Going through my tackle box today and something occurred to me: I don’t think I’ve ever caught a single fish on an original floating rapala. Various other crank baits have put lots of fish of many species in my boat, but I must be the only person in the world who can’t get bit on this classic lure. I have them in a variety of sizes and colors and have tried casting and trolling them with different speeds and retrieval styles… nope. And honestly when I look over the gunwale and watch the action of the lure it doesn’t surprise me that much. It just seems… meh.

Shad raps, I can’t possibly count all the fish I’ve caught on them. But no joy for the floater here. Maybe this will be the year!

You don't say what size of floating original Rapala you are using nor the style. Some of them run pretty shallow and don't seem to attract the fish. I've used a 7" floating rapala and have caught some respectable northern pike and walleye on them. I have discarded some shallow running 4" Rapalas because they didn't catch anything in BWCA.

RMinMN: "You don't say what size of floating original Rapala you are using nor the style. Some of them run pretty shallow and don't seem to attract the fish. I've used a 7" floating rapala and have caught some respectable northern pike and walleye on them. I have discarded some shallow running 4" Rapalas because they didn't catch anything in BWCA."

Good point. I have a variety of sizes from 3” or so all the way up to the BIG one— F18 I think. I did catch a big stick trolling with the largest size once. I also have a range of colors in that size. Blue/white, black/gold, fire tiger, perch.

The OFR is the highest yielding lure in my tackle box in Quetico..
Any size.
Colours are usually blue and white or dark.
It's an ideal trolling lure near shore as it's a shallow diver .
It is not ideal for casting.

Ditto. I can always pull in a pike if I snake one of those through the water, especially the black-and-white 9cm or 11cm...even if I'm not targeting pike :)

I use them as surface twitch baits over near shore structure or next to thick lilly pads in the late morning when shallows are warmer and fish are hiding in the shadows. I have had very little success outside of that and much prefer other rapala styles for most fishing I do.

I use a floating Rapala when fishing off the bottom.

I put a few weigths on the end of the line and put a three foot leader after the weights, then the lure. It keeps the lure three feet off the bottom.

I once caught a lake trout on a floater while trolling along Cirrus lake in July!
I later learned that lakers occasionally will surface to feed on minnows.

Other than that, the floating Rapala is mostly worthless. Shad Rap for me all the time.
Tom

The only time I caught anything on a floating rapala was when I tossed it from shore and caught some bass that were hitting on top. That was a single evening on one trip. Other than that - nothing.

tiny ones for rainbows
middle-size for three-way trolling in current for walleyes: deadly
extremely productive when fished for bass as a twitchy topwater
long line trolling big ones for shallow walleyes

I love them. About five years ago, I was sitting at a Twins game with some fishing pals, and I confessed something similar. I had never caught a walleye on a lindy rig. They starting yelling at me with incredulity and soon everyone is the section was making fun of me.

lundojam: "tiny ones for rainbows
middle-size for three-way trolling in current for walleyes: deadly
extremely productive when fished for bass as a twitchy topwater
long line trolling big ones for shallow walleyes


I love them. About five years ago, I was sitting at a Twins game with some fishing pals, and I confessed something similar. I had never caught a walleye on a lindy rig. They starting yelling at me with incredulity and soon everyone is the section was making fun of me.
"

I do ok in the tiny husky jerks for rainbows, just never the floater.

I am not a bait rigger either, lundojam. If I’m fishing live bait it’s under a float or on a jig. Lindy rigging is actually on my list of goals for this year!

In my home waters, the floating Rapalas do very well for walleye when trolling shallow flats of 5-8'. This is typically right after opening day, so the water is cold and we're targeting 1.5 mph. The walleye like them, but so do the bass and the pike. The floaters also do well when trolled over weedbeds. They don't dive as deep as the Husky Jerks or obviously the Shad Raps.

In canoe country, I'll admit the floaters don't see much gametime for me. I much prefer the Husky Jerks, Shad Raps, and other crank/stick baits that dive a little deeper. I'm usually wanting to fish deeper than the floaters will go.

Floating rapalas are a must have for designated trout lakes!

You're right. Absolute garbage. Give them all to me.

I've had years where the 11 or 13 Floating Rapala in Perch was the best lure I had with me. Without it, we would have been eating ramen. :)

I've caught everything on floating raps in the BWCA including Lake Trout early in the year (May). They work best trolling shallow weeds or near shore. Black and silver and black and gold catch tons of fish up there when the fish are shallow.

Harder to cast because they are so light but it can be done with light line and the right rod.

Jointed Rapalas have been some of my most successful lures. The original floating, not so much. Glad to see that it's not just me.

The only lures I bring on my trips are #11 original Raps (black/silver and purple). Tie directly onto the line with a small split shot about 18" up. I troll with these, and I usually find fish. I lose a number each year on snags, but I am okay with that. I am usually on solo trips these days, so most of what I do catch is released. I find no enjoyment sitting in one spot jigging for walleye; I would much rather troll. Gives me the chance to checkout out the shoreline, campsites, etc.

schweady: "You're right. Absolute garbage. Give them all to me.
"

Nice one!

The F13 is my number one smallmouth lure. I've caught thousands with it.

I used to feel the same way however one year we got into the walleye on Crooked and the F9 in Perch color was the only thing they'd bite. Ever since that trip we've always packed several of those in our tacklebox, and they have consistently been the best producers in terms of crankbaits!

Just cast it out and let out a bunch of extra line then troll it as you're travelling or moving around looking for fishing spots. You will be surprised.

I've caught some Walleye on the original floater trolling shoreline or around islands for Walleye in the evenings but not that many but to be honest. I have not really broke it out in the last few years up there. I have a lot of crankbaits but do not fish any of them much anymore.

thegildedgopher: "Going through my tackle box today and something occurred to me: I don’t think I’ve ever caught a single fish on an original floating rapala. Various other crank baits have put lots of fish of many species in my boat, but I must be the only person in the world who can’t get bit on this classic lure. I have them in a variety of sizes and colors and have tried casting and trolling them with different speeds and retrieval styles… nope. And honestly when I look over the gunwale and watch the action of the lure it doesn’t surprise me that much. It just seems… meh.

Shad raps, I can’t possibly count all the fish I’ve caught on them. But no joy for the floater here. Maybe this will be the year!
"

The Governor called. He wants you out of Minnesota by sundown. ;-)

It's not the fault of the lure:

Each and every Rapala lure is still hand-tuned and tank-tested

7" Blk/Gld original has never failed me in the BW , larger profile without much weight to them , they will get down close to 10' on a troll. pic my top 3 lures in the BW that are not spoons , spring time the CD9 is a great rapala too

I inherited all my dads lures when he passed. The Rapala orig floater was by far his favorite lure. He had over 30+ of them in various sizes and colors. He had 3 each of the 3 inch black/silver and black/gold. I also remember him telling me legendary tales of the fish he'd caught up in the northland on the f13 in orange/gold.

I've since split those 30+ lures with my brother and he and I make it up to the bwca once a year now. We catch'em every year on these. In fact the last morning of our 2022 trip, I caught over 15 bass in about 3 hours using the black/gold.

In my opinion they are one of the most versatile lures. They can be cranked back like a crankbait, or twitched on top like a popper, but I believe they are best used as a jerkbait. They're also fantastic trolled, either shallow or deep with weights on the line.

I too have never caught anything on the rapala...mostly because I just don't use them.

Walleye - i'm trolling lindy with a minnow
Lake Trout - Little cleo or crocodile
Brookie - vibrax
Crappie - hair jig or small beetle spin
SMB - plastic worm

Northern - see above, i'm never specifically targeting northern.

another good presentation with the original floater rapala is add some split shots 18"-30" from lure , now you have an excellent walleye bait.

I have also not had great luck with floating rapalas. Husky Jerks are another story!!

My late father also loved the OFR. I caught my first bass on one at scout camp, at dusk, fished on topwater.

I hardly use them now. Not to troll or anything. Maybe need to reach back into the memory and break out an old one this year.

Chartreuse Floating Rapala in an 11 or 13, is my favorite bwca lure. We like to toss them up within a foot of shore or other structure, let them sit a few seconds, give them a twitch, and that's usually enough. If nothing, then we retrieve. When I'm traveling, I love to drag one behind the canoe. I try to keep the canoe in 4-8 fow when I'm trolling. I let out a fair amount of line, and set the drag very loose, so I won't snap off if I get hung up on a rock. Often times I can just stop the forward motion, give it a little slack line, and it will float up off the rock, and I can proceed. When I'm in unfamiliar water, it's my go to.

I think they may have stopped selling chartreuse. They are very hard to find now. I love them in tanin stained water.

analyzer: "Chartreuse Floating Rapala in an 11 or 13, is my favorite bwca lure. We like to toss them up within a foot of shore or other structure, let them sit a few seconds, give them a twitch, and that's usually enough. If nothing, then we retrieve. When I'm traveling, I love to drag one behind the canoe. I try to keep the canoe in 4-8 fow when I'm trolling. I let out a fair amount of line, and set the drag very loose, so I won't snap off if I get hung up on a rock. Often times I can just stop the forward motion, give it a little slack line, and it will float up off the rock, and I can proceed. When I'm in unfamiliar water, it's my go to.


I think they may have stopped selling chartreuse. They are very hard to find now. I love them in tanin stained water."

What time of year do you go and what do you catch with them? I usually go in mid/late July and can’t find anything worth catching that shallow.

Maybe I’m missing out?

Where you fish is important to this discussion. In clear water lakes, an original floating Rapala may work in early spring when the spawn has just completed and the fish haven't moved deep but by July the walleyes are likely to be in 30 feet of water and won't come up to a floating Rapala. The dark water lakes provide protection from the sun and the walleyes are often much shallower. I've caught them in less than a foot of water right next to shore. It is common to catch them in 7 to 10 feet by trolling or just off a weedbed by casting.

Trolling that same Rapala over deeper water (15 to 40 feet) you will likely catch northern pike, sometimes quite large pike.

A few weeks ago I dragged a floating rap through a pool of rising Lake Trout and caught a 21” within seconds. It’s a great lure, I keep 3-5 in my bwca tackle box no matter what time of year. Very versatile lure.