Colour
matters – especially through the ice. Either a fish sees the bait and pounces
or something drab potentially goes unnoticed.
For decades Rapala has emulated the outer flesh-tones of
baitfish on its timeless jigging raps – Rainbow Trout, for example, is a
spitting image of a fingerling rainbow.
Sometimes, however, conditions call for blaring colouration that defies nature yet makes fish hot and
bothered. And so it is with UV.
New for ice fishing 2012-13, the UV Rapala Jigging Raps are
given that certain something to enable them to stand out more than a flashy
shiny minnow in a scoop of cheap fatheads.
Available in Green Tiger UV, Orange Tiger UV and Pink Tiger UV,
Rapala says that these bright baitfish copycats are instant ‘must-haves’ for
the hardwater tackle box.
The principle behind ultra-violet (UV) treatment is the maximisation of available light. More than fluorescent or
any other skin coat, UV reflects the utmost amount of light energy. So Orange
Tiger UV takes a popular pattern, such as Firetiger,
to a degree of visibility previously unimaginable.
Rapala ice fishing ace, Tony Roach, said: “The visibility of
these lures is absolutely shocking. I can see the UV Jigging Raps down the hole
long after everything else turns into a grey mass of nothingness. And that
brightness matters when I am scooting from hole to hole looking for lively,
feeding fish – walleyes, perch, crappies or trout. They’re the first to engulf
the UV.”
Diehard Rapala Jigging Rap user, Tom Neustrom,
added: “ In ice fishing you do not always land on the fish. You have to bring
them to the bait. The new UV Jigging Rap takes the action and profile I’ve
trusted for years and introduces the factor of long range attraction.”
Like the original classics, UV Jigging Raps are zinc weighted
and balanced to perfection, not just a linear chunk of lead with hooks like
some imitations. This rarified weighting system is the baseline for its
ferocious fight. The UV Jigging Rap on the rip fires up and away and then
circles back on a fish-tempting approach to its point of origin. Each pump of
the rod tip sends the minnow bait on a new flight path with new instructions.
No other ice fishing lure better simulates the erratic characteristics of a
wounded baitfish, says Rapala.
The UV Jigging Rap’s unmistakable minnow profile carries single
reversed hooks on the nose and posterior so that regardless of how a fish
attacks, it’s running smack into a hook. There is also a centre treble hook
hung from the belly to ensure that it is fully armed.
The UV Jigging Rap comes in five sizes from the 1¼” W2, a
nemesis to perch and crappies, to the 3½” W9, which is a meal for walleyes,
pike and lake trout.
Advertising