RED ARTIES

 Long ago (courtesy of Storm Lures - now a part of Normark), I was the first person to put a fishing lure called the Rattlin’ ThinFin into Lake Michigan. Long story shortened, they quickly became one of the best lures to catch coho salmon in the southern part of the lake.


 I take that back. Rattlin’ ThinFins, a.k.a. R.T.s, then morph that into “Arties,” are the best body bait ever made to catch cohos in my part of the lake. Any color will work but the “red with black squiggle,” Storm’s #29 color, beats ‘em all. We call them “Red Arties.”


 But when Storm Lures was bought by Normark, the Red Arties soon went out of production. Myself and a few other avid anglers scrambled as best we could to gobble up remaining stocks; but now, if you can find any, they command steep prices.  When I lose one (and that happens) or one breaks (worn out from use), I almost cry. 


Last weekend at the Northwest Indiana Steelheader’s winter show, a booth was set up, flea market style, and the proprietor was selling Red Arties! Real ones, not knock-offs, not the larger ½ ounce size, but the genuine coho-killing 3/8 ounce originals.  I had to stop. 


Soon, I learned I was mistaken, but it was a good mistake. The man behind the counter, Ed Erdelac, was selling repainted Rattling ThinFins. 

Red Arties put more cohos in my boat than any other lure. 

Normark/Storm no longer makes any Rattlin’ ThinFins, but they did produce them in some colors (not #29)  for several years after they bought out Storm.  So while no new ones are available, it’s just the #29s which are super rare.


 I’ve seen and used hundreds of Red Arties. The paint job on the repainted lures is authentic to the last squiggle. 


I told Ed how I discovered the lures, then how, in cahoots with Storm Lure’s PR department, I promoted the lure to bring it into prominence. 


The next day, in my Spring Salmon Fishing seminar, I plugged the Red Arties and mentioned Ed’s booth. After the seminar, Ed did a brisk business on the repainted Arties. I wasn’t trying to boost Ed’s sales. I only wanted my seminar students to go to the lake armed with the best knowledge and gear. 


During a midday lull in traffic, Ed came over to thank me.  Better yet, he left me with 4 of the “new” Red Arties to add to my dwindling supply. If you would like to contact Erdelac for some Red Arties for yourself, his email address is derdelac@comcast.net.