03-09-2011, 12:10 PM
MINNETONKA, Minn. - No doubt, at some point this fishing season, you will have "one of those days." You'll be out on the lake on the perfect spot. Your depth finder is screaming hooks, and you've tossed everything but the kitchen sink but still, nothing.
Here's a little secret from fishing legend Al Lindner. Reach back into the recesses of your tackle box and pull out a Jigging Rap. That's right, as in Jigging Rap - the ice fishing lure - by Rapala. Last summer, while filming an episode on a hot July day for Lindner's Angling Edge television program, Al Lindner experimented with the Jigging Rap based on a tip he received. Lindner fished a traditional jig, while his cameraman fished a Jigging Rap. Lindner was astounded by the Jigging Rap's effectiveness in scoring one walleye after another.
"I knew we were onto something," said Lindner. "I began to refine the technique of fishing the Jigging Rap in open water, which I call "snap jigging." This is simply an incredibly versatile lure and technique that will put more walleyes in your boat this summer, guaranteed."
The "secret" of the Jigging Rap isn't necessarily new but it has been well kept over the years by those in the know. Back in the mid-1990s, the Jigging Rap became the rage far from the frozen lakes of the northern states in Southern California. There, local anglers discovered its effectiveness on monster bass suspended in 20-to-25 feet of water in lakes such as Castaic, Perris and Casitas. On Lake of the Woods, the Jigging Rap is a closely guarded secret among locals used in mid-summer for suspending crappies and walleyes.
For those not familiar with the Jigging Rap, it's a special fish-shaped bait that has a fin on the tail, a single hook on the front and tail, and a treble hook directly in the middle of the lure's underside. The eyelet is not on the nose of the lure, but rather, directly in the center of the top side of the lure. It's this unique design that gives the Jigging Rap its curious action: when jigged vertically through an ice hole, it moves in a figure-eight when slowly lifted up and down.
In open water, the Jigging Rap can take on a completely different action, resulting in powerful strikes from walleyes and other species located in 18-to-45 feet of water. Use a 7-foot medium-action spinning rod with Sufix Elite line (8-to-10 pound test recommended) with a barrel swivel tied onto your line about 18-inches above the lure to minimize line twist. Then, tie on a Jigging Rap or Jigging Shad (sizes 5, 7 or 9). No live bait is necessary.
Use this setup on lakes with sand and gravel bottoms. Avoid real rocky structures or you'll lose too many Raps because of the treble hook. Snap the lure and allow it to sweep 3-to-4 feet at a time. The snapping action triggers the Jigging Rap's erratic action. The lure will dart this way and then that, until it crashes to the bottom. And that's when the walleyes strike.
"It's a reaction bite, pure and simple," says Lindner. "This is one of the most effective fishing techniques to catch walleyes in years. Believe me; you have to experience it to believe it."
To learn more about Lindner's secret new walleye fishing technique, check out the video link below.
Al Lindner video: http://www.rapala.com/emarketing/email_c...gging_rap/.
Media Contact
Brian Anderson Carmichael Lynch Spong (612) 375-8514 or brian.anderson@clynch.com
Here's a little secret from fishing legend Al Lindner. Reach back into the recesses of your tackle box and pull out a Jigging Rap. That's right, as in Jigging Rap - the ice fishing lure - by Rapala. Last summer, while filming an episode on a hot July day for Lindner's Angling Edge television program, Al Lindner experimented with the Jigging Rap based on a tip he received. Lindner fished a traditional jig, while his cameraman fished a Jigging Rap. Lindner was astounded by the Jigging Rap's effectiveness in scoring one walleye after another.
"I knew we were onto something," said Lindner. "I began to refine the technique of fishing the Jigging Rap in open water, which I call "snap jigging." This is simply an incredibly versatile lure and technique that will put more walleyes in your boat this summer, guaranteed."
The "secret" of the Jigging Rap isn't necessarily new but it has been well kept over the years by those in the know. Back in the mid-1990s, the Jigging Rap became the rage far from the frozen lakes of the northern states in Southern California. There, local anglers discovered its effectiveness on monster bass suspended in 20-to-25 feet of water in lakes such as Castaic, Perris and Casitas. On Lake of the Woods, the Jigging Rap is a closely guarded secret among locals used in mid-summer for suspending crappies and walleyes.
For those not familiar with the Jigging Rap, it's a special fish-shaped bait that has a fin on the tail, a single hook on the front and tail, and a treble hook directly in the middle of the lure's underside. The eyelet is not on the nose of the lure, but rather, directly in the center of the top side of the lure. It's this unique design that gives the Jigging Rap its curious action: when jigged vertically through an ice hole, it moves in a figure-eight when slowly lifted up and down.
In open water, the Jigging Rap can take on a completely different action, resulting in powerful strikes from walleyes and other species located in 18-to-45 feet of water. Use a 7-foot medium-action spinning rod with Sufix Elite line (8-to-10 pound test recommended) with a barrel swivel tied onto your line about 18-inches above the lure to minimize line twist. Then, tie on a Jigging Rap or Jigging Shad (sizes 5, 7 or 9). No live bait is necessary.
Use this setup on lakes with sand and gravel bottoms. Avoid real rocky structures or you'll lose too many Raps because of the treble hook. Snap the lure and allow it to sweep 3-to-4 feet at a time. The snapping action triggers the Jigging Rap's erratic action. The lure will dart this way and then that, until it crashes to the bottom. And that's when the walleyes strike.
"It's a reaction bite, pure and simple," says Lindner. "This is one of the most effective fishing techniques to catch walleyes in years. Believe me; you have to experience it to believe it."
To learn more about Lindner's secret new walleye fishing technique, check out the video link below.
Al Lindner video: http://www.rapala.com/emarketing/email_c...gging_rap/.
Media Contact
Brian Anderson Carmichael Lynch Spong (612) 375-8514 or brian.anderson@clynch.com