With the new release of the latest Rapala lures to the Australian market of 2012, the Ultra Light hard body lures have led the charge into the tournament fishing scene with an irresistible finesse.
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| The Rapala Ultra Light Series |
The range consists of the Rapala Ultra Light Shad 04 as well as the Ultra Light Minnows 04 and 06. These lures feature a slightly negative buoyancy, which gives the lure a finesse sinking action on the pause. Predatory fish cannot resist the tight wobbling action of the lures, followed by the seductive sinking action on the pause, which generates most of the strikes.
The Rapala Ultra Light Series comes in a range of 12 colours, including 6 Australian exclusive ‘glass’ patterns. The lure also features 3D holographic eyes, diving lip design and a weighted body which allows the lure to cast like a bullet, even in strong winds.
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| 3 of the Australian exclusive glass patterns. |
The Ultra Light Shad comes in one size (04) measuring 4cm in length, but don’t judge the size of this little bad boy. Diving 1.2- 1.5m this little shad is a lethal weapon for targeting bottom feeding fish like flathead and foraging bream.
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| A nice flathead taken by casting the UL Shad 04 |
The Rapala Ultra Light Minnow is featured in two sizes, the 4cm (04) and the 6cm (06) which are only small in size, not fish ability. These remarkable lures are ideal for shallow water presentation and flats fishing, with their hard kicking action and shallow bib, diving to around 0.6- 0.9m under the surface.
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| This big cod smashed the Ultra Light Minnow 06 on my bream gear |
For a more shallow retrieve, ideal for targeting white, keep the rod tip up and bounce the lure just under the surface while constantly reeling in. Also for a deeper approach, let the lure sink down deeper on the pause if the ‘strike zone’ is down a bit further.
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| 'Say Ahh' |
I have caught some amazing fish on all of these lures, but when I think of these lure one unforgettable experience springs to mind. While night fishing I decided to throw out the 4cm ULM after having no luck on any other lure. Instantaneously I caught 10 estuary cod in a row. With disbelief I upgraded to my new favourite hard body, the 6cm Ultra Light Minnow. After a couple of casts I hooked up on one hell of an angry fish which screamed off into the night. After bringing the fish into the shallows I was surprised to see a 56cm barramundi thrashing around at my feet.
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| Casting the ULM 06 at night produced this nice barra. |
After releasing the barramundi, I cast out my lure into the same spot. Just after flicking the bail arm over the line began to scream off without me even having to bring the lure in. Just as before, I pulled up another barra, this one being 2cm smaller than the last.
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| The Second Barra that smashed the lure as soon as it hit the water. |
This really goes to show that size isn’t a barrier when it comes to fishing with the Rapala Ultra Light Series. These little lures punch far above their weight and excel as a tournament class finesse lure.
