Rebel Celebrates 50 Years

By Richie Moschella

This year Rebel lures celebrates its 50th anniversary. An innovative angler George Perrin established a lure company that would change the fishing world forever. In 1962, he began to produce the Perrin’s Floating Minnow prompting him to create Rebel Lures and shift his company’s manufacture of plastic parts for house hold refrigerators and air conditioners to creating some of the most dependable and popular fishing lures in history. I can still remember the time I tied on my first Pop R on,  it was the begging of May. The water temperature was around 65 degrees, getting the bass more active to strike lures at the surface. My buddy Bill said to try one of his poppers, so I tied one on and made a cast towards the tree line. Then all of a sudden the lure was tapped gently, I could feel the bait move something was about to hit. Then a Bass exploded out of the water with my bait in its bigmouth. I was hooked on popper fishing from that moment on and hooked on Rebel lures.

When the water hits 65 degrees in New Jersey that’s when the topwater bite really gets turned on. I try and take a moment and see what the Bass are feeding on, weather it be minnows or perch. The next step would be choosing a popper that resembles that baitfish. Like in fly fishing you have to match the hatch. That means just spending a few moments to observe the lake you’re about to fish. Once you have made your selection and you’re ready to fish, look for bass around over hanging trees and structure. Don’t be hesitant to throw the lure over open water, poppers are extremely versatile. I also like to fish them off points and drop-offs, places the Bass waits to ambush his prey. Follow these basic pointers’ and fish with a Rebel Pop R and celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the best fish catching lures on the planet! Keep It Reel