ABU "Räkan"

[diemai]

G'day , folks ,

Picked this one on a fleamarket this morning , ...found it in a cardboard box amongst a few plastic squid skirts and a couple of saltwater pirks , ......payed 1.50 € for it .

Seems to be a few decades old , does anybody in here know more about it(exact age , period of availability , colors , sizes , etc....) ?

The lure is made of two parts of hollow plastic , but does not have any rattles inside .

Just googled term "abu räkan" and came across this Swedish auction site :

http://www.tradera.com/ABU-Rakan-auktio ... _114846947

This sale is already closed , highest bid was 213 Swedish Crowns(about 22 € and about 33 AUS$) , ......but nice picture material of that lure provided there .

Sadly on my own lure the belly hook spreader is missing , but nevertheless I like this lure very much ,....... gonna refurbish it with new hooks(only one belly hook , no spreader)and a new split tail tubing , .........gonna have trouble finding such open shank trebles to slide through the split tail tube and rear eye !

It may also serve as an example to carve copies of it , ....I've always been fond of such "banana"-style lures , .....maybe even a sinking version with a metal-reinforced tip of the diving plane to plough the bottom like a real crayfish..........?

RÄKAN_01.JPG

RÄKAN_02.JPG

RÄKAN_03.JPG

yet another lure to make my day , ...........greetz , diemai

[fishaholiclures]

Deiter, I have one that looks a fair bit older than yours. nice pickup though.

I think ABU started making them in the mid 60's, but not entirely sure how long they made them for. I have the question in with our ABU expert, I'll see what he reckons.


Brad

[MXB]

@diemai . . .

Not common at all . . . I only have one but apparantly the 'Holy Grail' of Abu Rakan lures is the black one. I've only seen about 6 of these lures come up for sale in the last couple of years and they fetch up to $US50 each depending on colour . . . much more for a minty black one.

Good find

I'll try to find and post close up of the hangers but not sure where it is. Maybe Brad can find his?

MXB

[fishaholiclures]

you wish is my command swami Roger

Rakan spreader1.jpg

Rakan spreader2.jpg

and mine for reference

Rakan.jpg

Rakan under.jpg

Cheers Brad

late mail from the ABU expert:--
Bit of confusion re this lure.First appeared in Tight Lines catalogue in 1966, none in '65, '64.It appeared as full page promotion in '67 and then reduced to just a small single lure image in '68. The lure was a failure in Sweden so was withdrawn from sale and catalogs. They are rare to find especially in good non faded condition and with good hook structures.
Even Len Borgstom, (then owner of ABU and separate Garcia), can't remember who made it BUT he does know it was made in USA.


hope that helps Deiter

[diemai]

@ fishaholiclures , @ MXB

Thanks so much for your info and pictures , mates , ........very interesting , indeed !

Too bad , that the hook spreader is missing on my fleamarket find , .....but probably I should build a new one after the picture , that you've kindly posted .

Maybe this hookspreader is even the reason for the failed success of the "Räkan" in Sweden , ......in Europe we are not that used to this rig , ......also I wasn't familiar to it until I saw it in an US component catalog for the first time about 12 years ago .

Surely of advantage for increased hook-up chances , but renders a lure rather more to a "snag magnet" and is also more inconvinient to store in a tackle box compartment .

Thanks again , mates , .......good to have friends to help someone out , ..........greetz , Dieter

PS :

I also see , that on my lure the tow eye has been assembled in a slightly different position compared to Brad's lure and the one pictured on the Swedish auction site , .........not re-positioned by the previous owner , though !

[MXB]

@fishaholics . . .

Thanks Brad for posting that . . . I have exactly the same lure and that will definitely help Dieter in making the hanger with the skill he possesses. Very similar to the Flatfish hanger configuration but stainless with the red plastic tubing

They were a short production run gone by 1970 and I reckon yours is a later version by the slight difference in tow point . . .

I have never seen that colour in all orange so may be an uncommon Rakan colour pattern

@diemai . . . an excellent find and enjoy the restoration

MXB

[diemai]

@ MXB

Thanks a lot , Roger , .........before starting out I need to find suitable red vinyl tubing , ........I've got some of matching diameter , but it's wall too thick , thus not flexible enough for the tail , I guess , .........also have a length of required consistency , but diameter too large !

Also finding the open shank hooks could cause me problems , .......guess , that I need to search various tackleshops again on ocassion , ....first one yesterday was a failure !

greetz , Dieter

[MXB]

@diemai . . .

I've got the open ended Mustad trebles if you need some but I'm not sure they are original and mine have a normal treble hook directly attached to the hanger eyelets. Let me know how you want to do it and I can send you some + the lures I have for you. As for the red tubing it will turn up somewhere when you least expect!!

MXB

[diemai]

@diemai . . .

I've got the open ended Mustad trebles if you need some but I'm not sure they are original and mine have a normal treble hook directly attached to the hanger eyelets. Let me know how you want to do it and I can send you some + the lures I have for you. As for the red tubing it will turn up somewhere when you least expect!!

MXB

@ MXB

Very kind from you , Roger ,........ I may get back to your offer ,....... have to check into the messy boxes down the basement ,.....probably I'd find some there , too !

I remember to have seen some somewhere years ago , ......just gotta look .........somewhere !

gretz , Dieter

[Abuadmiral]

Hi
For those interested in seeing more images etc , the original source material for the some of the discussion post on Lure and More , on this Rakan is here on my website

http://realsreels.com/baits/ABULures1960%27s.aspx

ABU actually went to the trouble of selling spare parts for this lure including SS wires, hooks, hook angers and whiskers...

Tight Lines

Wayne Real