Rebels & Rapalas
Rapping Cockney Rebel The Diamond Geezer  really rates his Rebs 'n' Raps. Here's what he's got to say about them, so, Peeps, pin back your shell-likes ....

Lures aren't Cheap !
Lures don't come cheap these days do they, so you've got to keep a close eye on your wad when you're buying new ones haven't you? Lots of my mates get all sorts of plugs, spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons and suchlike but I don't bother with all that stuff; I mainly just go for some Rebels and Rapalas; they do me nicely. I mean just look what you can get for less than 6 quid, Rebs I mean, not Raps; you can't get a Rap for less than 6 quid can you? I still rate them as well as Rebs though.

You have to shell out a couple more quid for them and I reckon you usually get what you pay for: they do say that every Rapala is tested in a tank of water before it's sold. I've got plenty of them and they go very nicely with my Rebs. If you put Rebs 'n' Raps all together, I reckon there's a plug or two for just about everything: surface ones, shallow divers, jointed minnows, suspenders, big shads and deep divers: what more do you want? Exactly!

Rebel and Rapala Plugs
You know how it is, you fish this and that lure and as soon as they start to catch for you, you fish with them more and they catch more and so on, and so you end up using your favourite lures all the time: well I do anyway and talking to my mates, they do exactly the same except they have different favourites to me. To be honest, deep down I'm a Rebel man at heart but I like to have some Raps in my lure bag to help as well. I often wonder if I'm not kidding myself about Rebs 'n' Raps being so good because to be fair I don't fish with much else, maybe the odd spinner or spoon every now and again, so how would I know.

When the new season starts I fish surface lures for chub and catch some nice big pike as well, if I'm lucky. Surface-wise you've got to go a very long way before you'll beat a Rebel Pop R plug; I use them all the time. Also I rate those little Rebel Buzzin Frogs for chub. They're a touch on the light side for me but I just manage to do all right with them.

Talking of light stuff, a couple of my mates fish even lighter with Rebel Crayfish and Grasshoppers and they clean up on me a lot of the time, lucky sods. They're a touch too light for me though. So are those small Rebel Minnows they use about 2 inches long. I can't hack anything less than about 4 inches which is about what my Rebel F20 Minnows are.

Jointed Minnows
I also rate jointed Rebs 'n' Raps minnows; J20 & J30 Rebs and J9 & J11 Raps are what I use. They'll take chub and pike no problem. Where I fish the Thames there's loads of chub, pike and perch. I couldn't tell you which is better, Reb or Rap minnows; I use my Rebel J30s mainly. They cost less than 6 quid which can't be bad and I don't lose many on snags luckily.

For even bigger stuff it'll cost you some more notes: from my fishing I rate Rapala Super Shads as diamond plugs for pike: my biggest out of the Thames so far is 26 lb 3 oz; I'd like to get a 30 and I know that they're in there somewhere because my mates have had the odd one or two out on baits that I know about. You've got to be really lucky to get a 30 on a lure I reckon though. Rap Super Shads'll set you back over a tenner each and they're built like a brick shushhouse; they could run a touch deeper for my liking though. I've heard about adding weight but I scared of mucking up the action.

Hooks
Some guys wrap lead wire round the hooks to make plugs sink more. I don't like to fiddle about with my lures; I just go fishing. I keep my hooks in good nick though. Some hooks that come with lures are crap and need replacing straight away. I use Eagle Claws most of the time but now and again I treat myself to some Gammies (Gamakatsu) ; they're the dogs!

I also rate plugs which suspend in water: they look more natural to pike and they don't snag up as much. I'd like to get hold of some bigger ones because Rapala Husky Jerks I've used so far are a touch on the small side for what I'd like; they're only about 4 inches long; although I don't mind coughing up nearly £7 for them because they're also diamond lures for Thames pike.

Peaches and Cream
For me Rebels & Rapalas are like peaches & cream: Rebs are the peaches, sweet & cheap: Raps are the Cream and cost more. Some geezers turn up their noses at Rebs and look down on them like they're rubbish: more fool them I say. Rebs may be cheaper than Raps but who's complaining, not me for sure: they're wicked lures for the price. Some Raps are a touch OTT, I mean nearly a tenner for a Skitter Pop - they're having a laugh aren't they? They have to be very good indeed for that sort of money when I can get a Rebel Pop R for less than £6. Maybe they are; I don't know because I've never fished one.

Not a lot of People know that !
Peeps are always saying to me that I sound like Michael Caine when I'm on about my Rebs 'n' Raps; I say about Rebs being so good and not a lot of people know that. I reckon that a lot of the reasons why some guys slag off some lures like Rebels is that they don't fish them properly.

Every time I go fishing I learn something new. Nevermind how old you are or how long you've been fishing, there's still a stack of stuff to learn very trip. To get any good there's only one thing you've got to do: practise, Peeps, practise!

Cheers, Peeps, and Good Fishing with those Lures : Rebs 'n' Raps, of course!

Diamond Geezer

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