Rapala and Storm 2001-2002 Changes!!!

[jigemup]

Today the Rapala Rep stopped my Gander Mt. Location and gave me the skinny on a few changes and returns we can expect from each of their product lines within the next few months/ beginning of year 2002.

Storm:
Storm no longer will be making Hot-n-tots with metal bills. They will be replaced with a lexan bill molded to the lure which will make them much easier to tune. If you noticed these are on clearance now and this is why. Rattle-tots are a thing of the past and will not be available any longer. The color patterns resemble several of the thundercrank color patterns and should be good producers. All of the old color patterns for the storm lures will not be the same as they have in the past.

A new variation of the subwart called the miniwart will also be released as well as a new variation of the wiggle wart and a new mid-wart- these will all use the color schemes of the current subwart lures.

Rapala:
WOW.... Now this season they are coming out with some cool stuff!

Customers can expect a great new trolling bait called the Shad Rap Rattling Suspending Jointed model. These baits are impressive and should really produce fish. Rapala also plans to release a #5 Tail-Dancer to add to their tail-dancer line. This particular bait is much smaller than this years model, but should be a heavy hitter on the walleye seen. For a few of you "old timers" the blue and silver shad rap is on it's way back- the chrome and blue that replaced it is going to be scratched though. Rapala is also offering a new "Long Cast" series of lures that are similar to a husky jerk- these baits are weighed by a series of shot that rolls to the tail of the bait for better casting distances. This bait will also be accompanied by a new series of long cast line as well as a clear blue florescent line for you line watchers. Also being released are two new colors for the shad rap line that look quite impressive- a bluegill pattern and a faded black bass pattern- these should be great for the walleye and bass anglers alike.

Storm is also coming out with a new line of soft plastic lures. Each of these has a rattle impregnated into each lure with salt and anis oil flavors added too. Rapala just recently aqurired this over seas plastic company and from the looks of these lures with their holographic foil inside they should produce great.

Well, this is what I can just remember off the top of my head from what he brought in but I thought you all would enjoy- I asked about prism storm lures and he stated a least not for this season- I hope to see them again soon. I hope I didn't name anything wrong here- if I did I do appologize- good fishing.

Good luck and remember the guys from Gander Mountain gave ya the skinny first!

Jigemup
Dale Radcliffe- Fishing Department Manager- LaCrosse, WI

[EB]

Thanks for the info! Did the gent from Rapala give any clues as to why they did away with the Thunderstick as we knew it. Does anybody know of any sources for these baits, I get nervous everytime I tie one on my line knowing I can't replace it. Thanks

[Bob G2]

Is it Normark's intention to totally destroy and gut Storm? They seem to be doing an excellent job so far. Now they intend on
"rebuilding" Hot-N-Tots??? Looking at the job they've done so far in changing the Thunderstick to the Duddstick, and with the way they screwed up the Chub Bug, I can't help but be overly pessimistic about what the "new and improved" Hot-N-Tot will be.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll start combing the stores for the old ones now.

[jester]

How STUPID is Normark?

1. Storm no longer will be making Hot-n-tots with metal bills. They will be replaced with a lexan bill molded to the lure which will make them much easier to tune.

Think they will have the same erratic action with a thick plastic lip?

2. the blue and silver shad rap is on it's way back- the chrome and blue that replaced it is going to be scratched though.

I refuse to believe they could pull the best color in their whole line...I'm not on the sentimental "old colors are better" bandwagon after testing the new color against the one they are bringing back. Its not even close on the lakes and rivers I fish.

3. two new colors for the shad rap line that look quite impressive- a bluegill pattern and a faded black bass pattern- these should be great for the walleye and bass anglers alike.

Anyone excited about these new patterns?

4. Rattle-tots are a thing of the past and will not be available any longer.

Good Conservation Move. They caught too many fish and should be outlawed. Everyone please destroy your remaining stock...

5. Rapala is also offering a new "Long Cast" series of lures that are similar to a husky jerk- these baits are weighted by a series of shot that rolls to the tail of the bait for better casting distances.

This could be good. It makes you wonder though given everything else Normark has done.


6. Customers can expect a great new trolling bait called the Shad Rap Rattling Suspending Jointed model. These baits are impressive and should really produce fish.

Kinda like that other famous Rapala Lure the Tail Dancer. How many TD's are collecting dust on shelves all over the US?

7. I asked about prism storm lures and he stated a least not for this season-

Did you ever notice how stupid people sleep a lot? Normark execs ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..........

[Bayside]

The walleyes should be rejoiceing they are discontinuing the Rattle Tot, this will end the sensless slaying of hundreds of thousands of walleyes each year! They will probably come out with a new lure that is as effective as the Risto Rap with walleye repellent paint. I am convinced Rapala will do more to increase walleye populations in the midwest then any stocking program has ever done. They will have now have the most complete line of absolutely useless lures on the market. Does anyone know if it is true they want to reintroduce the Banjo minnow??

[cranker]

Have any of you guys talked to or e-mailed Normark on this subject? What is their position/response? All this new, discontinued, and bringing back baits seems to be backfiring on them. I know its the $$$ that speaks but they are angering alot of their customers, including myself. They must feel they are going to make money doing this??

[Marble Eyes]

Perhaps If they are so sure of their corporate decision making, they would sell me the Copyrights to the Metal Billed, and Rattling Hot N Tots.

[Marble Eyes]

Duh, I meant patents...Course you all knew that, right..

[Cangl]

Can anybody out there tell me of "one incidence" of a metal lipped Hot n Tot losing a lip? The steelhead rip the hooks off and the walleye scar paint real bad but the lures where indesructable. What was hard about tuning a Hot n Tot? Molded the lip into the body that will probably compete real well with the Wiggle Wart? No? Rerun, something done twice....

[cranker]

I wonder if the plastic lip is cheaper than the metal one?? Less cost to them?? I'll stop with the negativity now, maybe I'll even try to send them a constructive e-mail stating my opinions. What else can a guy do?

[SUPERTROLLER]

Anybody having a problem catching walleyes on Hot-N-Tots? I didn't think so! As stated above, putting a plastic bill on them, makes them a Wiggle Wart. I've had Tots so bent up I thought there was NO WAY to make them run true again. Wrong! ALWAYS have been able to straighten them out to run again. AND they still caught fish! These are my favorite lures. Thundersticks were 2nd. I'm going to have to learn how to fish all over again. They're taking the SUPER out of trolling. REGULARTROLLER just ain't gonna cut it. Oh well. Start the buying spree again. Just don't tell my wife. Shhhhhhhh!

About the only bright side of this entire posting was the Risto Raps with walleye repellant paint. That was a good chuckle. And TRUE!

[Paul]

DITTO ON ALL THE SCREW UP'S THAT NORMARK IS DOING TO STORM IT'S THERE LOSS AS WE FIND OTHER BAITS THAT WILL WORK THAT THEY DONT MAKE.

[Thunder Crank]

I can't believe you guys! Change is bad, change is evil! If all these lures are so successful the sales would prove it, I can really believe all you businessmen out there keep up with money losing projects. i just used the new Thunder Crank on the weekend and it out caught the old T-Stick JR 3 to 1 and I didn't have to waste fishing time tuning it. The new Storm plastics are awesome too, I can't wait to try them out.
Grow up guys, this isn't the X Files, there is no conspiracy, Normark is not out to ruin a company they purchased. They just want to make a profit like every other company in the field.
Go out and catch some eyes and calm down!

[Gumbo]

I'm not convinced. Maybe part of the sale required Normark to pay Storm royalties for a few years on Storm profits. Maybe Storm lures have a lower profit margin than their Rapala counterparts, so Normark would rather sell more Rapalas. Or maybe Normark's strategy is to tier their baits, making Rapalas the high-end bait and Storms the less expensive models (requiring that they reduce quality to maintain the profit margin).

Either way, I'm confident the changes at Storm are the result of marketing decisions and not for fishing/quality/pros/consumer reasons. Lauri Rapala's non-fishing grandson must have recently graduated with his MBA.

Don't like the new Storms? ...buy the higher-margin Rapalas! And for a really high-margin baits, buy the limited edition TailDancers. But they're not for fishing with--just for looking at.

[Hawgeye]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-24-01 AT 10:10AM (CST)[p]I do not think the "grow up" comment is of much value here. I think the entire point is that many of us find something that works and works well, are forced to change, we don't like it. I am tired of the marketing gurus always dropping colors to make room for other colors that are obviously just there to catch fisherman and not fish. I will not quite using Normark lures but will make an extra effort to try other brands. I guess time will tell how smart this move is.

Isn't it interesting that their website has no place on it to send an email or even a contact phone number?

Marketing 101 says, "sell the customer what they want, don't try to tell them what they want". If you do this, you will get unhappy customers.

[Eyez]

Well said. Normark has told us that their new colors and models are better, but that hasn't really proven itself to very many fisherman. If they want to introduce new models, so be it, that's innovation, but replacing tried and true lures with a large following with a "better" version is only going to encourage people to use other tried and true lures, like reef runners and bombers. Most of our fishing days are too short to be field testing unproven lures. The only new Rapala lure that has produced consistently for me is the shad rap RS. The taildancers and risto raps have been a waste of money. The new colors are the same deal, I still catch most of my fish on the original colored shad raps.

"Also being released are two new colors for the shad rap line that look quite impressive- a bluegill pattern and a faded black bass pattern- these should be great for the walleye and bass anglers alike."

I don't want lures designed by some middle manager in a marketing department that are designed to look good and appeal to fisherman, I want lures designed by and tested by fisherman, with proven success. This constantly trying to make their lures "better" is self defeating. What ever happened to field testing a lure before it's released?



Eyez

[GullGuide]

EXACTLY!!
That is why bringing back the old blue/silver pattern is a god-send. That color combo and the crawfish pattern have caught more fish for my boat than all other lures combined. I have a few old Blue/siver shad raps that are totally chewed up and they still catch fish. Can't wait to restock with a proven fish-catching color!
>"////=<

[Steve]

I really think that the problem is that STORM hired the Executive from CoCacola who designed and started the "NEW COKE" that was such a FIZZLE. Mangement is usually the problem when things go wrong, too much time on their hands.

[Kevin/CO]

I think there are a couple of contributing factors to Storm not selling as much. For one think about how many fisherpeopel reffer to crankbaits as rapalas? Its a mindest thats out there, a dominating brand that has become a refference to a type of product. I think that Rapala has more arrgessively been marketed causing lesser informed consumers to become closed minded and going with their product instead of experimenting. I have been on the water and say I am catching on wiggle warts and have had people go what is that, now say rapalas or crank baits and they get you immediately. I have had peopel hold a Yo-zurri and say this rapalas are great for catching fish on. Its just not as a diversly informed market and competitors need. Its like with kleenex its a brand but also a name now for what we call the product even from other comapnies. Another factor I think is that Storm baits hold up much better, they take sunlight and heat better, fare better after landing fish and don't break as easily when slung into things such as rocks, dams and that sort. You can muscle a Storm bait out of a snag in rocks with less damage on average then a rapala. A bait with a longer life needs to be replaced less. Just my take on it all.

[Backwater Eddy]

They like to get rid of old and then bring it back as "NEW", they sell more lures this way, they think.

In a nut shell, rapid product rotation is the sales ploy they are useing. Before you know it there will be a expiration date on them Rap's like we see on pop cans and milk,...... GET YOUR RAP'S BEFORE THEY ROT!!!

I like most Rapala products but am no fan of their recent marketing strategy.

Backwater Eddy...><,,>

[risor39]

BRING BACK THE OLD STYLE LURES!!!!!Man these guys can't be reading any of the posts I've been reading.These new baits are a piece of junk(glued on bills)one piece much better.A salesman at a local store broke one off right out of the box.I'm not against change but not to inferior quality baits.Any one that knows how to contact Normark post it everywhere you can I will send them as many complaints as I can.The more we complain the more they MAY listen.

[Fuzzy]

Let the market evolve dude - relax - what did you do before you used Storms? Hmm? I'd bet you had never heard of Storm Lures before 6-7-8 years ago - and I'll bet you weren't too confident when you put the first one on. It looked kinda goofy didn't it? Sure they worked very well and the color selections (to match the hatch in specific areas) made them special, but time rolls on - Rapala is an excellent firm and has been shaking things up lately, but have confidence in the long term big picture.