1. The Original Floating Rapala – Rapala Lure Company was founded in Finland in 1936 by Lauri Rapala, who is credited for creating the world’s first floating minnow lure which was carved from cork with a shoemaker’s knife, covered with chocolate candy bar wrappers and melted photography film negatives, for a protective outer coating.  His first fishing lure was created and designed for the purpose of catching pike. The floating minnow lure later, once the Rapala company was created, went on to become the first Rapala lure. The company produces a similar lure today. The construction of the lure is similar to how they were originally built, with the exception that the core is made from balsa wood instead of cork, and the outer coating is now paint and lacquer. The original floating minnow, now called the No. 9 floater, is still the company’s most popular lure. Rapala’s lures are considered some of the world’s leading baits and sold in 140 countries.

2. Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap – In the early 1960’s Bill Lewis was in his garage in Alexandria, Louisiana creating fishing lures. He would often have so many designs that he didn’t have time to test them all so he would pass out prototypes to guys that came by. One day out on Toledo Bend reservoir he came across a boat with anglers catching big bass after big bass. When he asked what they were using one called back and said, “Bill, I don’t know what you call this ugly-looking rattling thing, but you need to come up with a name quick, because it catches fish better than anything I’ve ever fished. It was a lure Lewis had designed where he used  BB’s to add weight to get the lure to swim right. It wasn’t until he got on the water later that he discovered the BB’s in the vibrating lure body created a noise the fish could not resist. The Rat-L-Trap has become one of the best selling artificial lures of all time. 

3. Eppinger’s Dardevle – In 1906 Lou Eppinger spent a month on a solo outing in the Ontario wilderness. While fishing he used a lure of his own design, a spoon weighing two ounces. The metal was hammered out so that it was thinner in the middle and thicker toward the edges. When he cast it into the shallows it would swing from side to side, nearly turning over, but always righting itself. By 1912, Eppingern had turned his prototype into a finished lure, called the Osprey. It caught fish; lots and lots of them. In 1918, Lou’s nephew Ed came to work in his uncle’s shop. They changed the name of the Osprey to Dardevle,  the name now used for Eppinger’s most successful line of lures.

4. Mepps Spinner – In 1938 French engineer Andre Meulnart invented the Mepps spinner. He didn’t realize, however, he had invented a lure that would revolutionize the fishing tackle industry. It wasn’t until 1951 that Todd Sheldon from Antigo, Wisconsin discovered the Mepps spinner. Sheldon was the owner of a successful tackle store and while fishing the Wisconsin Wolf River he tied on a Mepps spinner that had been given to him by a veteran who had returned from Europe two years earlier. Within two hours, he had creeled four trout. Sheldon was hooked on, and began selling, Mepps spinners In 1956, Sheldon sold his store and formed Sheldons’, Inc. to focus his attention on his growing import trade of Mepps spinners.

5. Buck Perry’s Spoonplug – Elwood “Buck” Perry passed away at the age of 90 in 2005. His ideas on fish movement in relation to bottom contours have earned him the distinction of being  considered the father of structure fishing. To find where fish were, and at what depth, he considered trolling the only efficient way to eliminate large expanses of water. Since no lure existed that would stay at a fixed depth regardless of speed of presentations, Buck decided to invent one. Armed with tin snips and a pair of pliers he cut and shaped pieces metal until he had developed a lure that would do the job. After he found the right size, shape and weight, he painted them in various colors. The lure was a cross between a spoon and a plug, so he named it “Spoonplug.”

6. Lazy Ike – In the mid-1930’s, Joseph Kautzky Jr. came upon a fisherman whose name was Newell Daniels. Daniels was fishing one of his handcarved fishing lures on the Des Moines River and when Kautzky Jr saw the action of the lure, he remarked, “Look at that lazy ike!” and, thus, the Lazy Ike fishing lure was born. From 1938 to 1940, the entire production of these lures was hand made by Daniels. When he left the company in 1940, he turned all rights over to Kautzky. After that, handmade production of the Lazy Ike was handed to “Pop” Shuck, who continued to carve the lures by hand until 1945. At this point, lathe production began and most certainly the number of lures produced jumped dramatically.

7. Rapala Shad Rap – In 1982, Rapala released the lure, Shad Rap, which still remains one of the company’s best-selling lures. The Shad Rap closely resembles a baitfish found the world over. It is constructed of premium balsa and is equally effective either cast or trolled, performing from ultra-slow presentations to super fast without fail. Its precise action, detailed finish and proven fish-catching patterns make this a must-have bait for all anglers. 

8. Heddon Lucky 13 – The Lucky 13 was introduced to the public in 1921 and doubles as both a topwater and a diving lure. When jerked the lure will spit from its mouth and shoot to the side. When steadily retrieved a Lucky 13 will dive a short distance below the surface and wobble back to the rod. The lure continues to be very popular today and can still be purchased everywhere.

9. Rapala Jigging Rap – When you’re stalking suspended game fish under the ice or in open water, the lure many anglers choose is the Rapala Jigging Rap. The Jigging Rap lure’s design provides a pronounced movement on both the rise and fall, with a strike triggering, slow circle down action. Long known for its ice fishing prowess, the Jigging Rap series has grown in popularity for the open water angler that realizes how an efficient vertical jigging presentation can be hugely successful.

10. Arbogast Hula Popper – In 1926 Fred Arbogast started crafting lures.The topwater Hula Popper was first introduced in 1941 by Arbogast and was the first lure to feature a rubber “Hula” skirt that was actually patented in 1938 for the Hawaiian Wiggler spinnerbait. It was that skirt that gave the lure action even when it was at rest. Arbogast’s lures have stood the test of time as many he invented, including the Hula Popper, are still readily available to anglers today.

11. Johnson Silver Minnow – Invented in 1923, the Johnson Silver Minnow is the Original Weedless Wonder. The lure has a thirty-five degree wobble that rocks back and forth but won’t roll and twist line. From one-sixteenth to one-half ounce the brass blade is designed for long casts and the plated lure are covered with pure silver or 24 karat gold for a brighter flash than chrome or brass spoons. The metal weed guard is what sets this spoon apart form others and it is highly efficient at staying weed-free and catching fish. 

12. Bucher Tail – Joe Bucher is renowned as a top fishing educator and he has also pioneered many of the musky fishing concepts that are now considered mainstream techniques. His innovations in big gamefish lure design spawned several brand new lure categories and his Bucher Tail bucktail is considered one of the most well-balanced big-pike lures ever manufactured. Single spinner, dual spinner and many color options have put this bucktail at the top of the food chain when it come to the perfect in-line spinner.

13. Johnson Beetle Spin – Chuck Wood invented the Beetle Spin in 1963. Famed angler, Virgil Ward spotted the lure at the Fishing Shack in Olathe Kansas and his Bass Buster company produced it. It’s popularity grew exponentially very quickly.  The Johnson Tackle Company bought out Bass Buster in the early sixties and the lure is still available today through Pure Fishing.

14. Gapen’s Ugly Bug – Dan Gapen was a premier angler and lure designer. His lure, the Ugly Bug jig had an incredible ability to work out of rocky bottom structure and because of its wide forward head design, the jig balances level when vertically jigged. The Ugly Bug is a great stand-up jig as it sits at a 45-degree angle when resting on the bottom and is often fished with some added live bait.

15. Suick Muskie Thriller – Frank Suick was born in 1899 a month before the turn of the century. In the early 1930’s he began whittling with a jack knife on a piece of cedar. His handy knife work developed into one of the all time classic jerk baits, the Suick Muskie Thriller. His new lure accomplishes the goal of simply allowing fishermen to set the hook as soon as the fish hits. This concept by Suick came from observing trout feeding in one of the many ponds at a hatchery he owned. By this observation he noted that the only time one trout would attack another is when its prey is sick, injured, or off guard. The Suick “Thriller” is still a staple in every muskie angler’s tackle box.

16. Heddon Hellbender – The legendary Hellbender has been probing the depths for anglers since the late 1950’s. Its distinctive big-lip design allows it to dive quickly and get very deep and allows it to roll off cover and structure minimizing snags and triggering strikes when it rolls. It can be cast tight to steep banks and cranked down to the fish or trolled beside the same steep banks, parallel to drop-offs or through suspended baitfish. Trolled on a long flatline, a Hellbender can reach 35 feet.  Over the years, Hellbenders have produced many state and world records for multiple species.

17. Luhr-Jensen Krocodile Spoon – The Krocodile Spoon operates on a simple premise: big fish eat smaller fish. It has a long slender body that can be cast and retrieved, jigged over structure, or trolled. Many different sizes means that anglers can choose what best mirrors available forage, then they can pick from one the many color options from an extensive palette that mimic what the fish are feeding on. 

18. Arbogast Jitterbug – There is no topwater lure that has the action of the forever popular Jitter Bug. The Jitterbug’s double cupped lip, placed at precisely the correct angle, produces a loud, rhythmic, surface-busting sound that is proven to be irresistible to any fish that is prone to attacking a topwater lure.

19. Billy Finn Bucktail – He was a lure salesman most of his life, but in his younger days Bill Gautsche was a fishing guide on the Hayward, Wisconsin lakes and in 1946 he invented the Billy Finn bucktail spinner. It was considered the first in-line bucktail spinner because the hair on the lure was attached right to the straight piece of wire, rather than it being attached to a loop that was attached to a connected wire which was much more common in spinners of that era.

20. Bomber Long A – The Bomber Long A has a lip that is molded directly into its plastic body. It’s a legendary slender minnow that can be slow-trolled, steadily retrieved or used as a jerkbait. The Long A has a nice wide wobble when retrieved steadily and when used as a jerk bait the lure  darts erratically to one side then the other.

21. – Stanley Vibra Wedge Spinnerbait – The original Vibra Wedge spinnerbait featured a precision ground tapered shaft which went from .041 to .028 which created a distinct unique vibration. Today’s Vibra Wedge is ground from .041 to .018 and features hand tied skirts and is still one of the most popular spinnerbaits of all time.

22. – Rattlin’ Rapala – When Rapala decided to enter the market with a lipless crankbait they strived for a lure with sound frequencies that are harmonic, uniform and “in tune” with nature. This secret of sound combined with the legendary Rapala “wobble” is what makes the Rattlin’ Rapala so effective. 

23. Creme Wiggle Worm – The first soft plastic worm to have the soft and flexible qualities of modern lures was invented by Nick and Cosma Creme. After many experiments with different plastics, they perfected the worm in 1949. They called it the Creme Wiggle Worm. The worm came already rigged with 3 hooks, beads, and a propeller

24. Mr. Twister Curly Tail – For 52 years Mister Twister has been creating innovative plastic lure bodies. In 1972 they developed the Curly Tail concept because up to that time, rubber or plastic lures were stiff and had little or no action. The Curly Tail changed that and became one of the most popular jig trailers of all time and is still popular today.

25. Gitzit Tube Body – It was over thirty years ago that the Garland brothers (Bobby and Gary) invented a lure that not only won tournaments, it won the hearts of anglers across the country. This plastic lure called the Gitzit won the Western Bass tournament on Lake Havasu in the fall of 1980. Word spread quickly about this new lure and other tournament anglers began winning major events. Today the Gitzit tube body is found in every angler’s tackle box along with the other plastic bodies that are common for catching freshwater species from panfish to pike.