Red Eye Shad Or Rat-L-Trap?

[cjam93]

Hey guys I was wondering which of these you prefer and why?

[dday07]

Red Eye's i use in deeper water cause they have a quicker sink..and traps in shallow cause they seem to ride a little better right above the weeds...but my fav. are def. x-caliburs!

[MCS]

X2 xcaliburs...best fit and finish for the price, run really well out of the box, come with great hooks. Rattle traps always seem on the cheap side with hooks. And Redeyes have had their quality control issues as well, never liked their design.

[Raul]

I don´t prefer any, when I purchase cranks I purchase several brands even though they are the "same", same in the aspect that they belong to the same group, in this case lipless cranks, why ? cuz bass were created and put on this world by the Lord All Mighty with the express purpose of making us bass fishermen ask for HIS enlightment every time we go out in order to find "the right one", there are times I´caught tons of fish with Rat L´Traps, there have been days bass don´t even care about them, that day they are crazy for Red Eyes, other days they don´t care about either, no sir, that day they want Bayou Boogies and so on. Getting a few of several brands ain´t gonna hurt you.

[Catt]

I don´t prefer any, when I purchase cranks I purchase several brands even though they are the "same", same in the aspect that they belong to the same group, in this case lipless cranks, why ? cuz bass were created and put on this world by the Lord All Mighty with the express purpose of making us bass fishermen ask for HIS enlightment every time we go out in order to find "the right one", there are times I´caught tons of fish with Rat L´Traps, there have been days bass don´t even care about them, that day they are crazy for Red Eyes, other days they don´t care about either, no sir, that day they want Bayou Boogies and so on. Getting a few of several brands ain´t gonna hurt you.

Yelp

Bayou Boogie? Ya aint got none of them

[Dwight Hottle]

Yelp

Bayou Boogie? Ya aint got none of them

 

 

Now I feel left out. 

[CTGalloway21]

Both, and here is why.  They have completely different styles.  Red Eye shad falls differently, etc.  Never limit yourself to one type of lure.  Some days Rattletraps may work, the next Red Eye shad. 

[smalljaw67]

Xcalibur one knocker in Tilapia or lemon lime, the Rapala claclin' rap in silver or gold, and the Cordell super spot in royal shad, those 3 will work anywhere!!! I was a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap fan until I started using the Super Spot, the fish in my water react to the higher pitch and in the 1/4oz size it just seems to work in pressured water.

[craww]

This is what I use and where/why.

Traps/cordell spots- shallow flats. Spots don't cast quite as well but fall slower"/run shallower

Yozuri rattlin vibe-in my experience the most productive overall rattlebait. At 5/8 it will launch into orbit.

Red eye shad- anywhere but I'm also pumping it up and down to get that shimmy on the fall.

[CWB]

X2 xcaliburs...best fit and finish for the price, run really well out of the box, come with great hooks. Rattle traps always seem on the cheap side with hooks. And Redeyes have had their quality control issues as well, never liked their design.

X3 on the Xcalibur- especially the XR50 one knocker. Killer.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

X2 xcaliburs...best fit and finish for the price, run really well out of the box, come with great hooks. Rattle traps always seem on the cheap side with hooks. And Redeyes have had their quality control issues as well, never liked their design.

 

Yeah Ive noticed that as well. Ive been unlucky with them not running true more than half the ones I have veer left or right with fast retrieve. A slow to moderate their fine but just knowing they dont run straight causes me to lose confidence in them. The ones that run true are fish catchers though.

[WhiteMike1018]

red eye

[Bluebasser86]

Of those 2 I prefer the RES but I also fish the Xcaliber a vast majority of the time. 

[Bankbeater]

I use both of them and Cordell super spot as well.  They are all different baits.

[thehooligan]

xcaliburs, red eyes, and owner cultiva mira vibe. My three go to lipless cranks.

[Primus]

 I agree with Raul that you need an arsenal as the hot bait can change when there is a hot trap bite or you can refish an area with a different trap bait and pick up a few more fish. I have different baits in different color categories which would include chrome, gold , white, bluegill ,craw and ghost colors. These are some of my favorite brands & models....

 

 Red Eye Shad - if I had to pick one this would be it though you will run into the occasional QC issue and on the mettalic finishes the paint seems to flake off too easy but at $6 each I'm willing to overlook that. That said it's the shimmy on the fall that makes it special and the vibrates well at slow speeds which is an important attribute in cold water.

 

 

 Yozuri Rattlin' Vibe - listed as a 5/8 oz bait but seems to fish like an 1/2 oz bait, just seems to do everything well and is a good workhorse bait.

 

 Sebile Flatt Shad- I like the oil filled version as it's silent and it looks great in clear water. More vibration than most baits in this class and like the Red eye also excels when fishing slow in cold water. Also is terrific in clear water pressured situations , this is a truly special bait in my opinion .Does have a tendency to swim on it's side if you are burning it though.

 

Rapala Rippin' Rap. When the water is in the 40's and the fish are little deeper this is my go to bait in the 1/2 oz size when the fish desire ( you guessed it) a " rippin' " retrieve. In Fisherman has done a great job demonstrating how to fish this bait on their TV show and magazines. I basically let it fall to the bottom or just above submergent weeds on a long cast and rip it up on semi slack line, let it shimmy down on semi slack line then keep repeating. They also mentioned in a recent walleye  article about pullin' which you raise the rod from 11 to 12 o'clock hold and then follow it down. I have not tried this retrieve but I can't see any reason why it couldn't work for bass if the want a little less aggressive retrieve. This bait has a tighter wiggle than most trap baits yet still swims down, too me it fishes like a hybrid between a metal blade bait like a Silver Buddy and a Red Eye Shad.

 

Damiki Tremor silent version- another good option when stealth is needed.

 

Spro Aruku Shad- excels for slow rolling, the 5/8 oz size seems to fish like a heavier bait. I absolutely love their metallic finishes. These baits are usually perfect out of the package.

 

Koppers Craw Trap- doesn't do anything special but on a straight retrieve gets bit, what I like about it is it's extremely realistic appearance. I like to slow roll the 3/4 oz version in the spring.

 

1 oz Excalibur 1 knocker - I like the biggest size as the knocker resonates more than the smaller version, great alternative to a deep diving crank in the summer or when you want a bigger profile. There are times that knocker is the truth and calls the fish to it when they may ignore the bb style rattles , especially in slightly off colored water.

[Fishes in trees]

Of al lhe different rattle baits out there, I prefer a Berkley Frenzy rattle bait.  These were discontinued several years ago, but I still have 3 or 4 of them left.  I throw them on 20 lb mono so hopefully they will last until I wear the paint off of them.  I've never really been impressed with the Rattle Trap, I've bought a few of the Red Eye Shad and I'm really not a big fan of how them drop.  I own a bunch of rattle baits, various brands, from a time6 or 8 years ago when I experimented with them quite a bit.   Other than the Berkley Frenzy, very few of them ever get wet.

[ww2farmer]

Red eye shad.

[Primus]

Of al lhe different rattle baits out there, I prefer a Berkley Frenzy rattle bait.  These were discontinued several years ago, but I still have 3 or 4 of them left.  I throw them on 20 lb mono so hopefully they will last until I wear the paint off of them.  I've never really been impressed with the Rattle Trap, I've bought a few of the Red Eye Shad and I'm really not a big fan of how them drop.  I own a bunch of rattle baits, various brands, from a time6 or 8 years ago when I experimented with them quite a bit.   Other than the Berkley Frenzy, very few of them ever get wet.

 

Regarding how the Red Eye Shad drops in the water column, what is it about  them that you don't like? I always looked at the way it shimmies on the fall as a strong point of the bait and I seem to get a lot of bites when after I rip through the grass I give it a brief pause. 

[Deleted account]

Yeah Ive noticed that as well. Ive been unlucky with them not running true more than half the ones I have veer left or right with fast retrieve. A slow to moderate their fine but just knowing they dont run straight causes me to lose confidence in them. The ones that run true are fish catchers though.

Cut a 1 foot piece of furring strip and beat them like a rented mule. Most will behave after that. I like the Super Spot shallow and early, and the Red Eye and Sugar Shad yoyoed deeper in warmer water. Never liked the Trap. The cheap BPS one is a good one too. 

[Arv]

Red Eye Shad has produced more for me, but there are times when the Rat L Trap will catch fish when the Red Eye Shad won't.