Rapala Ultra Light Series Review

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.



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.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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.

Exploring New Water

When it comes to estuary fishing, everyone has a secret spot, tucked away in the upper reaches of remote creek. I’m exactly the same when it comes to kayak fishing, as I paddle past many possible honey-holes in order to get to my own secret spot.

After having a long break from my kayak I had been keener than ever to get out on the water and flick my Rapala Lures into my favourite snag. I launched my kayak and began the paddle out to my spot in the glassy conditions of flat water and not even the slightest breeze of wind.



Picture perfect conditions



Wasting half an hour getting to my spot I happily began casting my lure at the snags most likely to hold fish. Only a minute later I was greeted by the frustrating sound of a boat motor cruising down my creek, which so happened to pull up just at my spot. Not so secret eh? I then spent the next two hours casting at empty snags or shut down fish.

 My gear of choice is a baitcast combo for throwing larger hard-bodies, like the Rapala Saltwater X-rap 10 at Barra and Jacks in the snags, and a light spin combo for casting the Rapala Ultra Light minnows and shads at flathead and bream. The baitcaster combo of choice was my Okuma V-200A on the Silstar Barra Stik rod, while my spin combo was my new Okuma Avenger II 25 on the Okuma Taurino rod.

The Okuma V-System 200a Baitcaster

After having enough I left my creek and headed off, back towards the boat ramp, where I found a small sand bottom inlet, unlikely for a boat to access.

 I cast at the snaggy bank and gave my X-rap 10 two sharp twitches and let the lure pause, as if to imitate an injured baitfish. When I began to twitch again I felt a thump… thump …thump. Then a flash of silver darted through the water. My first call was a nice little barra, but when the fish got close to the yak it became obvious it was a huge bream. The fish thrashed across the surface, shaking it’s head in attempt to spit the hooks. Unfortunately for me he did, before swimming away and down into the muddy water. I think I recall him rudely flicking his fin up at me, as if to give me the bird, while he disappeared into the depths.

Losing fish isn't fun, but you have to keep casting and hope for another.

After I finished crying over what would have been a PB bream I continued my search for a new creek.  I paddled my way looking for promising snags till I found a mangrove tree which had collapsed into the water. I cast on an angle which allowed me to land my lure between the branches of the fallen tree. I aggressively twitched my lure into the timber then SMACK it was dragged in deeper by a bronze mangrove jack. I managed to pull the jack out of that snag, but he soon hooked the other set of trebles on a mangrove root in the shallows along the bank.

 Once I made it to the bank I jumped out of the yak, into the shin deep water, then pulled him off the snag and pinned him down in the seat of my kayak, so he couldn’t escape like the bream managed to early on. The jack was tagged and released after a couple quick pictures.

The latest trend in fish fashion

I can’t wait to head back up to the new creeks I found with my 6’6” Okuma X-Factor 1-3kg rod so I can chase down those bream. When fishing close into the snags and in the skinny creeks it really pays off to have a shorter rod. But then again my  7’2” Okuma Taurino is unbeatable for castability and is by far a better option for flats, rocks and beaches when casting either soft or hardbody lures.

A nice jack from my my new 'Secret Spot'

This trip really proved to me the importance of exploring my local estuary to look for those hot spots that everyone goes straight past.

Fishing the Estuary

While on my second trip, back to the local estuary system, I was armed and dangerous with the Storm Wildeye Twitching Nipper soft plastics, and an assortment of Rapala hardbody lures.

Arriving over an hour before the peak of low tide we began the trek along the deeper creek, with tight timber banks, that fanned into shallow sand flats. My first lure to hit the water was the Storm nipper in the pearl colour as it was a proven standout when compared to other soft plastic lures. It wasn’t long before the nipper got the chomp and my Okuma rod was bent as a nice flathead darted through the water. 

A nice Flatty that smashed a Storm Nipper

As we progressed down the creek I decided to test out one of my new Rapala Jointed Shad raps. I chose the shad colour and began casting it out towards the snags. The lure floated on the water till I began my slow twitching retrieve across the bottom giving the lure an injured tail kicking action. On my third cast about half way from the snags my line tightened and the fight was on. My first assumption was a flathead because the fish hit the lure over an open sand bar, but as it approached the banks, I realised it was a Goldspot Rockcod.

The Goldspot Rockcod

I few casts later my I hooked up again, but much closer to the snags, on what I think may have been a Finger-mark or Moses perch around 35cm in length, but the fish spat the hooks before I landed it.

1st fish for my new Rapala Jointed Shad Rap

I soon changed my lure back to Storm nipper as I feared losing my little Rapala in the snags. With no more hits we started to head back up the creek. As we passed a shallow flat in the estuary we heard a splash across the surface and thought about having that one last cast. As I did I decided to use a much faster flicking retrieve in hope of a little Queenfish. In after the lure covered about 2 meters of water it was stopped dead in its tracks and raced off in the opposite direction. The fish had a very fast first run but quickly tired. My first thought was a massive whiting, but as I saw the forked tail I noticed it was a Giant Herring, which is a fairly rare catch in our area.

My biggest Giant Herring yet (thanks to the Storm Nipper)

The fish was a released after a few quick pictures and then we headed back up the creek where we landed a couple more little cod and flatties. I can’t wait till next time so I can test out the new Rapala Ultra Light Lures.

Storm Live Kickin’ Series

When it comes to a naturally presented soft plastic lure, none is more realistic in both presentation and action than the Storm Kickin’ Minnow and Shad. These two lures feature a realistic profile which imitates a range of both fresh and saltwater baitfish species.

The Live Kickin' Series

The jointed body enables the lure to produce an extremely lifelike swimming action that other soft plastic lures fail to produce. The soft PVC material, reinforcing mesh and inner core produce a durable structure with a slow sinking buoyancy.

The Jointed Body

The black nickel VMC hooks ensure a higher hook up rate than the traditional single hooked soft plastic range. The holographic inserts and eyes are the icing on the cake making these lures an irresistible treat to a variety of fresh and saltwater sportfish.  

The Live Kickin' Minnow 05 (Blue Steel Minnow)

A standard retrieve with these lures can be deadly, but a start and stop retrieve is absolutely dynamite with a swaying, injured action on the fall, then an appealing kick of the tail on the rise.

The Live Kickin' Shad 05 (Bluegill)

These are a must have lure from barra fisherman in the top end, to Murray cod enthusiasts down south. I would highly recommend that you get a few of these lethal weapons for your tackle box by the next time you wet a line, as they just might seduce that fish of a lifetime.

School Camp

With the end of the school year approaching, the year 11 camp was scheduled with a beachside venue. While the majority of the attending teenagers packed their prized IPhones and technology, my mate and I wasted no time packing our fishing gear into our swags and backpacks. My gear of choice was an Okuma Travel spin rod coupled with my Okuma Flame 30 reel, then my tackle box stuffed full of Storm twitching nippers as there was a lot of snagging rocks at the beach. The camp had no designated spare time throughout either of the two days, so we used our lunchtimes to our best advantage.

On the first day it was the peak of low tide by noon, so the exposed rocks, at the end of the beach, formed many large rock pools that were sometimes over a meter in depth. Our location on the edge of a large pool allowed us to cast over the seaweed at our feet into the open water and twitch our lures back. The little Storm Twitching nipper proved to be on the money by producing adrenaline pumping strike at the edge of the weed by a nice sized cod. The same happened to my mate who also failed to set the hook. I repositioned myself just up from my mate and cast out over a deeper sand flat. As I twitched my lure back I could see a darker shadow behind it. I gave it a few sharp twitches then a pause. As the lure sank my line went dead so I quickly lifted my rod. In no time the Sufix Duraflex line was peeling off my spool and into the rock pool. As the fish tired I lead it into the shallows where it was lip gripped. By supporting its body it was lifted out of the water and taken to the rocks to be tagged.

Tagged and ready for release.

The fish, a lovely sized Dusky Flathead, measured 55cm in length and was tagged then released after a few quick pictures. By the time he was tagged lunch was nearly over so we ran back up to camp and prepared for the afternoon’s activities.

The next fishing session was at 4:45am the next morning and even though it was a little dark the soft plastic nipper was still the lure of choice. In only a few more casts another flathead was soon at my feet on the beach. The fish was tagged and released measuring 48cm in length.

With the tide fairly high, and still coming in, it wasn‘t at all the prime tide for flathead fishing. As the sun began to rise over the horizon I moved up the beach.At the new location I managed to hook up on a little long tom that took the nipper at a slightly faster and more erratic retrieve.

By lunch time the tide had rolled out leaving the rock pools full of water. Being keener than ever we ran down to the rock pools, without any food and began casting. After a few casts without any bites I moved to a new spot and cast at a small rock pile surrounded by weed. As my lure slowly twitched past I gave it a long pause and then continued. As soon as I lifted my rod I saw a little cod dart out of the weed, grab my nipper and try to dart back. I cranked up the drag to keep him out of the rocks and pulled him back to the edge. When we landed him we noticed he had completely engulfed the lure.

The completely engulfed nipper

 

He was tagged and released as the last fish of the trip. I can’t wait for my next camp so I can try out the Rapala Ultra Light lures on the local fish and hopefully see those fish again.