Just how hot are the new generation of vertical swimming lures, like Custom Jigs & Spins’ radical Rotating Power Minnow (RPM)? So hot, says Todd Heitkamp, owner of leading ice fishing retailer Dakota Angler, that “the RPM has been flying off the pegs.”
So hot, says hardwater authority Walt Matan, that a single drop of the lure down a given hole in the ice can bring bites from any species in the vicinity. “Fishing one little spot last winter,” recalls Matan, “I hooked crappies, perch, walleyes and bass—all on the same lure, a #3 RPM.”
So hot that no one can say for sure whether the exceptional swimming lure produces more fish during winter or summer; so hot that even while spoons, jigs and other ice lures call for live bait enhancements, the RPM requires little more than the ability to set the hook.
Within this increasingly popular lure category, say Heitkamp, Matan and others, the RPM has quickly ascended to epic heights. “It’s destined to become a new ice fishing classic.”
Three dynamic lure traits make it so:
#1 – “The RPM is the only balanced swimming lure built with a free-spinning line tie,” Matan observes. “Not only does the internal swivel system yield agile, unpredictable lure action, it also eliminates the line twist associated with similar lures—you can tie direct to the lure, without a snap-swivel or swivel up the line. This same free-spinning feature helps keep fish hooked, because they can no longer use the weight of the lure as leverage to shake free. Almost sounds too good to be true, but that’s exactly what makes the RPM so good.”
#2 – Distancing itself further from other lures in the pack, the RPM sports a seamless and strikingly lifelike anatomy. “Instead of a solid lead lure glued to an independent lip,” notes Matan, “the RPM employs a translucent plastic ‘skin’ that melds right into its gliding tail. This design process has enabled Custom Jigs to replicate beautiful baitfish patterns as well as a durable lure package that holds up to the biggest bites and most violent fish battles.”
#3 – Another design detail that’s paid big dividends: “The RPM is the only lure of its kind to sport a beaded, jeweled treble hook,” Matan affirms. “You don’t have to tip the hook with a minnow head or other bait. The decorated treble provides a surprisingly powerful fish attractor, in itself. I think panfish, walleyes and other species perceive the RPM as a feeding baitfish, with a bit of food dropping below. What I know for sure is that this specialized hook almost always seals the deal.”
Heitkamp, who operates Dakota Angler Ice Institute, the largest retail fishing event of its kind, sees dozens of new lures each season, but believes the RPM stands apart. “Once folks saw the RPM’s unique qualities last winter, and how many fish it caught,” Heitkamp recalls, “they were hooked. In our area, folks caught a lot of walleyes and perch on these lures; they were a huge hit. And with the new colors and the new larger size, the RPM will be even better this season and beyond.”
Constructed in natural forage profiles, the RPM’s biological minnow body transitions smoothly into a subtle swimming tail, creating a wide-gliding, hydrodynamic presentation. The RPM is etched and finished with 16 stunning patterns, from perch and emerald shiner to crayfish, plus five new radiant glow hues, including Wonderbread Glow and Red Glow Tiger. Offered in two sizes—the original 2-inch, #3 and the new 2-3/4-inch, #5— the Rotating Power Minnow is heating up, even as a new ice fishing season starts to chill out.
The post Rotating Power Minnow For Your Next Ice Adventure appeared first on .
