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Norman or Rapala
- Thread starter Koos Bass
- Start date
Little Green Fish
Sealiner
strike pro and rapala and the heddon and lastly perhaps normans these are the hardbaits that have worked and worked well in order of strike pro=best to norman being worst thing is the strike pro's are way cheaper too you can easily buy three of them for the price of one of any of the others
both they have different applications...the dt series has no rattle in it and can turn 180 dergree while retrieving it...when done correctly...you dont need to tune rappala lures and they seem to work better in some of the dams like albert falls...norman lures also work well once tuned correctly...but seem to catch more fish in inanda then the rappalas...so if i had the option of buying them at the same price i would take the rapala...and also depends on the colours...there are always boxes of rappalas at tackle shops going 3 for the price of one but the colours are not good...thats why they are selling so cheap.
Each angler will give you a different answer on this question! Very much depends on personal preference. I have three brands that dominate my takle box Norman, Rapala and Bomber. I have very specific lures I use from these makes and they all applied with a purpose. I will try and explain my logic:
Norman - I use Norman exclusively for mid to deep water crancking, 12 Ft and deeper. Why? The color variety is good and I like the bulky body for a bit deeper water. Crancking in 25Ft to 40Ft there is nothing better than a DD22. A lot of people talk about tuning Norman lures, maybe I am lucky I have never had to tune any of them. I have a lavender shad DLN that runs at a 30 - 40 degree angle, my most succesfull crank in my box!
Rapala - I use Rapala broken backs and Jerk baits a lot, the broken backs I like to fish in areas where there is a lot of structure like jetty's ect. Needless to say it imitates injured fish comming out of the structure. Jerk baits, well I simply believe there is no better Jerk bait that Rapala husky jerk. Again the color variety and if they say suspending they mean it and it actually works!
Bomber - I was asked by a tackle shop to test some Bombers for them because they reckon they were not selling to well. They also put me in touch with Bomber in the US so that I could ask all the questions necessary. Through doing this I realised that the Bomber design is actualy for shallow water action and structure cranking. I use Bomber exclusively for shallow cranking where there is heavy structure, nothing bounce of a stump like a Bomber crank bait. Their color variety is also geared towards bait fish colors which is what the bass will find in the structure.
This is the way I manage my hard bait collection, but I say again it will vary from person to person.
:fishn
Norman - I use Norman exclusively for mid to deep water crancking, 12 Ft and deeper. Why? The color variety is good and I like the bulky body for a bit deeper water. Crancking in 25Ft to 40Ft there is nothing better than a DD22. A lot of people talk about tuning Norman lures, maybe I am lucky I have never had to tune any of them. I have a lavender shad DLN that runs at a 30 - 40 degree angle, my most succesfull crank in my box!
Rapala - I use Rapala broken backs and Jerk baits a lot, the broken backs I like to fish in areas where there is a lot of structure like jetty's ect. Needless to say it imitates injured fish comming out of the structure. Jerk baits, well I simply believe there is no better Jerk bait that Rapala husky jerk. Again the color variety and if they say suspending they mean it and it actually works!
Bomber - I was asked by a tackle shop to test some Bombers for them because they reckon they were not selling to well. They also put me in touch with Bomber in the US so that I could ask all the questions necessary. Through doing this I realised that the Bomber design is actualy for shallow water action and structure cranking. I use Bomber exclusively for shallow cranking where there is heavy structure, nothing bounce of a stump like a Bomber crank bait. Their color variety is also geared towards bait fish colors which is what the bass will find in the structure.
This is the way I manage my hard bait collection, but I say again it will vary from person to person.
:fishn
when it comes to price...like today i will be visit various tackle shops and if i can get normans for R40 like i did a couple weeks ago...if thery are the right colour i buy them and the same goes for rapala i am not looking for rapala but if sold and the right price and they are good colours...they go into the spares box.
i went shopping for a pump for my float tube and found an american rodsmith 7.11ft cranking rod for R399 (normal price over 700 and you cannot buy them anymore)...i wasnt looking for a cranking stick but for that price...i now have one of the best cranking sticks i have used to date.
the point... if the price is right and the colour is right rapala...norman...bomber...excaliber....strike king...strike pro...etc etc they will all catch fish...just becareful of the 3 for the price of 1.
i went shopping for a pump for my float tube and found an american rodsmith 7.11ft cranking rod for R399 (normal price over 700 and you cannot buy them anymore)...i wasnt looking for a cranking stick but for that price...i now have one of the best cranking sticks i have used to date.
the point... if the price is right and the colour is right rapala...norman...bomber...excaliber....strike king...strike pro...etc etc they will all catch fish...just becareful of the 3 for the price of 1.
cranky wrote:
when it comes to price...like today i will be visit various tackle shops and if i can get normans for R40 like i did a couple weeks ago...if thery are the right colour i buy them and the same goes for rapala i am not looking for rapala but if sold and the right price and they are good colours...they go into the spares box.
i went shopping for a pump for my float tube and found an american rodsmith 7.11ft cranking rod for R399 (normal price over 700 and you cannot buy them anymore)...i wasnt looking for a cranking stick but for that price...i now have one of the best cranking sticks i have used to date.
the point... if the price is right and the colour is right rapala...norman...bomber...excaliber....strike king...strike pro...etc etc they will all catch fish...just becareful of the 3 for the price of 1.
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So whats wrong with the "3 for 1" cranks?
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then i ask you a simple question...why is it that you can throw a watermeloen fluke until the cows come home and not get a bite then meet up with other fishermen on the dam and they tell you that a watermeloen gold is working and you change and suddenly you start catching?
one thing is for sure these bass keep us guessing...which is what keeps me going back for more.
one thing is for sure these bass keep us guessing...which is what keeps me going back for more.
I am of the opinion that you need both.... the reason is this. The movement/wobble of the Norman and Rapalas differ. Rapalas have a tighter wobble whereas the Normans wobble is more pronouced. What does this mean to you and me... well it means in stained water you want as much vibration as possible. In cold water you may want to fish much slower. So the Normans will be more effective in those conditions. In clearer, warmer waters the Rapala is much better suited. An example (although not exact) of this was with Justy Varkavisser on the Vaal with jerkbaits. the water was nippy and the rains were around, we all know a reaction bite works in cold water. He started with a rapala magnum jerkbait and caught some fish. A hailstorm move in and he started to battle, he changed to a Smithwick rattlin Roughe and proceed to catch fish and win the compo