Flukes & rattles

[Jim80]

I just bought some terminator flukes that have a pouch to say for adding a rattle , I fish flukes a lot and have never really thought to add a rattle does anybody else add rattles to them ?


Jim

[keithdog]

It sounds like a good idea to give a try. Many flukes have a slit belly for easy rigging and I would think one could easily take a small rattle and shove it into the section towards the head through that belly slit. Thanks for the idea. I'm going to give it a try.

[Jim80]

These ones have a pocket behind the slit in the belly just for the rattle towards the back section of the fluke , my only worry is that it will make the fluke tail heavy .


Jim

[JB]

we used to fish rattles in flukes, they pop out easy after a hit, ya may want to glue it in...I'd only use a rattle in stained or dark water, in clear water I don't think it helps JMO

[swimbaitkid]

That would be a good idea fordirty water, I'm gonna try it in Pitsburgh and I'll let u guys know how it goes

[BigBassin144]

I've never fished them with a rattle, but it may be good, like JB said, in stained water.

BB

[Bassboss]

Sounds good to me! I'll have to try it some time! Storm has some jerk baits that come with rattles.... they work real good!

[Mac2]

Making your own Rattles
You will need:
A pair of side cutter Lineman’s Pliers or Diagonal Cutters
A pair of scissors
Drinking Straws
Glass E Beads
Candle

I start by cutting drinking straws into one inch pieces. Now, take one piece of straw and place it in the cutters so that about a sixteenth inch of he straw sticks out the flat side of the cutters. Press with the cutters until the straw is pinched shut….then run this end over the candle a couple of passes to seal the end of the straw. Hold it in the pliers for a couple seconds to let cool and then release. You should now have a one inch straw with one end sealed.

In the open end, place two Glass E Beads. Some beads are made with plastic, just be sure the label on the beads says “glass”. Now, pinch the straw piece shut on the other end and seal that end as well.

You should have a shape similar to a pillow shape. Take one end, and placing your thumbnail crosswise to the welded seam, buckle the end of the rattle. Do this with the other end as well. Once you have buckled both ends the rattle is complete. Your pillow now has 4 pointed legs as well as having taken on a rounder profile.

Buckling the ends of the rattles creates a vertical “wall” for the beads to hit as they shift back and forth in the rattle. This also prevents the beads from getting stuck in the ends.
These rattles are extremely effective and their sound carries well. Noise is made when hitting the ends of the straw, but also is made from the beads ticking when they hit each other.

If, when making a number of rattles, a seam wants to open up when you remove the rattle from the plier jaws, the pliers have gotten hot. Just wait a minute or so and try again.

Using the rattles. I usually use a Bubby Rig when I use tubes…that is when I insert the wide gap hook, it holds the rattle inside the lure. It’s a great idea to tear out every third tentacle of the tube skirt to allow for freedom of movement…..you will get much more action from the skirt. In bubby rigging, you clamp on a splitshot below the tube on the belly of the hook. This external splitshot does several things. It catches and releases on the bottom, making the tube rock and flail the tail. It also clicks on stones and pebbles.

If you use the regular tube insert type hook with the weight on the hook, you just have to insert the rattle by slipping it into the lure by pushing the rattle past the back of the hook. If you don’t want it to shift, pinch down on the back end of he rattle a little to spread the points of the rattle, locking it in.

Colors can be interesting…..for example if you use a red straw for making rattles and use a hole punch to punch a hole through both sides of a tube near the nose of the tube and insert the rattle, the red shows in the holes making the tube have red “eyes”. Even if the eyes aren’t realistic, it adds a little color to your lure.
NOTE....these rattles will not affect the overall weight of a lure much, particularly when made with narrower straws.

I realize the above information is relating mainly to tubes, but if made short and small, and using one glass bead only, they can be downsized for fluke type baits without affecting the bait's overall weight or action much.

[REDBULLCUBAN]

Originally Posted by Jim80

I just bought some terminator flukes that have a pouch to say for adding a rattle , I fish flukes a lot and have never really thought to add a rattle does anybody else add rattles to them ?


Jim

I used to use rattles in every Zoom super fluke i threw but found it to be kinda worthless. Given on the stained to dark waters of course but the zooms i had to buy the smallest ones at BPS and stick it below toward the head by the hook head.