Rat L Traps

[GotBass]

i have heard quite a few people talk about how good rattle traps are, but i cant seem to get very many strikes out of them. i have many of them all different colors. any tip or suggestions has to how to use them..

thanks all

[bass kicker]

let it sink until it touches the weeds and then burn it back to the boat and when you feel weeds on give it a good jerk

[bassintxlady]

i usually watch my electronics for that one....if i'm in the boat...if the water is 12-15 ft deep then i give it a count of 13 for sinking then start the retrieve...if the water is warm i give it a steady paced retrieve...if the water is colder then i slow down the retrieve somewhat....as far as colors go with the water clarity....clearer the water the closer you need to match the hatch....the mirkier the water i go for colors that will catch the eyes of the fish.....you need to just trial and error...but you'll love the thrill of hooking one on it....if i'm fishing from shore i hold my rod tip up the closer i get it to shore....i've caught many on rat l traps....it's my favorite lipless....good luck...

[Wishing2BFishing]

GotBass, get yourself a red Rat' L Trap to throw when the water is murky and a white/silver for clear water.

[JB]

As discussed before, most will run a ratLtrap at the desired depth, along the weed bed, reel a few times, stop, let the bait sink then start the reeling in process again..many times the strike will occur on the lure going back down..

[squack15]

Traps are as versital as Spinnerbaits and Jigs. I know people that devote their entire fishing lives to traps, and they catch fish at all times of the year. Like stated before, you can fish them over the tops of weeds and when you get stuck in some grass give the trap a good jerk to free it. The bite often comes then. If I'm seeing fish suspended, I'll throw a trap at them. A kinda general rule is a bait like a trap will sink one foot every second (dunno how accurate that is, but it works for me). I'll let the bait sink the number of seconds it takes to get them to as deep as the fish and then slow crank it in keeping it at that depth, this takes some practice. I've fished it like a stump bumper crank bringing it in really slow keeping it in contact w/ the bottom. This work in the prespawn well. Bumping it off of timber works well. And one of the most fun applications is fall reservoir fishing. When the fish get to schooling on shad like crazy, run a trap throw the busting bass. Traps are fast and can be cast very long distances so they're good for this application. There are a ton of ways to fish a trap, and almost no wrong way. Devote some time to using one, and you'll find methods that work for you.

Oh yeah, Most of the time I catch fish on a trap I'm bringing it in a a slower pace rather than burning it right under the surface.

Make sure you look at different traps too. Strike King Diamond shads run a little deeper while Cotton Cordells super spots run shallower. Bill Lewis traps run right between the two. I'm telling you, these suckers are versital!!

[squack15]

Oh yeah, and another important thing about traps...When you get a hit, don't give the fish one of those flipping super hard hook sets that will turn the fish inside out. For whatever reason these things come unglued pretty easy. I usually give a light hook set, and then ease the fish in.....I've lost more fish on traps by trying to horse them in than any other bait.

[JB]

squack,
that was well thought out and written..thanks!

[Rebbasser]

One thing that you MUST do with a Trap: Sharpen the hooks, or change them to sharper hooks. For whatever reason, the stock hooks on a trap are about as sharp as a Q-tip and you WILL lose fish if you don't pay attention to the hooks (Yes, I learned that lesson the hard way)

[JB]

lol@sharp as q-tip..never heard that one before reb..but you're right!
they need some owner or excalibur hooks on em..thats going on my "to do list" , thanks for reminding me

[GorillaWarfare]

I usually fish lakes with a bunch of docks. One of my favorite methods is skipping a trap under the docks. This seems to work best for me if the dock is located close to a point. I have a couple docks on Loch Lomond that are always good for a two pounder . Hope this helps

NICK

[Rebbasser]

JB, my problem is I have 2 3600s full of them and can't afford to change all the hooks, so I just sharpen them.

[Wishing2BFishing]

JB and Rebasser, on my Bill Lewis Traps, I will take off the rear hook and replace it with a Gamakatsu #4. The rear hooks are just too damn small for Largemouth. I leave the front trebles since they are larger. This seems to keep the fish from gettin' unglued.

Rebasser, I love the Q-tip analogy.

[bass kicker]

when it comes to lipless cranks rattlin rapalas are the best IMO

[rrw4258]

what squack said, i remember once when i was fishing at a campgroung lake, from a dock, it was the clearest water around (when we were in 20ft. of water you could see a bunch of hogs swiming around at the bottom!), and i threw a 1/8 oz. tiny trap and tried horsing fish in, and they all came off, so when i reeled em in slower i didn't lose near as many fish... as for the question:
1/8 oz. - i like these for crappie and bluegill lures, or cold front bass
1/4 oz. - Spring Time Bass fishing
1/2 oz. - Fall Time Bass Fishing
1/2 oz. - Also use these for walleye fishing on lake erie!

Thanks

Ryan

[wareagle_fb5308]

i have had alot of success with them during the hotter months...but all i do is chunk it and wind it back and repeat the process

[JB]

Try one in the spring in crawdad red, you'll be surprised!

[bassguy2004]

I like the red craw pattern, fire tiger and the silver with blue back. I fish them very similiar to a jig. I let the trap sink to the bottom and then yo-yo it back via the rod tip. Going from about 8 to 10 o'clock then let the trap back down on a taut line and watch the line for line tics as it falls. Or yo-yo it through suspended fish but on a more erratic retrieve. In this instance you have to let the fish tell you what they want.

[bass kicker]

that is a nice pattern but i like rapalas because there is mor detail to them

[zooker]

i like 1/4 oz year round my self in clear water. 3/8-1/2 in muddy water. squack is right a lipless bait is like a spinner bait weather it be burnt or slowly retrived the speed and depth are key to catching fish.. finding this key speed/depth is the hard part..

zooker

[JB]

they tend to put me in a trance after throwing them 3-4 hours...lol chuck n reel it in, repeat

[Hef]

if you guys like rattle traps, I suggest you buy Yo-zuri Rattle'N' Vibes. These things rock and they out fish my Rat'l Trap brand atleast 4-1 on catches. I love Rat'l Traps, but after using these things, I'll never use one again. I'v only found them in 5/8oz though. I think thats the only size they make, but they kick ***. Check these out.... http://www.youri.com/Products/ProdHa...RattlnVibe.htm

[Hef]

Don't know why that link is all jacked up. Check out there website though.

[bass kicker]

i have seen comertials for them but havent seen them in any local bait shops

[trigger]

ive found that a sweeping action works well with a trap on cold days when the fish are sort of inactive. cast it out, let it sink to desired depth and make slow 3-4 ft sweeping motions with your rod, stop reel in your slack, let bait fall back to depth and repeat, ive caught numerous fish this way.