Whether famous brands or no-names, there are lots of companies out there for fishing that produce everything you may need in the branch from lures, hooks, and rods to beginner fly fishing rods. Among the oldest companies in this business there are Heddon and Rapala. But before talking about Rapala fishing lures, maybe we should first see a little of its history. The lure production was initiated some 60 years ago. Experience and tradition definitely influence the quality of the products and the until now, Rapala has developed progressively winning its name of international brand with a large distribution network and a great position in relation to its competition.

Rapala fishing lures came from Finland, originally. Lauri Rapala, the one who founded the business, was born in Finland in 1905 in a poor family, later in life making a buck by working on farms and fishing. The creation of improved lures came from the practical necessity of improving productivity. The prototype for Rapala fishing lures saw daylight in 1936 in the form of a carved lure that caused an off-center and wobbled in the water. This initial model makes the basis for a lot of the Rapala fishing lures.

Lauri Rapala’s business had blossomed just before World War II. After the war Rapala revived his small lure making enterprise. In the very beginning, all the Rapala fishing lures were made by the founder himself and later on he involved the members of his family in the process as well. Lauri always wanted to test each and every lure to make sure it worked properly. Even at present all Rapala fishing lures are first tested and only afterwards packed.

The international episode in the Rapala fishing lures story started after the Olympic Games of Helsinkin, 1952, when foreign visitors took some of the products abroad with them. From this moment, exports started, first toSweden and Norway and then to the US. In 1957 the business got formalized and the Rapala and Sons / Rapala-Uistin company was established. Further business exposure was achieved with the publication of a complex article in the pages of Life Magazine in 1962. It was perhaps because the same magazine issue wrote about Marlyn Monroe’s death that Rapala fishing lures increased their popularity in America, even if the quality of the products contributed most to the market impression.

The rest of the international market opened a lot more easily after success of Rapala products in the United States, but there appeared lots of imitators too. The company has defended itself against these copies both by taking legal actions and, more importantly, by continuing the production of consistent high quality equipment that has always made the difference between the original products and the copies.