Rapala: A Brand You Know, Travel Rods You Probably Don’t

I’m just about certain that the first largemouth bass I ever caught on an artificial lure came on the Original Rapala Floating Minnow, probably a size 5 or 7. A couple of years later I graduated to the jointed version, and those were pretty much my staples until I hit my mid-teens. I still throw a lot of their products, like the DT Series, and of course the Shad Rap, but until I saw them in a Brazilian tackle shop I had no idea that Rapala made rods, too.

If you go to their Japanese website, however, you’ll learn that the venerable Finnish-born brand has quite an extensive lineup of rods, including travel sticks.

The four-piece Classic Countdown comes in both light baitcasting and light spinning versions, both 6’6”, and featuring old-school cork handles.

The Trail Blazers are more modern-looking, and come in three baitcasting models and three spinning models, all either 6’4” or 6’6”, from ultralight through medium-heavy.

The Trail Blazer Madai Docan Driver is a 6’10” baitcaster that’ll cast lures over 4 ounces. It’s the first travel rod I’ve seen with spiral-wrapped guides.

Finally, there’s the 6’8” Trail Blazer Medium Versatile – “bass fishing only” – which comes in both baitcasting and spinning models.

Once again, all of this is just another way of showing how much more advanced foreign markets – and in particular those in Asia – are when it comes to travel gear. Fortunately, even though you might not be able to test them in your local tackle shop, a lot of these products are available through Ebay and international retailers — generally at very affordable prices. If that doesn’t appeal to you, Tackle Warehouse has an increasingly solid selection.