Rat L Trap: first time to catch a fish with one

[Retrofan]

I have used a Rat L Trap several times in the past, but I never even got a bite. Today I decided to try one of the chrome Bill Lewis Floating Rat L Traps I bought from a sponsor of this site (Outlet Bait and Tackle).

I was able to make long casts parallel to the shore line (bank fisherman) and first cast I caught a bass as soon as the Trap hit the water.

After getting that fish in I decided to try a spot where there was a laydown close by. I tossed past the laydown and reeled the Trap in with a slower retrieve and a little working of the rod tip that made it stutter on the way back to me.

Just as I got to the back of the laydown I hooked and landed a 4 pound 9 oz bass (biggest of the 5 I caught today on it).

The floating and stuttering effect makes the trap look like some of the little fish I have seen up in the shallow water that might have been feeding. I only tried silver, but have a few other colors and will give them a try someday when this color isn't working.

[Clyde]

It is very hard to beat a chrome rattle trap. I have not used the floating ones buy I  want to around grass and laydowns and stuff.

[Leever]

I catch fish on Rat L Traps all the time.  Especially in early spring.  White bass and hybrids kill rat l traps at night.

[senile1]

Nice.  So now you're gaining confidence in a new lure.  That's always a good thing.

[Catt]

Be warned there will be many more in the future

[Gangley]

Are they supposed to be that loud?  When I am reeling it in, I can hear it through water from 10 feet away, and If Im ripping it out of grass, i can hear it from even farther away.  I keep thinking, JEEZ, as loud as that is to me, it has to drive the bass away?  So is it just me, or are the rattletraps supposed to be that loud?

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Are they supposed to be that loud? When I am reeling it in, I can hear it through water from 10 feet away, and If Im ripping it out of grass, i can hear it from even farther away. I keep thinking, JEEZ, as loud as that is to me, it has to drive the bass away? So is it just me, or are the rattletraps supposed to be that loud?

Try using them when sitting in a small aluminum boat     I can feel the vibrations through the hull from a long way away.  Does it drive fish away?  I don't think so, they sure catch a lot of fish.

Nice job, Retrofan.  It's such a versatile lure.  You can use them in almost any situation and catch fish on them.  One of, if not my favorite style of hard baits.

[Dave D]

My favorite hard bait also. I've caught my biggest fish on Chrome and Blue back.

1- 6lb largie

2- 20lb+ pike

[slonezp]

If I could only have 1 ratltrap it would be chrome. I have a trap with about 50% of the chrome worn off and it still outperforms all my other traps.

Also great when casting for salmon and trout.

[Osprey39]

If I could only have 1 ratltrap it would be chrome. I have a trap with about 50% of the chrome worn off and it still outperforms all my other traps.

Also great when casting for salmon and trout.

You know, I really need to get back to at least trying my chrome traps.  I'm a huge fan of Rat-L-Traps.  I've told many people that if I had to pick just one bait to use from here on out, it would be a Rat-L-Trap.  They're just so versatile.  Thing is, the water in all of our lakes has just been so dingy and muddy for the last year or more that I had taken to just tying on a chartreuse or orange craw trap and fishing those all day.  If I don't get bit on them, I just put the cranks away period.  I need to at least start trying the chrome ones in that dirty water because I agree with you, the chrome ones have always been my top producers in the past.

[bilgerat]

It's fun, aint it ? Nothing like decent size bass crushing a crank.

Get yourself an XCalibur xrk50 One Knocker lipless crankbait for when they don't want a traditional loud rattling bait. It comes through grass like nobody's business and the stock hooks are brutally sharp.

[timothy_spain]

so chrome's the color, eh guys?  gotta try that one out

[Gangley]

have had decent luck using a Chrome with Blue back, its just that they put off so much vibratio that I never really made it a confidence bait.

[MitchIsFishin]

Love the spro aruka shads & xr50's. Great in spring or fall.

[BassThumb]

Be warned there will be many more in the future

+1. 8-) Chrome, gold, olive, bone, chartreuse, craw...

[ejtaylor822]

Love my rattle-traps.  Chrome is good but favorite is Rapala baby bass which has turned into a bit of a goto bait for me.

[Hot n Tot]

Do you guys change out the hooks on your traps? If so, what size trebles? Last summer I hooked numerous bass using an MBR782 rod and they were mostly getting off. I changed to a CBR783 crankbait rod and had better landing percentage. But I'm wondering if the hooks were my main problem. I also have the silver with blue back!

[Osprey39]

Do you guys change out the hooks on your traps? If so, what size trebles? Last summer I hooked numerous bass using an MBR782 rod and they were mostly getting off. I changed to a CBR783 crankbait rod and had better landing percentage. But I'm wondering if the hooks were my main problem. I also have the silver with blue back!

I don't change out the hooks.  I know a lot of pros do but I don't get stuff for free or at a discount and I'm not made of money so I don't.  I've never had a problem with hook-ups either so I don't see a reason.  If I were fishing for big money and I got a deal on the hooks like a pro, I'm sure I might consider it.

[shootermcbob]

I have had some good catches this year on traps or trap style baits. I am not sure why it is, but I have caught fish on a rat-l-trap right after i fished a red eye shad w/ no luck and vice versa. I have also thrown Cordell super spot before and after the others, with the same results. I usually throw at least one color of all three...rat-l-trap, red eye shad, and Cordell super spot.

Gotta warn you, lipless crank baits are one of the bait monkeys calling cards...beware.

[LAO162]

I like 'em, but I usually lose them within a few casts at the quarry where I fish...  Mostly shallow cranks for me.  But I try to stock up on lipless cranks when they're on sale.  I usually run out pretty quickly

[Matt B]

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the last bass fisherman on earth to have never caught anything on Rat L Traps. :'(

To be fair I haven't given them a lot of time and chances are I was using them at the wrong time or place or whatever, but still...

Gonna keep throwing it this spring, though, until I break this rattly little curse of mine.

[bugman]

I've fished Rat-l-traps for years and can say they have been my most productive lure. I do change out the hooks with Gammi #5 & #4. #5 are hard to find but they don't get caught on the nose of the lure like the stock hooks do. I think the new traps have better hooks than in the past but they increased the price. My only complaint with traps is that they need adjusting out of the box about 50% of the time. I have been fishing with Strike King Red Eyes the past year and have found that they run true 99% of the time and come with quality hooks.