Rapala Scatter Rap Crankbait

[Fisherman)]

Has anyone used one of the crankbaits from the scatter rap series? I just bought two of them but I won't get to go to a deep enough lake for about a week. Do these things work well?

[Brett Strohl]

I used a blue gill painted shallow scatter at a pond that hadn't been fished in a long time and got 15 fish in less than two hours.  I also caught fish there on a scatter jointed minnow and a slightly deeper diving one that is penguin colored (I have trouble with that one swimming in circles though).  I have a scatter "shad" that I haven't even got a nibble on though.  

 

I like them, but haven't been overly impressed with any of them except the shallow scatter.  I did just order a "deep scatter" just b/c I wanted to try it out, but I haven't got it in the mail yet.  I honestly don't know how to compare them to other cranks b/c I've been mostly trying them a lot in another pond where the bass absolutely refuse to bite on any crank lure, and we've thrown crank in our tackle boxes at them.  

 

I probably won't buy any more b/c I'm doing a lot better with soft plastics, but if you have a place where cranks are a good lure, and you don't have to worry about losing them (they are awfully expensive) then you'll probably be able to get fish on them.  

[Fisherman)]

I used a blue gill painted shallow scatter at a pond that hadn't been fished in a long time and got 15 fish in less than two hours.  I also caught fish there on a scatter jointed minnow and a slightly deeper diving one that is penguin colored (I have trouble with that one swimming in circles though).  I have a scatter "shad" that I haven't even got a nibble on though.  

 

I like them, but haven't been overly impressed with any of them except the shallow scatter.  I did just order a "deep scatter" just b/c I wanted to try it out, but I haven't got it in the mail yet.  I honestly don't know how to compare them to other cranks b/c I've been mostly trying them a lot in another pond where the bass absolutely refuse to bite on any crank lure, and we've thrown crank in our tackle boxes at them.  

 

I probably won't buy any more b/c I'm doing a lot better with soft plastics, but if you have a place where cranks are a good lure, and you don't have to worry about losing them (they are awfully expensive) then you'll probably be able to get fish on them.

How deep does the shallow scatter go? Both of the two I bought from bass pro shops go 6'-8' and are grey on top, creamish color in the middle, and a light green on the bottom. They look like they would be effective, but can't tell of course until I actually get a chance to try them out

[Brett Strohl]

I would say it goes about a foot to a foot and a half.  

[fishballer06]

I bought a few of these when they came out because I've always done well on Rapala's stuff. I'm pretty disappointed in these. Half of them that I've got can't even be fished because they just swim in circles rather than actually work like a crankbait should. The cranks are especially bad for this. The only one that I've had moderate luck on was the scatter countdown in a small pond. 

[Brett Strohl]

Someone here told me you have to reel them in slowly to avoid them going in circles, and I think that does make a big difference

[fishballer06]

Someone here told me you have to reel them in slowly to avoid them going in circles, and I think that does make a big difference

 

Slow, medium, fast, doesn't matter. Half of mine literally will not even fish at all.

[Brett Strohl]

Ugh, that sucks!  

[iceintheveins]

They work but no more than a regular crank imo.

[jitterbug127]

The lip is very poorly constructed. Mine broke first use

[Bluebasser86]

I like them, but they're for different areas and a different style of fishing than the squarebills most guys try to use them as IMO. 

[DogBone_384]

Slow, medium, fast, doesn't matter. Half of mine literally will not even fish at all.

Have you tried holding your rod at different angles?  I fish mine from a kayak and wonder if that makes a difference.  I've seen mine do spirals while retrieving them with my rod at a slightly upward angle while sitting.

 

I've not caught much in deeper waters, but have caught a couple in shallower ponds.

[Trenton]

Waited till they went on sale and bought them at dicks. I've caught a few running them beside cover and a few banging them off trees. They don't do great off cover which isn't what they were made for so no complaints there. The action is gained from varying your speed in your retrieval but as for the spiraling I've haven't had any of this happen to me. Overall not super super impressed but they've caught fish

[Bluebasser86]

One of the biggest things I've noticed with these things, when they're hitting them, they're absolutely crushing them. Maybe it's just me, but that's been the case every time I've done well with them.

[zeth]

I bought like 20 of them. Sold them a week later. I'm sure they work but I don't like them.

[Scorchx1245]

I've got 2, haven't caught anything with them yet.

[Brett Strohl]

I took the shallow scatter out to my friend's pond again and caught probably the nicest crappie I've ever had (although to be honest I've probably caught less than 15 of them in my life).  

 

This time I tried tying directly onto the lure with a palomer knot and noticed the action of the lure was much different than when I was using a swivel, but I have caught a lot of fish out of the pond with that thing either way.  I think it really just depends on the situation.  For that pond I need something that goes under the water and over the tall weeds and the shallow scatter is perfect for that. 

[dumfish]

I wish rapala would get on the ball and do a better job on their old age finish patterns . But if you like the action of wiggle warts, and don't want to pay the price, these are a bargain.

[Comfortably Numb]

I do well with them. I wish they were made of plastic with some rattles instead of balsa. The line tie going into soft balsa will bend and move, thus going out of tune and doing the spin. 

 

As said not very durable. Dont cast into docks or rocks. The wide bill does make them pretty brushless like a squarebill.

 

Bluegill paint looks great and does bestfor me

[TorqueConverter]

I love the shallow version right after ice out fished so slow it won't scatter.  Something about that slow tight wiggle that cold water bass just want to eat.  As the water warms I can fish it a bit faster to get some of that scattering action and get fish come up and grab it before the DT4 and DT6 take over as my cool to warm water baits.

[Turkey sandwich]

First - to troubleshoot for you guys having trouble getting the lure to run true: Any crankbait can get out of tune and often even new crankbaits are a little off out of the package. With a pair if needle-nosed pliers, bend the line tie right or left to "true" the bait until it runs well.

I've fished them a bit and actually really like them. That said, I view them as a pretty specific tool. For example, I'm not going to throw them into branches/cover the way I might a square bill. The crazy side to side action is awesome, though, for covering flats, heads of pools below ripples, etc because it works so wide to each side with that "hunting" or "fleeing" motion. Walleye guys seem to also love trolling them over the tops of grass beds.

That said, I would LOVE to see a rattle version added.

[jr231]

The scatter rap shallow is an awesome bait. Ive had great times with the blue back Herring and the "smash".  Also , above all, the scatter rap shad has landed me some seriously nice bass. The Helsinki shad and the yellow perch is my favorite. It does do circles if you "burn it".  The key is to retrieve slowly and then throw a couple quick reels in to get the bait to kick out to the side or "scatter".  I was weary at first.  But I am Sold. I have many cranks. Bomber , rebel, live target, lucky craft, storm, but the rapala is my favorite. From the original floating / countdown.  To the jointed and jointed shad. Especially the xraps. Rapala just makes lures that catch fish period. It's a fun alternative to the plastic craze. And the scatter rap is another winner in my book.