Ice Fishing’s Mother of Invention Gets a Fresh Coat
OutdoorHub 08.16.12
Classic masterpiece, the Jigging Rap, goes into the paint-booth for a UV treatment
Color matters, especially through the ice. Either a fish sees the bait and pounces, or something drab potentially goes unnoticed. For decades – literally – Rapala has emulated to perfection the outer flesh-tones of baitfish on its timeless Jigging Raps – Rainbow Trout, for example, is a spittin’ image of a fingerling rainbow. Sometimes, however, conditions call for blaring coloration 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 that makes them standout more than a flashy shiner minnow in a scoop of cheap fatheads. Available in Green Tiger UV, Orange Tiger UV and Pink Tiger UV, these bright and poetic baitfish copycats are instant must-haves for the hardwater tackle box.
The principle behind ultra-violet (UV) treatment is the maximization 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 sounds off on the luminosity. “Absolutely shocking…the visibility of these lures. 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’m scooting from hole to hole looking for lively, feeding fish – walleyes, perch, crappies or trout. They’re the first to engulf UV.”
Same goes for rounding up fish from a distance. Diehard Rapala Jigging Rap user Tom Neustrom speaks. “Ice fishing, you don’t always land right on the fish. You have to bring them to the bait. The new UV Jigging Raps take the action and profile I’ve trusted for years and introduce 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 of the imitations. This rarified weighting system is the baseline for its ferocious flight. 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.
The UV Jigging Rap’s unmistakable minnow profile carries single reversed hooks on the nose and posterior. So regardless of how a fish attacks, it’s running smack dab into a hook. Add in the center treble hook hung from a belly eyelet, and it’s fully armed, essentially not allowing for misses.
The new UV Jigging Rap comes in five fish-feeding sizes, from the 1 – 1/4” W2 – a nemesis to perch and crappies – to the 3 – 1/2” W9, which is a meal fit for walleyes, pike and lake trout. The most affluent Jigging Rap junkies – a silent but significant crowd – upsize and downsize baits constantly to center in on that certain size of the day.
Color-wise, you can choose from Green Tiger UV, Orange Tiger UV or Pink Tiger UV. But if you’re like Roach, Neustrom and the legions of Jigging Rappers out there, you’ll want a full complement of colors to find the brightest of the brilliant colors.
