Holy Rapalas...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 11:44AM "Holy Rapalas..." The words just spilled out of my mouth as I walked into the production room filled with more than one-hundred-thousand Rapalas. I would quickly come to understand that these storied baits are MUCH closer to a form of religion than just another tackle-box filler. This story starts with a bad case of jet lag. Let me explain…
Finland's Sokos Hotel Chandelier
Jet lag never quite kicked me like it did about week ago. Sitting at a hip dinner table under a rather strange-lookin' chandelier in a Finnish hotel restaurant, buddy Mark Fisher looked across the table at my baggy eyes and partially-slumped body. After he finally stopped chuckling, he said, "Just stay awake until nine tonight buddy and you'll be alright." "In the meantime, just drink this..." He slid a cold bottle of beer in front of me and we spent the next two hours waxing about the world around us and all that is fishy. 
The Beer....
I'd been up about 30 hours and was still kicking.......barely. I had three hours until Mark’s 9 pm curfew. See, first I'd taken a late-afternoon flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. After a morning layover, which included a tiny cup of overly-strong Lavazza coffee and a classic European sandwich that tasted like a sack of salted bass plastics, I climbed onto another plane and zipped north a few hours to Helsinki. Now I was sitting in that hotel restaurant just a few miles from the very home of Lauri Rapala. Let's just say the jet lag took a back seat as I realized the adventure that was about to unfold…
My Hotel Room Monitor.... Ha!
After a rough night of rest, our small entourage walked through the front door of Rapala's main production plant and got to work documenting the birth of a bait. 
Finland's Rapala Plant
It's downright magical to see. Trust me. Plant manager Arto Nygren showed us every step in the process. In here, about 160 Finnish workers build baits from scratch. 
Arto and Bill Discussing the Finer Points of Rapalas
Rapala's Magic Machine...
This cool machine spins balsa and other light woods into rough baits. While we weren't able to shoot these machines up-close (think proprietary secrets), we were able to see the long pieces of wood spin in and the end result spit out. Literally buckets full. 
Baits Popping Out!
Get this. In an average day, Rapala crafts 50,000 baits. Yep. FIFTY-THOUSAND....Almost unimaginable. We saw workers hand-wrap foil onto baits just as Lauri Rapala did 75 years ago. 
Hand-Wrapping Foil onto Baits While Rapala’s painting secrets are just that, Arto did allow us to open a door in one paint room and peek in as artists zipped their air brushes over hundreds of baits.
Notice their chairs mounted on wheels, which allow them to zip back and forth over long stacks of baits. 
A Rapala Painter
Looking at the drying racks is the strangest thing. NEVER have I seen so many baits in one spot. When I dream at night. This is what I see.
Nick Shooting Rapalas
Holy Rapalas...
That same afternoon we had a chance to go see the very first bait Lauri Rapala whipped up back in 1936. Rapala, a local lumberjack turned fisherman, shaped pine bark and wrapped it in foil from a chocolate wrapper. A buddy of Lauri’s was a photographer so he borrowed a few film negatives and melted them over that first bait to create a hard shell. 
The Very First Rapala Bait!
Guess what? It caught fish, lots of them; So Lauri got to work in the bait business and the rest is, well, you know…
Lauri Rapala Cabin and Original Tools
After our day at the Rapala plant, Rapala buddies Petri Varis and Teemu Makela joined us and we all
road-tripped down to Petri’s cottage on the Baltic Sea. Our goal? Finland’s brackish northern pike!
On the Baltic Sea w/ Petri!
First day on the water we fought heavy, heavy wind. What's the old joke? "How many liters in a mile?" I think Petri's translation equaled to something like 35 to 40 miles an hour. A strong breeze anywhere you are, especially on a sea! We did manage to land several fish on colorful Rapala Subwalks. The size 15s are bait of choice out there. 
Rapala Subwalks Ready for Action!
Of course, Teemu landed big fish of the trip. Makes sense considering he owns one of two known Lund boats in Finland. The model? Mr. Pike. There you go…
"Mr. Pike" in his Mr.Pike with Ms.Pike...
Our other goal was to land a few of Finland’s infamous perch. We think we’ve got big ones around here? Well, here are a few Finnish perch. 
You get the picture, er, pictures… I’m going to make you wait to watch the show to see exactly what we found...
We also had a little fun with our underwater gear and a few Rapalas. I think this might be a first of its kind!
Our last day in Finland, we decided to check out Rapala’s headquarters right in Downtown Helsinki. If you look really closely at the building, you should be able to notice something a bit unusual. See it?
Rapala's Finland HQ
A Closer Look...
Up on the third floor, a world record just waiting to happen. I’m wondering how the heck I’m going to get that thing in the Lund and troll it. 
A 9-Footer!
I’ll get to work on that. Meantime, grab a normal Rapala out of the tackle box and take a good look at it. It really isn't just another bait. Rapalas are a form of religion I've learned to love each time a fish hits. "Holy Rapala...."
Watch for our Finland Rapala Special on Due North Outdoors. It's going to be a VERY special journey! I’ll keep you posted on air dates...
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