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"These Custom HD finishes look as alive as can be, perfectly mimicking real-life forage," says angling legend Al Lindner. "Every year some company or another will try a live-fish look, but my goodness, there's nothing that I've seen that comes close to Rapala's new finishes."
Available in some of the world's favorite Rapala lures, including the DT® (Dives-To) Series, Scatter Rap® Shads, Scatter Rap Minnows, Shad Raps® and Original Floating® Minnows, the new Custom HD finishes feature ultra-realistic color and scale details printed on classic Rapala foil to add lifelike flash.
"Printing on that foil is the part that really makes these finishes look so real," says Ott DeFoe, a four-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and the 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year. "The foil gives it that reflective quality that real-life fish have in nature."
The result of these groundbreaking color patterns is multi-species success any time of year. "Already this spring and summer, we've been throwing them around Minnesota and have been catching big walleyes, smallmouth and largemouth" Linder says.
Scatter Rap Shads are available in five new Custom HD color patterns: Live Bluegill, Live Smallmouth Bass, Live Pumpkinseed, Live River Shad and Live Largemouth Bass.
"My personal favorite is Live Pumpkinseed," Lindner says. "Up in these Northern lakes, we've got loads of pumpkinseed. Add those colors to a Scatter Rap's action and you score big."
Lindner throws Custom HD patterns most often in lightly stained to crystal clear water. "The clearer the water conditions, the more you favor natural colors," he explains. "And, these HD patterns are about as natural as you can possibly get."
Based on his experiences fishing Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments across the country on a wide variety of water-body types, DeFoe's confident throwing Custom HD colors in both clear and dingy water.
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"I don't think the water has to be clear for these colors to be effective for you," DeFoe says. "I've seen in the last few years just how well fish can differentiate between small differences even in places where there's only a foot or two of visibility."
Realistic looks like Rapala's Custom HD finishes are especially effective on fisheries that sustain heavy pressure. "Once you figure out the forage those fish are keyed in on and tie on the matching pattern, it's going to be a big difference-maker in those situations," DeFoe adds.
Also available in the Live Pumpkinseed, Live Bluegill, Live Smallmouth Bass, Live Largemouth Bass and Live River Shad patterns are Rapala's DT Series crankbaits and Shad Raps.
"Those two lines of baits are going to be what I'm throwing the most in these new HD patterns," DeFoe says. "A Shad Rap in the Live River Shad pattern will see the most action, especially in colder water."
"That's what I'm trying to imitate most of the time with that bait — a shad that's moving around really slow," DeFoe explains. "So having a color pattern that looks just like a real river shad now is going to be a big deal for me on the tournament trail."
If Linder had to pick just one bait in one Custom HD pattern, it would be a Shad Rap in Live Bluegill. "The bluegill is a universal baitfish and the Shad Rap catches every fish that swims, anytime, anywhere," he says. "With that combination of action and life-like presentation, you can't go wrong.
Scatter Rap Minnows and Original Floating Rapalas are available in four Custom HD patterns: Live Smelt, Live Walleye, Live Rainbow Trout and Live Pike.
"They're the real deal," Lindner says. "Every one of these patterns."
Suggested retail price: $7.49 to $8.99.
For more information on new Rapala Custom HD finishes, visit www.Rapala.com. And, be sure to check out Facebook.com/RapalaUSA for the latest tips and tricks to take your angling acumen to the next level.
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