Finnish Wobbler Construction And Painting - aka Rapala Lures

Our tackle boxes have or have had a Finnish wobbler in there at some stage or another. These same Finnish lures had some amazing luck to get where they are and it included the Sputnik satellite, Marilyn Munroe’s suicide, The 1952 Helsinki Olympics and other factors. The one major factor was that after they were invented they became legendary at catching fish frequently.

American Crankbaits first inspired the Finnish wobbler but the Finnish model is completely different in its construction. American wobblers were built with metal stomachs that had a weighted cup where the screw for the hooks fastened. The Finnish model has a wire running through the body to the hook rings and then to the line. It is made of balsa today, but almost a hundred years ago, curled bark from pine trees was used.

The Creek Chub Bait Company manufactured the American lures in Finland, but the economics of most Finns fishing then were unable to afford the first models named Baby Craw Daddy and the New Pikie Minnow. However, the idea of a lure rather than a baited long line to catch fish started many anglers whittling away at various woods.

One of these craftsmen was called Ville Tuulos, a Gold medal triple jumper who should really get the credit for designing the first traditional Finnish wobbler. The Tuulos design further inspired a hermit by the name of, Toivo Pylväläinen, who whittled his style of wobblers in his friend’s sauna. The lethal design has been happiness for anglers since. Pylväläinen lived on an island on lake Päijänne, where he met with his eventual friend, Lauri Rapala.

Provisionally, Lauri agreed never to sell Pylväläinen’s design of fishing lures but today, Rapala produces more than 30 million units of traditional Finnish style wobblers.

image:Jean-louis