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. Heddon and Rapala are two names with tradition in this business. And the history of the Rapala company is told by some of the oldest items they produce such as the Rapala fishing lures. The lure production was initiated some 60 years ago. The products are clearly crafted from experience 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 were first produced in Finland. Fishing and farming was the occupation of the man, Lauri Rapala, who founded the company in his native country Finland. 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 is still the basis for a lot of the Rapala fishing lures.
Rapala company won most of its fame after the Second World War. After the war Rapala revived his small lure making enterprise. Lauri Rapala made the fishing lures himself at first, but in time, the craft was also learned by some other family members. 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, initially toNorway and Sweden and then to the USA. 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.
After the success in the States, Rapala went international, copies having been made after their products. 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.













