The Matt Truesdale Fishing Blog: My Little Friend. Part 1

Read this now, and come back to see my follow up on Tuesday, June 12th!

Authored in March 2012.

The warm weather cannot get to Central, PA soon enough. Although I still continue to go to my favorite fishing holes throughout the county on a weekly basis, I am yearning for some temperatures above 60 degrees with no wind. If you have never been to Pennsylvania during spring, it can only be described as “bleh”. Grey, rainy, windy days are the norm, but occasionally a gift is provided in the condition of a cloudless and sunny day with a high of 55. But until the consistently warm days of mid April arrive, I will continue to ignore the persistent itch of cabin fever and dreams of warm summer as I endure the unpredictable spring weather. And, of course, I will continue to prepare for the almost predictable spontaneous fishing adventures with my fishing buddies.

Most recently, on a trip to Spring Creek in Centre County, I was asked what my “bait of choice” was by a fellow angler. He presumably was inquiring about what I prefer to fish for trout with, as we were both in pursuit of the famous Spring Creek wild brownies, but that question really got me thinking. What would I chose if I could only use one bait/lure for the rest of my life? Ask yourself that question, and what would you even begin to think?? Depending on a targeted species, there are countless different baits, lures, presentations, colors, shapes, sizes, and on and on and on! But after I marinated on this topic for a day or two, I have come to a conclusion that I am not only confident in, but I have experience to prove its effectiveness.

As the saying goes “oldies are goodies”. This saying is specifically true with my lure of choice, which I will shortly reveal. In today’s world of fishing, anglers are constantly on the lookout for a new product or technique that will catch more fish. Take the new Alabama rig (aka the Umbrella rig) for example (Pictured Below). Two years ago no one knew about this new style of fishing. But today it is one of the hottest and most popular selling devices. The umbrella rig is even illegal in many locations and tournaments due to its effectiveness. But my lure, the lure that I guarantee will catch you fish and a wide diversity of fish, is not a part of a new fad or technique. In fact, this lure is almost 80 years old and is still going strong with its continued success of attracting fish to bite.

The lure I am speaking of by a little company known as Rapala. Ever hear of them? Yeah, I thought so. Rapala makes a wide variety of signature style lures. Everything from crank baits, deep divers, jerk baits, rattle traps, jointed lures, poppers, skitter props, etc. But by far, the most dynamic lure Rapala makes is their original Floating Minnow size 07 (Pictured
Below). The F7 Floating Minnow produced includes a small front lip for retrieving at depths between 3’-5’, weighs 1/8 oz, and is 2 – ¾ inches. All of the floating minnows come in a wide range of excellent colored patterns. A cousin to the floating minnow is the Rapala X-Rap (Pictured Below). The main differences between these two lures are the feathered tail, lip placement, and 3D holographic eyes of the X-Rap. Both the Floating Minnow and the X-Rap can be fished as a “slashbait” or in strait retrieval and will catch fish, period.

These two lures, specifically the Floating Minnow, are the most dynamic fishing lure for one simple reason. An angler can fish for bass, trout, crappie, pickerel, or northern pike all in the same day with the same lure. Don’t believe me? Look below. I have caught a plethora of different species all with the same style Rapala. Need more evidence? To date, Rapala lures have caught 502 of the International Game Fish Association’s record fish, more than any other lure company. As a result of my success there is not a trip that passes me by where I do not have a handful of Rapala Floating Minnows and X-Raps within my tackle box! Try them for yourself!