Die-Hard Live-Bait Anglers Will Love Rapala’s New R12 Lithium Aerator

Rapala's new R12® Lithium Aerator leverages Lithium-ION power tech to deliver a more effective, longer-lasting aeration of live-bait containers and livewells for both the ice and openwater angler. For many live-bait anglers, the difference between a great day of fishing or getting skunked can depend on superior aeration – a process that continuously re-oxygenates the water in which you transport and access your live bait while moving from one spot to the next.

The thing about live bait is that it must remain LIVE bait, on the ice or in the boat. And, it goes without saying, it helps for live bait to be lively – swimming minnows will elicit many more bites than listless, limp ones.

Rapala® understands this – it's the wisdom that's influenced its expertise in mimicking live bait with wooden lures for over 85 years. So too is it the principle within the engineering of Rapala's new R12 Lithium Aerator.

"Whether you're fishing to win a tournament, or to catch a limit to cook for shore lunch, you're going to want to get one of these new Rapala aerators," said Jeremy Smith, a longtime "Lindner's Angling Edge" TV host. "Every angler who's ever watched jealously as guys in a boat nearby pulled in fish after fish while he can't get bit, asks himself, 'What's their secret?' Check their bait bucket – I'll bet you their minnows are practically jumping out of it. They're fresh. They're lively. They trigger those big fish to bite."

One fully charged 2Ah Lithium ION battery (not included) will power your R12 Lithium Aerator for up to 35 hours. You can adjust the device's high/low and interval-air-output settings to customize its airflow intensity to meet the needs of different species of live bait.

"I'm a live-bait guy," Smith said. "I absolutely love chasing muskies in the fall, and that means fishing with suckers. And when you're trying to catch the 'Fish of a Thousand Casts,' the last thing you want is the 'Bucket of a Hundred Sluggish Suckers.' You want some spirit in your suckers. That's what's going to attract those big fish you're looking for. That's a factor that's in your control. You get the right equipment, you up your chances of getting your desired results."

An onboard, easy-to-read LED power gauge displays the R12 Lithium Aerator's battery-charge status. The device can be easily mounted on a bait bucket or within a boat via Rapala's exclusive SmartHub mounting system.

Even if you don't fish frequently with live bait (or never at all), if you often taxi your catches around the lake in a livewell – be it to a tournament scale, or a shore-lunch skillet – consider an R12 Lithium Aerator as a backup for your aeration system.

"It will save your day if your pumps should happen to fail while you're fishing," Smith said. "A small, peace-of-mind investment such as this could pay off huge when the big fish are biting hot and heavy, but your boat's built-in aeration system is going haywire."

A small pump, flexible air hose and high-output aerator stonework in tandem to execute the R12 Lithium Aerator's oxygenating functions. The pump pushes air through the hose into a cavity in the aerator stone (made mostly from porous stone or limewood), which diffuses oxygen into the water efficiently and quietly via tiny bubbles.

Rapala's new R12 Lithium Aerator comes with one Smart Hub Flat-Mount and one Smart Hub Bucket Mount, complete with mounting screws and high-strength 3M VHB tape. It carries a two-year warranty.