rattle traps???

[tnfisherman]

how do you work them right around rocks,docks,and open water

[Tall]

This time of year a slow retreive in open water. That is how I boated one 22 inches long LM Thursday. Not the 10 pounder I wanted but it is a start to getting their. I got my golf ball retreiver out a couple times to get that $18 Lucky craft lipless unhung too.

You can also do a search on how to use the r traps/lipless cranks because several ways have already been posted a few days back. See the trap tread from 2-11.

[S4il]

Different ways to work a rattle trap. for me i like using them over Rocks, cause i feel the sound travels more when working the bait around an area where the sound has something solid to bounce off of, making it more appealing to bass who are in search for small bait fish in the area.

Rippin the bait is one method alot of people seem to think is best in summer, KVD did this with his Red eye shad and won many tournaments with that style of retrieve, Its more or less rippin the bait in the grass just under the surface, let it fall through the grass line and Rippin it Upward, or towards you too generate a reaction strike from the bass.

Yo-YO the retrieve is what it sounds like, letting it fall, Picking it back up, using your rod tip and keeping the line tight, repeat and vary in the speed of your retrieve to figure out how the bass want it.

Steady retrieve has always worked for me, rattle traps bring bass to your bait, Hence the Loud sound they put out, so keeping them moving is important. But sometimes (Read below Great story!)

The first time i Tied on a rattle trap: I remember it was about 6 years back, i was younger, and didn't know much about fishing for bass with lures. I was at a small pond i always seemed to fish on the weekend, And this one weekend it was DEAD, I remember looking at my casio Moon phase watch, and i saw the watch displayed 5 Fish, and a Black moon, which i think is a New Moon, When the watch has 5 fish on it its, sposed to be the BEST time to fish, New and Full moons that is...And that day was a new moon day, So i knew fish were going to be active. well after fishing for 3+ hours with no luck i was ready to give up, There was just Nothing, No strikes, No hits, didn't see any fish Jump! and it was killing my confidence.

Spinner baits-failed
crank baits-failed
T-rigged and C-rigged soft plastics-failed

It was as if the fish just went LOCK JAW!!!! I was ready too give up but a you~tube video i remember i had watched one time on the Internet gave me the confidence to try something different, something i had not yet thought of doing when fishing is tough.

And that was Using a rattle trap! I tied on my ONLY red/orange craw fish pattern rattle trap, A bill Lewis, 1/2 ounce and gave it a throw out about 3 ft off the shore, Fishing the shore line Long ways, It wasn't long after the lure hit the water, and i was BURNING this bait back to me, Using a Quantum ACS bait caster, My hand was turning the handle as fast as it could go, FASTER AND FASTER- I cranked this Bait threw the water, Fishing it around the Rip-rap below me, Paint was starting to Chip off my bait after the 2nd Cast, thats How hard i was Making this Lure Crack up and Bang on the rocky Bottom. The reason why my retrieve was so fast was out of frustration, and Just Seeing how fast i could Reel it in, Almost not even trying to catch anything, Just goofing off...

After about the 5th or so cast to the same area of rocky shore line, My lure stopped, Like DEAD weight Stopped!. I feel what seemed like i had hooked a Large Wet Beach Towel under the surface, It wasn't moving, and i wasn't Moving it, I thought to myself "OH F&CK" there goes another Lure in the Drink..But i was wrong....I had hooked into a VERY LARGE BASS, Undoubtedly the BIGGEST bass i had ever caught up until the next year, My heart rate Start Pumping as i see the olive colored flash with the Dark Black lateral Line Roll in the water, I knew at that point it was a bass and not a Beach Towel.

I watched as She turned her head form side to side, Trying to shake the Rattle trap, She wasn't coming off! My reel was starting to Stress, making these Weird sounds like someone rubbing a dry eraser onto Wood. My Star drag was as tight as it could go, and the fish was still taking Line out in short Powerful Burst.

She Pulls me out into deeper water, I'm struggling to keep her away from the Cat tails, and Straw weeds where i knew my line wouldn't be able to Hold up in,i was using 10 lb Trilene smooth cast Mono, no floro carbon was on the market at that time and if it was, no company made it and sold it at my local walmart (lol) I could go on in to great detail about that Day, cause i remember it like it was yesterday, but i landed that fish, A Very large Female bass, Full of Eggs, She was Plump, a solid 5+lb, and thats Lunker size up here in Illinois, State record i think is 7lb in my area.

Ill never forget that Style of Retrieve, BURN BABY BURN!!!, That fish didn't want a spinner bait, She didn't want a T-rigged Worm, or other soft plastic, She didn't want a crank bait, All those lures failed, in the same area i had been fishing for 3+ hours, KNOWING bass were there, KNOWING now that she was on the bed, and was spawning, The dozens of Lures i threw at her she simply ignored, Until she saw my Bill Lewis rattle trap in red/orange Burn over her bed, was it a Reaction strike? or a Territory infringement strike? or was it the Lure, and what its designed to do?


I still fish this pond to this day in spring/summer/fall, and have caught many other smaller bass on rattle traps, in the same area, same time of the year, same lure, hoping....that one day Miss Big lips whos now probably 6-7 lb's will again show herself on the end of my line.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Good read S4il- TN, I think it is just like everything else. Try 15 cast of a burn out, 15 of a stop and go, and then 15 of a pump retrieve. I like to fish them as a cadence bait too with a 1, 1-2 action. I caught my first big bass (7#) when I was 15 on a chrome/blue 1/2oz BL Rat-L-Trap. I love to listen to them rattling when they get near the boat, and then just hear them stop - GAME ON. .

[bassboogieman]

Current issue of FLW magazine has an article on fishing lipless baits. Gives a good description of 4 different presentations.
One thing with the Lewis rattletrap - change the hooks, stock hooks are terrible.

[CCbass]

I did a cable access show on the trap a few years back, first off comments are right, if you use the original trap change the hooks. My show is on youtube, kawabunga66 in my channel, if you want check it out.

[woody]

Here is a maneuver that you can add to any presentation. Try moving your rod tip with a side to side motion, a little to the left then a little to the right, this will give your bait a little more of a lifelike look seeing that bait fish usually don't swim in a staight line.


~Mark

[bamabassman]

very good read sail, and woody you are right as well. i use the rattle trap. BUT the MRS. is REAL trap pro around here,lol. that is her favorite lure. fast, constant, and very shiny. women love shiny things don't they? haha. she caught her personal best on a trap. 3#11oz. along the grass edge. steady retrieve. which is really more eractic if you watch her retrieve,lol. up down and side to side. but the trap is her most favorite lure to use.

[tnfisherman]

thanks ive got a few red eye shad one in sexy shad and one in bleeding, size there the small ones ,,, my lake goes up and down if they dont get it up this year it will be three stright years it hasnt been full level plus ive got some rattle trap in crome with blue - black and craw color all in 1/4 AND 1/2 ,,,,,

[shootisttx]

IMO, the Rattletrap is the best all-around lure EVER. Fast, slow, shallow, deep, fresh water, salt water...you name it, the Rattletrap will do it.

[zooker]

bare bank fishing..is where i use it.. i rarely use it on any other struture.. just give me a bare bank with a few scattered rocks..

zooker

[bassackwards]

i like bare bank or few trees with a sandy bottom

[abu4600]

I like it around shallow grass and also bare banks too.

[tnfisherman]

thanks i guess it would work on spawin basss on gravel spots

[aikenyounggun]

i like to fish it over mats of grass... ripping it through it.... also it it doesnt even get the grass it can be deadly..... kind of like fishin a spinnerbait over grass

[fish2]

I have the most success with the lipless crankbait over grass. And if you get hung up act like you are setting the hook and you'll clear all of the grass off of your bait and then be ready for a strike