2010 New Lure: Rapala Flat Rap

I had the privilege to get my hands on one of the Flat Raps, a new lure for 2010 today. Woohoo! My first impressions were: COOL, COOL & COOL!! One look and you'll know that the rolling, flashy action on this was gonna be a killer when twitched. With its flat sides, the flash would be more prominent. Interestingly the small tri-angular bib helps in this area of twitching.

Somehow it does look like a flatter version of the Twitchin' Rap with a bib. But boy, does the chrome look enticing! Here's some specs I got off Rapala's official website. Yet to try it but... just can't wait to hit the water to try it out.

If only the rain would stop...

FLR08 - 8cm

FLR10 - 10cm

Colours:

CH-Chrome, CLN-Clown, FT-FireTiger, HSS-Hot Steel, HT-Hot Tiger, OPSD-Original Pearl Shad, P-Perch. PDS-Purpledescent, PGS-Pearl Grey Shiner, S-Silver, SB-Silver Blue, YP-Yellow Perch

Flashy profile... Me likey!

Minnow profile

Check out the triangular bib

Flat sides

Top view

The Tale of Two Tigers - Part 2

Day 2....

It rained again... and again... and AGAIN! We prayed that it would stop. Obviously someone out there must have needed the rain out there more than us :) When it was slightly better, we headed out to the weed beds and lilypads.

The sky was overcast and the slight wind blowing the water surface made it a tad difficult to sight the Toman rises. Nevertheless, we kept looking.

We came to this spot where the local Toman 'gang' apparently hang out. Sure enough, there we rises among the tight weeds.

Gently, we launched the Skitter Pop Fire Tigers. FG's plopped about 1 feet from a nice rise. Seconds later, the water erupted and his line went tight! But it was definitely no match for the Curado E5/GLoomis combo. Fish CPR'ed (Catch, Photographed & Released).

Don't underestimate these weeds at the banks!

Check out the 'Batik' patterns on the fish! Beauty!

Can't deny that SP09 Fire Tiger was THE lure!

Up until then, I only got those Tiny Toons. Whatever happened to those big Mommas? It was humbling to be catching tots on lures almost as big as their bodies!

Evening came and we paddled into a beautiful cove. At a distance, I could vaguely see a tight school of babes. Mama should be around somewhere. Let's go!

Sadly, repeated casts to 'harass' the babes didn't provoke Mummy enough to pounce on the Redhead Skitter Pop. What kinda Mummy is that?!? You're supposed to be guarding the babies!

So I left the babies alone and cast way far from the school in between the weeds. It was almost time to call it a day and so, half heartedly cast the last few remaining casts. Out of no where this dark, black & green shape appeared and slammed into the Redhead 'innocently struggling' back to the boat. It was Mummy!

"Watch out, there's a log on your right!" FG warned. Mrs Toman went berserk and charged furiously towards the structure. Good thing it tired out just a few feet before reaching the snag and our guide expertly netted her.

She was a beautiful colouration! Typical of brooding fish. After taking the customary photos, she was released back healthily to rejoin her babes.

"Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?"

Self explanation of the Toman's aggressive nature

This trip was also riddled with a lot of typical D1 blunders which I shall not divulge in this blog for obvious reasons! Ask the other Rapaleros... if there's no D1 blunder it won't be a happening trip.

Hey, what fun would it be without such 'entertainment'? ;)

The Tale of Two Tigers

The heavens opened and dunked some serious rain onto us as we were rousing from our sleep.

"I'm sure the fish wouldn't mind getting wet from the rain" FG exclaimed with a matter of fact look. But thank God the weather did ease and we proceeded as planned to our rendezvous.

After FG's successive and productive trips with pictures of angry Toman smashing surface lures and stories of burst leaders & smothered egos, who could resist to tangle with the "freshwater Tigers" of Southeast Asia?

"Skitter Pops in Fire Tiger colour were the top producers in our last trip" FG exclaimed as he fit one onto his outfit.

Who was I to argue? I followed suit on my Majorcraft Sakura 10-16lb / Shimano Curado 200E5 loaded up with the new 20lb Sufix Fusion line (more details on that in subsequent posts! Great stuff comparable to Fireline!) outfit.

The morning air was crisp. Motoring quietly across the lake, we came upon the sight of familiar surface ripples.

"There", our guide pointed out to the swirl that was about 30m away.

FG graciously allowed me to cast first. The Fire Tiger Skitter Pop 9cm landed right on target about 1 foot near the ripples. Perfect.

It didn't survive the third chug when the water around it erupted! Line taught, rod bent!

Fish on!!!

Alas, the fight was shortlived. The fish dived into some submerged weeds and shook the lure free. The spanking new Fire Tiger came back with a large puncture hole on its balsa body. From the teeth marks, it did look like a solid fish (aren't the ones that get away always big?)

FG scored better with the subsequent Toman. Not big, but it sure gave an impressive surface strike that caused our hearts to almost jump out of our mouths! These guys are aggressive! They seemed to love the loud splashes from the Skitter Pop on a fast 'jerk, jerk, jerk' action. And the results of the day confirmed it. Aggressive strikes are an understatement!

Ron scores a nice one on his Jap surface lure

Freshwater Tiger meets Fire Tiger

This one fell for the new X-Walk 11cm

When it comes to Toman fishing, the most common method is to cast a diving lure or crankbait at a fish that has come up to the water surface to breathe. The ripples on the water surface are the tell tale sign of a fish that has just surfaced. Casting a deep diver at the spot will trigger the aggressive nature of the Toman to strike the 'intruding' object.

However, this technique may not be a universal technique especially at shallow spots where underwater weeds abound. Hence, poppers would work wonders as they cause the commotion on the water surface, triggering ferocious strikes. Not to mention, the visual effects are heart-stopping and purely unforgettable!

More pics to come..

Glass Fat Rap

Now that the Fat Rap craze in Singapore & Malaysia has simmered down a bit, it's time to reflect back at another lure which I had forgotten about (shame shame!) for quite some time since it was discontinued.

The glass Fat Raps were pretty cool, though the wobbling action is slightly different from its balsa counterparts, still produced fish.

Jeffroman proved that the precious one in his tacklebox still could produce wonders when he recently bagged a nice Barramundi & Ladyfish on the glass FR. Brave man, or so I thought, since these are discontinued... and if it was somehow snagged or taken by a fish, its a permanent bye-bye.

What To Do With 1 Hour to Spare?

What does one do with 1 hour to spare in the evening? Now that's a silly question if you're a hardcore angler.

Which was what I did precisely after work one day. Just needed a short break after that stretch of stressful afternoon engagements. Grabbed my newly acquired Majorcraft Sakura BC & Curado 200 E5 combo and headed down to the rocks.

The tide was just nicely rising.. just nice for knocking on some groupers' doors.

At the end of the hour, I was pleasantly surprised that the good ol' spot still yielded nice fish. All were happily released to fight another day. Oh, and did I mention I got busted off twice? 40lb leader cut off nicely at the rocks.

For those who are stressed at work - drop those files and knock off that computer of yours, pick up your rod and go toss some lures. Even if it's just for 1 hour. You'll be surprised at the effects.

Stay sane. Go fishing!

Location: Look for loose rocks such as these.

Keep casting around the rocky outcrop - key thing is to bounce those lures off the rocks every now and then to 'knock' on the grouper's holes. Normally they'd ambush from these holes.

Be fast! Once they hit, very often they head back to the rocks. Keep the fight short and sweet.

30-40lb leaders are a must to avoid cut off at the sharp barnacles

Size doesn't matter - just enjoy the entire process. Happy luring!

X-Rap Walk 11

Remember the sausage FG caught his Temensis on a few weeks back? That's the new X-Rap Walk 11. Understand that they have it in size 9cm as well up and coming.

Good stuff I must say... at least the Tomans wont be so 'blind' to explode on and miss the bigger X-Rap Walk 13. Size 11 is perfect for freshwater applications.

More jealousy pictures courtesy of FG....

I seriously need to go fishing.... like... now... :(

Sebbie on Skitter Pop 9! Ganas!!

Fire Tiger Skitter Pop

FG threw me a couple of new colours for some lures last week and one of them stood out as clear as day - it was a Fire Tiger Skitter Pop! I've wanted to test out this hot colour on Malaysian Toman but FG beat me to it! Argh!

Check out some cool shots....

WARNING: What you will see will cause you to suffer uncontrollable bouts of wanting to get one. Not for the faint hearted!

Top to Bottom: Rapala X-Rap Redhead, Storm Chug Bug Hot Pink & Fire Tiger Skitter Pop

The verdict: Just like the Fat Raps, Fire Tiger pattern is HOT!

Glidin' Rap as a GT Lure?

When all else fails and you're almost to the point of tearing your hair out when the fish are finicky....

When poppers dont work.... time to be creative. Experiment... no matter how weird it may seem.

It can yield surprises. :)

Shimano Curado 200 E5

Had a few queries about the baitcaster used in a few freshwater trip posts. It's the new Shimano Curado 200 E5, the next generation, small body-big cap, low profile baitcaster.

This baby has the body of a size 100 but boasts a line cap of a size 200! Check out the specs:

Line Cap (lbs/yds): 8/180, 10/155, 14/110

Gear Ratio: 5.0:1

Line retrieve per crank: 21 inches

Weight: 7.6oz

Bearings: 6BB, 1RB

Max drag: 12lb

Small, cute reel with tough muscle. Oh, and did I mention the moss-green colour on the reel actually 'changes' colour like a chameleon to a darker shade of green on different lighting?

Check out the detailed review at Tackle Tour:

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimanocuradoe5.html