johntom2k]

Awesome video. You look so different without your shades. 😎

[@manofthehour1983]

My pops and i still crush largies and smallies in NY on the floating rapala to this day . Im 40 and hes 75. The floating minnow will never stop catching them and good ones too.

[@carlmchale8341]

As they say often imitated never duplicated nothing beats the finish minnow and there are no excuses for missing a week

[@stevebrockway4738]

A most excellent video. This is the type of content that keeps me coming back. Prayers for Ted and hopes for the boat.

[@michaelmcclenon6663]

Way to kiss ass steve. But your right

[@RetroBassin]

And thanks for coming back, Steve! Now what do you want to see next?

[@stevebrockway4738]

@@RetroBassin Buzzbaits or prop-type topwater baits

[@shadowwolf9329]

I hope he recovers very soon 🙏

[@davidcloyd1296]

Roland Martin loved that Rapala and caught em big on camera

[@pn0606]

That intro is great

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks, good buddy!

[@chipyeahoo]

Well done sir! The minnow bait has to be the most iconic and copied in the sport. They’ll catch nearly any fish out there, fresh or salt. You mentioned a lot of names there and even included the AC Shiner. If I may add a little to the history of the lure type, I’d like to mention another company from Finland, Nils Master. They started in the 50’s and were official by the early 60’s. Among their offerings was the Invincible minnow bait. Although not an exact copy of the Rapala, it definitely seems to be inspired by them. They used to stamp “tank tested” on the bellies of their baits as well. There was also the Atlantic’s Rafina, another bait introduced into the US market in the early 60’s and the bait name certainly seems to be intentionally similar to Rapala. I have a couple of them, one plastic and one balsa, and the balsa bait is remarkably similar to a Rapala. Not sure if it’s similar enough but the Mann’s Stretch series of baits might fit in the same general class and fits right in with lures like the Bomber Long A. Perhaps this one’s a stretch though (sorry, bad pun). Mentioning the Rogue, it’s my favorite of the type. I’ll be pulling some out here in the coming weeks as soon as the bass start moving shallow for the pre-spawn. I did get my start with this lure class with a Rapala, of course. A jointed perch pattern floater that caught nearly anything in those ponds I’ve mentioned previously. I had it and some Kmart Mister Twister Sportfisher Rapala copies. Hope Ted has a quick recovery and can restore his boat he inherited from his dad. Thanks for the history lesson and diggin’ the Smithwick Plano box. Is that a decal or was it a promotional?

[@RetroBassin]

Great call out on the Nils! I should have shown that, too! I added that Smithwick decal, but the cool thing is they are available through the Lurenet website.

[@LowBrowFishing]

Great video! I always enjoy taking a walk down memory lane with these old baits. I'm a sucker for a good old-school minnow! Here's wishing Ted a quick mend and that both he and his boat are back out on the water ASAP!

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks for stopping by, LowBrow!

[@Mark-ln6lt]

What an Eye opener to see all the floating Rapalas that I used to use when we could get them in those days in our country. The black and gold single and double jointed that we used to catch bass on. Wish could bring those good old days back to gr them again as they were popular. Well done .

[@bicalipierfishing8951]

Hello happy Saturday retro bassin I love all this luers both are beautiful I love buying a lot of cotton Cordell luers 👍 and Ozark trail luers 👍🎣 for Pier fishing

[@rednissan96]

I miss the old Hump Back rebel. About 2 1/2 inches long , silver with black back. Caught so many bass when i was a kid in the 70's.

[@Flippersflops]

My favorite lure genre growing up. I can’t even count how many bluefish and Spanish I caught on Rebels and Red Fins. Caught a ton of sea trout on the little 3” Rapala. Even caught some honkin largies with a red fin trying for Musky up in Wisconsin. Today, the rapala is my go to when searching for bass in my local reservoir.

[@dragoninja13]

Man i gotta say this one of my favorite fishing channels to watch, the retro bassin theme song is my favorite part and i love learning about all these super rad old school lures. Makes me feel a lil closer to the great man that got me into this wonderful sport.

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks for tuning in, good buddy!

[@Mark-ln6lt]

The Black 6inch long we used to call Papa because every time we used it we caught good size a bass.

[@nrfishinman009]

Rouge are my go to no matter what for walleye. Clown is the truly a great color!

[@vincebrown5158]

Great video. I would consider the Rebel minnow the dollar store version of the floating minnow. The fit and finish is subpar compared to the Rapala/Bang O' Lure.

[@RetroBassin]

Hard to argue that point.

[@Woodswalker-iq1cp]

The gold sided black back floating Rapala was absolute magic on the ponds I grew up fishing in Massachusetts.. My fishing buddy and I used to call it "the Weapon". We would cast near cover, let it sit for 20 seconds, twitch it then Bam. Tons of Bass and Chain Pickerel.

[@tedlincolnsfishinglife]

I grew up in Florida but I’m from wareham mass. I definitely spent many summer days catching a ton bass on the smaller rapala of Samson pond (that I just found out is where that 15lb state record was caught. The the big bass podcast has a great episode on that fish)

[@RetroBassin]

What tackle would you use to cast it?

[@tedlincolnsfishinglife]

@@RetroBassin back then I used my ultra light spinning setup with 6lb mono for all but the bigger ones. Those I could fish on my sliver og bantam reel, 5’6” pistol grip… I still got both 🤫

[@manofthehour1983]

@@tedlincolnsfishinglifewhich episode is it? (Title)

[@TedLincolnArtist]

@@manofthehour1983 I haven’t done a video with one yet. I did catch one on a bigger gold rapala with retro in our fishing video a couple months back.

[@BassFishingArchives]

Thanks for the shout out Chris! Great video. We all definitely need to help Ted get back on the mend.

[@RetroBassin]

About time for another BFA-Retro collab!

[@benworsham1466]

This channel is my Saturday Morning must watch.

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks good buddy!

[@mthomas91088]

You boys are such lucky SOB'S being down south. Definitely a bucket list of mine to catch a double digit bass. Another great episode, reminds me of simple times back when i was a kid watching infisherman and the like.. Thank you, God bless.

[@blind_eye_fishing]

I've lived in the south all my life. Been bass fishing 35 years and still don't have a double digit. They aren't as abundant as some social media wants you to believe lol a lot of those double digits where caught in private trophy bass managed lakes or ponds. My pb is 8lbs which is a super nice trophy in the south. Even Florida you have to weed through a 1000 dinks to get a trophy 5 plus lol

[@SWCFLORIDA]

@@blind_eye_fishing that’s true. But weeding is so darn fun

[@mthomas91088]

@@blind_eye_fishing absolutely but here in NY the state record is like 8lb smallie. 11lb large mouth it's just more common of a thing to pull out a large bass. My pb lm is almost 4lbs lol where that's your average down south.

[@blind_eye_fishing]

@@SWCFLORIDA well of course. Catching is catching lol. I love being in nature and tye bonus of catching anything

[@blind_eye_fishing]

@@mthomas91088 you're the ones that are lucky lol we don't have those crazy fighting smallies down here lol.

[@baconsbaits]

I’m gonna need to know more about that bass on your studio wall with Bacon on it, obviously.

[@RetroBassin]

Bacon’s Tackle in Shreveport, LA. One of the oldest tackle shops in the U.S.!

[@cordelllush8133]

Great for trout too if you can get your hands on them small enough.

[@bayouburner281]

I love bass history class on Sunday mornings 🤠🤙🏻

[@andyfisher1217]

Dang Retro love the old school minnow baits you put in this video. I still have some floating Rapala , and Bango lures that I used often in the late 1980s ev early 1990s Wilson lake on the TVA Tennessee River big fish baits man the best for the time also the floating Rouge is still in my arsenal to this day and always will be . Love the content man you always bring me good memories about old school lures that I still cherish.

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks for hoping aboard, Andy!

[@maxchenault9503]

Bigbass podcast is THE channel for historical information on big bass lore.

[@AaronHuntFishing]

Great video and history lesson. Good luck in Florida.

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks, Aaron!

[@karlfredriksson6299]

I believe rapala started carving his baits out of pine bark. Finland has a long tradition of lurebuilding using this material, and I personally still use it to make baits today.

[@lipfishingthosebass5812]

Are you coming up to the Effingham Illinois show April 22,2023? I saw your previous video in Springfield Illinois and thinking of going to Effingham since I live in Illinois as well.. Love your channel, as I am 51 years old and remember so many you find.

[@Stumpjack]

Just got back from 3 days of the Wisconsin sturgeon spearing season, and was so happy to see this deep, deep dive into the original Rapala and its many imitators. When I was a kid we fished Rapalas almost exclusively, compared to all of the copies on the market. Our tackle boxes were full of them and I still fish them and favor them today. This was a fantastic episode, comparing all of those various models and variations of minnow baits. I think of all of them, the Smithwick Rogue takes the prize for most attractive. Boy, that is just a beautiful bait. Great episode, Chris!

[@RetroBassin]

That looked like a great trip!

[@teijiosawa2230]

nice collection !

[@joshuagibson2520]

Hell yeah. I asked for this one nearly a year ago. Especially the Rapala Husky Jerk. Hope to see it mentioned!

[@joshuagibson2520]

By a mile, the best suspending jerkbait ever devised.

[@RetroBassin]

Stuck with flOoaters, but maybe need a part two on suspending minnows!

[@Raven09s]

To this day in Florida, I don't go fishing without a rapala tied on. I caught 3 of my 5 fish limit on one in my last tournament.

[@RetroBassin]

Here is the link to help Ted get back on the water! www.paypal.com/pools/c/8R4trXx149

[@bassin4tay768]

That bass rogue is called Green Bass. It' was a dealers choice proven area color. One of the best paint schemes by Smithwick ever

[@RetroBassin]

Great call-out!!!

[@thomaslinney8680]

I put a Daiwa Fuego on a 5 1/2 ft m ugly stik pistol grip Best combo in my arsenal of 17 combo’s Always learn new things watching your videos Thanks Great Job

[@WolfSpiritOutdoors]

The old school thunderstick Jr was an absolute beast. For some reason you reel it down 4 times and stop and repeat they absolutely ate it when they wouldn't eat anything else. ❤shallow runners

[@josephmazy9441]

I fish all of these baits to this day.I use the 7 inch Redfin for Musky .I am from Ohio, and our Rapala style bait the A.C.Shiner catches a lot of fish . Rapalas, Redfins,, Rogues, all awesome.

[@micheledaugherty275]

Your passion for Bass lures is infectious! Great collection of floating minnows. The Matt finish long A’s were awesome. In the late 70’s some of the bait shops , marinas around Toledo Bend offered a floating Smithwick Rogue in a fluorescent red with black back and black spotted sides ( Just like the Tiger Roan fire tiger ) but, All bright Fl. Red body w/ black back and sides. Hard to find model. The closest duplicate color minnow in that Fl. Red was a Storm Thunderstick in the 90’s. Rob

[@RetroBassin]

Thanks for tuning in...I could geek out over this stuff for hours!

[@joshuagibson2520]

I just want to catch a couple bass with Chris someday before I die. Maybe burn one too :) . Let me know if you're ever up around Watts Bar / Norris area.

[@SWCFLORIDA]

✋🏻 let me in on this

[@RetroBassin]

Let's make it happen, captain.

[@robertstanisch3452]

Get well Ted, sounds like a horrible experience on numerous levels. Hopefully that boat can be saved. Great episode, love me some minnow baits of all makes. I really liked all the knock offs, the "Japan" series, Palsa minnows, ECT. So much to explore when going down the minnow bait hole, for sure could be a series all by itself. Keep the content coming, love it!

[@RetroBassin]

Don't tempt me!

[@jacktaylor1030]

18:07 I had one of my best Bass fishing years ever fishing the Rattling Rogue in this color shown on Lake Oconee in Georgia, USA. The Bass just tore this lure up and chewed the paint off of it because I caught so many. Years later I've used this lure even in different colors and never have had as good of results as my miracle year. It's so funny how lures seem to work that way, hotter than hell one year, and then some other lure takes its place the next year. I wish I knew how that worked, although it keeps the tackle industry in the money with the big flavor changes as time moves on. I sure wish you could buy them for $2.99 each tough, the price of lures has gotten rediculously sky high in this day and age, which will almost make you cry when you lose one on a snag.

[@denverharleman8045]

i use baits like that for striper fishing

[@blind_eye_fishing]

I do believe I have some wooden rebel minnows here somewhere. I get lure lots sometimes and flea market lots lol

[@RetroBassin]

I would love to see that! Never heard of a wooden Rebel!

[@blind_eye_fishing]

@@RetroBassin they are old old lol I thought they was rapala when I grabbed them in a lot but after cleaning them up I seen rebel on the lips of the lures.

[@Baitmakerz]

I’m curious most of the vintage baits I seen are dark or bright colors. Nothing deemed as “natural “ nowadays. So what color vintage lures would have been used in clear water typically?

[@RetroBassin]

Silver, I reckon.

[@joshuafeldman367]

Man your shows are therapeutic. Great vid.

[@RetroBassin]

Glad you tuned in, Joshua!

[@SWCFLORIDA]

Great episode as expected. Best wishes to Ted. Only one not rooting for a fast recovery is those big Florida Bass….Stay After Them

[@tedlincolnsfishinglife]

I’m heading and tinkering on the old sea nymph 🤘🎣🖖

[@RetroBassin]

Imagine how many weeds we could catch in Donkeyland on three treble hooks!

[@gregchilders7643]

They ain't forgotten to me .didn't know about the heddon cobra.the Rapala is definitely spinning only but the others I can cast on my old school 4ft 10 in eagle claw Featherlite with a pro lite bps finesse baitcaster.like your videos og like me!

[@troycote4503]

The Bagley's Bang O lure had a prop on the back which I pulled off. It was Black and gold stripped and I caught my first double on that lure. My favorite which now classifys as an antique from around 97 the Yozuri Twitching minnow. My all time favorite fish catching bait. It catches anything that swims including my earliest bass of the season 6 lbs 4 oz. If you can find the twitchin minnow, buy it! It pops up on Ebay.

[@crosscountrybankangler]

I still have a lot of faith in the silver Rapala floater, especially the smaller F5 size. Catches lots of different species, great for wading in creeks and rivers. I also had the luck of finding a Smithwick floating in the lake last summer in the gold/black/orange pattern, I definitely plan to tie it on one of these days. Basically the whole jerkbait category is the result of these floating minnow style baits.

[@83jbbentley]

What’s good RB, I noticed something the other day watching Bill Dances Dancin’ Lessons Videos. He uses a PH meter? Is that a thing that was big in the 80s-90s? I don’t remember it…

[@Darkman-Fishing]

Been homies with tater for a while and he has recommended so many good books to me (Possible future subject for you?). His and Ken Dukes pod cast is just full or great information and stories. AC shiners makes them like the OG rapalas, even shaving the bills. What a fun video. Thank you

[@rossparker4374]

Great vid retro! The floating minnow is a lure I want to try this year after seeing a how to fish topwater video from the 80s.

[@RetroBassin]

Fish it old school, Ross!

[@shadowwolf9329]

In open water a dives to can be done the same way

[@jonnygrizzle]

Another great video! You always have the coolest old school lures, a lot of them being back memories from when I was a kid, and reminds me of going on my fishing adventures back then. We didn’t catch much back then, but we had fun trying!

[@alexyost6216]

I was just reading an article about how the minnow lure trend led to the creation of the storm "thin fin" which is more of a shad shape and basically saved the company from going under, pretty interesting read and worth looking into if you have the time.

[@shadowwolf9329]

Bill Norman also made the weed walker

[@RetroBassin]

That a good ‘un!

[@denverharleman8045]

i have 4 -6 them

[@RetroBassin]

Fish em!

[@raymondjohnson6496]

I watch him last week catch a big bass in the back water I think it was 14 lbs I think

[@moncorp1]

Who is he looking at to his left?

[@stephendalton5019]

More about ac shiner.

[@jamesperkins5075]

Made an order through Texas provisions a few weeks ago and haven't heard anything let me know what to do

[@RetroBassin]

I will get right on it, good buddy! Thanks for the support, James!!

[@RetroBassin]

James, got your order ready! Check out the in stock hats and let me know which one you like! If not, I’ll pick a good one!

[@jamesperkins5075]

You pick

[@jujimbo]

Is the rebel minnow same as Abu Garcia killer? They look very the same.

[@RetroBassin]

Another knock-off I bet!

[@MrIlancito]

What happened to the Ray Ban Glasses?

[@RetroBassin]

They’re in the shop!

[@winstonrocco1981]

No bomber long a ?

[@RetroBassin]

It's in there, good buddy!

[@denverharleman8045]

do live in tennessee

[@RetroBassin]

TX, sir!

[@buddyg1408]

What does og mean

[@SWCFLORIDA]

I say Original Gangsta

[@Kalastajahml]

who two fisherman invented Rapala minnow?

[@theperfectpaintertoolreview]

No sunglasses today?

[@RetroBassin]

Have to change the theme song, LOL

[@davidparker9022]

Awesome video!There is a couple more that come to mind as well like the Whopper Stopper Hellcat and the Storm thunderstick.The 1200 series floating rogue you showed us helped win a classic for KVD 20 years ago .That lip flexes and is made from a different plastic than the lip on the rattling suspending pro rogue.

[@joshfeister6566]

RA-Paula

[@Oldbasshole]

Somewhere I’ve got a box of the saltwater Rebel baits ! I think my dad bought them back in the 70’s !! A staple bait when we were fishing off Cape Cod when I was a kid . Got more than a few old Rappala floating minnows as well . The jointed ones were my favorite.

[@RetroBassin]

Yeah buddy! I have some OG saltwater jointed Redfins as well...

[@Neubs_Fishing]

Love the videos!! I sent you a msg on IG about some original Bagley’s Bang-O-Lures

[@RetroBassin]

I'll head over there, Neubs!