Rat L Traps

[Fishin49er]

Ive heard that a lipless crankbaits are a good choice in the fall, being that they match the hatch well. I was just wondering what size yall like to use?

[CarpMan]

Originally Posted by Fishin49er

Ive heard that a lipless crankbaits are a good choice in the fall, being that they match the hatch well. I was just wondering what size yall like to use?

Lipless Crankbaits

By: The Bass Doctor (Charles Stuart)

My first introduction to lipless crankbaits, was when I won twenty of them in a raffle on Lake Cayuga in upstate New York.
The following week, I tried in vain to catch fish with this noisy, skinny looking object. What I did catch was wood, weeds and rocks. So the lures remained in the bottom of the tackle bag collecting dust like so many baits that I believed were for catching fishermen, not fish!
Two years later, I was fishing a tournament in Alabama with another angler who was catching so many fish I had to stop to see what he was throwing. When I saw the rattletrap on his line, I watched how he would change the retrieve constantly and move the rod tip from left to right and well as up and down.
Have you ever heard the expression, "the light suddenly came on"? Well I realized that the lures I had won all that time ago could actually catch fish, but I still needed a lesson in how to use them correctly.
I tied a "trap" on the line and tried to mimic his retrieve tactics. Once again I hooked wood and weed. Maybe it was just me, but I could not get the damn thing to run the way he did! Then I realized that the reel I was using had a retrieve speed of 5.1 to 1. I looked at his reel to see that he was using a 6.3 to 1! Click! On went the light (again) and I switched to a high retrieve reel. After the second cast, I hooked and landed my first "trap" bass, a nice three-pound fish. I caught 4 more fish that afternoon and placed well in the tournament standings for the day thanks to this bait.

So, here are the tools you will need and a few tips on "working the lure".
I prefer a six to six and a half-foot medium action rod with a high gear ratio (6 to 1 and above) baitcasting reel for larger baits. A spinning reel will work better with the smaller sizes but again, check the ratio.
Perhaps for those of you who are not familiar with gear ratio, I should explain. When you turn the handle of a fishing reel one complete turn, you will have gathered a certain amount of line back as the spool turns. The higher the speed ratio, the more line you bring back on each turn. For crankbaits, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits, a high retrieve is excellent. Of course there are situations when you may need to slow down a spinnerbait or regular crankbait, in which case you should choose another reel with a lower gear ratio. However, for the lipless variety of crankbaits, a high-speed reel is the key.
Line diameter and breaking strain should be your next consideration, Heavy line with a larger diameter will keep the bait higher in the water than a thinner and less pound test line. Situations dictate what line you can use, but as a rule of thumb, if the water is deep, you want the bait to run deep. Use ten to fifteen pound line with little or no stretch. This type of line will allow you to "feel the bait" as it runs through the water. Do not use a braided line unless you feel comfortable using it. To me, the monofilament or co-polymer lines are excellent for this particular style of fishing. In skinny shallow water presentations, choose a fifteen to twenty pound test line which will allow you to muscle fish out of shoreline structure without too much difficulty.
Lure size selection! Well they come in many sizes, so try to match the size of the baitfish in the area. If you do not see any bait fish to "size up with", start with a small quarter of an ounce offering and change up until the fish bite. As for color selection, try chrome and blue, chrome and black and the white with a green or red back. All these work for me in most situations. Of course, your lake or river may need another color, so do not be afraid to experiment.
Finally, as you retrieve your lure, speed up and slow down. Also move the rod slowly as you retrieve from left to right. Then on the next cast, up and down. Try to remember when you fish any artificial bait that it is supposed to imitate a fish, and fish do not swim in straight lines! So why would you just throw a lure and turn the handle of your reel until it comes back?

[betursweetbass]

I'm not sure of the weight, but I think it's half ounce, I buy them according to the shape and size. I like the Berkley brand called the frenzy.

[zooker]

depends totally on water color muddy/stained 3/8oz-1/2oz in clear water 1/4 oz-aint that right lizzy??-

zooker

[dampeoples]

Also the time of year, larger sizes in the fall, smaller in the spring is my choice

[skeeter944]

i like 1/2 ounce in lakes and the 1/4 ounce in ponds and smaller bodies of water. go with silver colors in clear water,and gold in stained water.

[jasonR]

1/4 oz is a good 'finesse' way to go. Replace the stock hooks and fish them on a soft rod w/ strong 10 lb line. Reds, chat's and chromes all work. Its one of my speciaties!

[rrw4258]

well this is one of my top 3 baits of all time...

i prefer 1/2 oz. sizes mainly for casting distances but the 3/4 and the 1/4 oz. are also productive at times. If you're talking Rat-l-Traps then the colors to go are gold, chrome/blue, chrome/black, and firetiger. Those have been my most producing baits in all lakes and ponds except LAKE ERIE! The magic color there lately has been Chrome/Chartruese! It imitates an emerald shiner very well (green,white/silver) Any more ?'s just ask away.

Ryan

[lizardsrule]

Originally Posted by zooker

depends totally on water color muddy/stained 3/8oz-1/2oz in clear water 1/4 oz-aint that right lizzy??-

zooker

Stinking 1/4oz beat my butt LOL. I hate throwing them that small, but obviously they work from time to time I usually use a 1/2oz. I really don't fish them a lot here in florida due to the vegetation, but as it dies off, I will fish them more.

Lizards

[Fishin49er]

I recently went to BPS and bought a 3/4 ounce rattlin rapala in a shad pattern. I was wondering if this was a little too big, i guess i was thinking bigger bait bigger bass, but idk.

[Christopherkeene9]

Just bought a Rattlin Rappala in 1/2oz. tonight in a bass color and gonna give it a shot tomorrow if this front will hold off about 10 hours. Or I'm gonna be soaked with a full of water canoe!

[Hef]

I pretty much use the 5/8oz Yo-zuri Rattle 'N vibes. Crawfish and shad colors.

[Ayscii]

New here, first post....
What happen with these? I've used one, pretty good but never see them in the stores.... great over shallow grass.

[pig n jig]

Originally Posted by Fishin49er

I recently went to BPS and bought a 3/4 ounce rattlin rapala in a shad pattern. I was wondering if this was a little too big, i guess i was thinking bigger bait bigger bass, but idk.

In the spring when the water gets 60 degrees, tie that 3/4 oz. rattle trap on and fish.I forget about everything in life once I catch a spring time bass on a trap.They hit the rattletrap like a freight train causing you to almost lose your rod out of your hands on the strike from both smallmouth and largemouth.I fish one type of Rattle trap in the fall, I think its a ambush brand rattle trap.The reason is the fish move shallow during the fall, but they are easily spooked by the loud rattles in a trap.The trap I use doesn't have rattles, it works from vibration through a hole in the bait.It also has a larger 3/4 oz. profile without the weight.I just proven it works to my friend who was throwing a 1/4 oz. gold ratl trap, I tied the much bigger ambush trap in baby bass and boated a 3 to 1 fish ratio, but the real difference was in the size of the fish the silent trap caught over the rattles. P N J

[JB]

pnj,
those traps ya sent me are the only lure that has been producing all month, I got one tied on right now and am hitting the water in a few...air temp is 42 and wind 16 mph...should be some fun huh

[pig n jig]

This is the rattle less trap I was talking about.I think it was by Ambush. P N J

[JB]

dang pnj

ya find that on the set of startreck? rofl....looks bionic......i'm stickin to rayburn red

[pig n jig]

Originally Posted by JB

pnj,
those traps ya sent me are the only lure that has been producing all month, I got one tied on right now and am hitting the water in a few...air temp is 42 and wind 16 mph...should be some fun huh

Lol, Yeah real fun. We got our first snow on the ground this morning, got only a inch of snow covering the ground, but its the beginning of another crappy winter. I am loaded up going to the lake myself.I am thinking spider grubs and Kalin grubs.I had better pack more stuff in case I am wrong again Roflmao... it does look kind of wrong looking for a trap, but then again let the fish tell ya whats right.P N J

[texasbasser]

i love to use them over grassy areas and they produce many times for me

[pig n jig]

Buy a variety of brands. At times,one brand will work better than another brand . P N J

[pig n jig]

I know I am in the strike zone with a trap when I am constantly working to keep the trap from getting snagged up in the weeds.you want the trap to tick the weedtops as much as possible, I use a Medium action rod and when the trap starts to get stuck, snap the trap free using your wrist to pop the rod tip quickly on the retreive and it will clean the weeds off from it.If I am not frustrated from fishing the trap, I usually am not going to catch fish, its usually got to be hitting some sort of cover to be real effective in catching fish. P N J