So I have heard alot of mention of Storm baits in the era prior to when Rapala acquired the company.

The story that goes around is that Storm made some pretty decent baits prior to when Rapala picked them up and ever since Rapala got involved the quality has been lacking.

This brings me to this question:

Rapala (as far as I know) has always had a reputation for putting out a great product in the hard baits they produce.

Why would they not apply the same craftsmanship to the Storm Hard baits and make them as good or better than Storm did originally?

Why would Rapala be sub par in producing the Storm Baits,is it because Storm is a stepchild? Or is it because if they produce the Storm baits in the same manner that they do the Rapalas,that Storm sales and popularity might overtake Rapala?

Who the heck said Normark era Storm baits are subpar ?

They are different with the same name. I have both pre and Normark era Storm baits and as I said they may have the same name ( ex: Wiggle Wart ) but with different action. Actually, pre Normark Storm baits had some quality issues not found in Normark era Storm baits, hooks were lousy, finishes were poor and I discarded many baits because they didn`t run true no matter what I did to tune them.

I agree with Raul , where do you get your info ?

Towards the end, there might have been some serious quality issues. All crankbaits from the 80s had suck hooks though, LOL. Really, it is more about the things just out catch all else, more often than not. I have half a dozen Wiggle Warts, a few PeeWee Warts, and 2 SubWarts from this era, and you can have them if you can pry them from my cold dead hands.

I read something about the quality of Storm baits right here on Bassresource a while ago.

I've been told when you see "pre Rapala" is how you can tell its from when Storm produced better baits.

There's gotta be some kind of difference,why would people selling the baits on Ebay refer to their Storm baits as "pre Rapala"

Ill bet that if you look at completed listings on ebay,that "pre Rapala" baits sell for a lot more $$$ than the ones after Rapala acquired the company...From what I can see "pre Rapala" baits made by Storm are much more desireable.

Its a simple supply and demand thing. You'll also see that discontinued colors (so called mad craw patterns) of post-Rapala manufacture are going for a premium too. Man, I wish I bought all those green and orange crawfish pattern Sub Warts when they were collecting dust at Gander Mtn. Now I just have one of each.

Ok I've done some reading on some other websites and I have some clarification to make.

The whole "pre Rapala" thing comes from the original Storm baits that ran a certain way.They were erratic on the retrieve and would "hunt" making them great fish producers.Much like the SK KVD 1.5 and 2.5.

Rapala saw this as a flaw and redesigned and tuned the bait the run straight as an arrow,just like any other Crankbait on the market.The Storm baits had a "Quirk" before Rapala picked em up,and anglers liked that quirk that Rapala did away with.

So Rapala tried to "fix" the Storm originality but they actually shot themselves in the foot by doing so.

Not saying this is Gospel,but its pretty much what I read on 2 different websites.

Ok I've done some reading on some other websites and I have some clarification to make.

The whole "pre Rapala" thing comes from the original Storm baits that ran a certain way. They were erratic on the retrieve and would "hunt" making them great fish producers.Much like the SK KVD 1.5 and 2.5.

Rapala saw this as a flaw and redesigned and tuned the bait the run straight as an arrow,just like any other Crankbait on the market.The Storm baits had a "Quirk" before Rapala picked em up,and anglers liked that quirk that Rapala did away with.

So Rapala tried to "fix" the Storm originality but they actually shot themselves in the foot by doing so.

Not saying this is Gospel,but its pretty much what I read on 2 different websites.

The difference is that when Rapala acquired the company they discarded the "old" Storm molds and made new ones. The old molds were two piece mold that is why the Pre-Rapala Warts have a seam down the back which probably causes the erratic hunting action. Also take a new Storm and compare the rattle to an older one they sound different. I also think the color patterns of the old one are far superior to the ones today. In fact, no lure has had more color patterns than the wiggle wart.

If you happen to fish the Ozark lakes you should have one tied on at all times during the Spring months. Many tourneys of have been won using the Wart. I know that the FLW will pay a premium for the old warts when they hit Table Rock. If anyone want some wee warts, sub warts, or old craw patterns PM me I have some available.

As for hooks with the wart I change them out and put an Owner 6 in front and a 4 in back. Hope this helps. I also should say if you want a knockoff many people go with Brads Wiggler.

IMHO, the difference is mostly e-bay hype. I've used plenty of both pre- and post-Rapala Storm lures, and they bottom line is - they both catch fish.

Tom

IMHO, the difference is mostly e-bay hype. I've used plenty of both pre- and post-Rapala Storm lures, and they bottom line is - they both catch fish.

Tom

Although I have caught fish on both there is a reason that these old warts fetch a premium price. They are fish catching machines especially the old suspending warts.

I'm no authority but know guys who are absolutely nuts on the subject. The issue revolves around when a Wart was manufactured and from which mold, and it gets a lot more complicated than just "pre-Rapala" or "post-Rapala". There were 3 or 4 iterations of the Wiggle Wart as molds wore out or were modified. As the molds for the original Warts wore (as all hard plastic molds do) the quality of the baits, and by extension their performance, became less predictable. You got more "hunters", which is very desirable. You also got more baits that were impossible to tune and therefore worthless. In an era when the quality control on plastic baits in general was pretty "so-so", those hunters generated a cult following for Wiggle Warts that has lasted until today. You now see Rapala trading on the cult status by advertising that the latest Warts are made with molds identical to the original Warts. Or you can go on Ebay and find "original" Warts in specific packaging and with specific model numbers that suggest you should happily buy them for lots and lots of $$$. You have to judge for yourself how much of the Wiggle Wart craze is real and how much is overheated hype.