Rapala

Rapala (/ˈræpəlɑː/ RAP-ə-lah) is a manufacturer of fishing lures and other fishing related products. It was founded in Finland in 1936 by Lauri Rapala, who is credited for creating the world's first floating minnow lure carved from cork with a shoemaker's knife, covered with chocolate candy bar wrappers and melted photography film negatives, for a protective outer coating. He created the lure in order to try and catch a 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 the company's most popular lure.

Rapala's lures are considered some of the world's leading baits and sold in 140 countries with Field & Stream ranking Rapala's Original Floating Minnow the third of the "best topwater lures ever created" in 2019.

Rapala's American subsidiary, Rapala USA, is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Design and development teams in the US and Finland work together to develop new lures or modify existing ones for changes in fishing tackle. The company still follows Lauri Rapala's practice of hand-testing each lure produced to make sure it performs as intended. Their products are sold consumer-direct via eCommerce as well as through retailers including Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's in the United States.

Rapala owns a 60 percent stake in 13 Fishing, has exclusive rights to the Okuma fishing brand in Europe and Russia, and sponsors a number of professional fishermen. Rapala CEO and President Nicolas Cederström Warchalowski believes Okuma acquisition will embark the group on a growth journey and he is also open for new acquisitions after the pan-European Okuma launch in 2022.

For the period of July–December 2020, the company's operating profit increased to €17.3 million, compared to the previous year's 5.8 million Euro, which it attributes to the COVID-19 pandemic.