Help me catch Fish on the Rage Shell cracker please....

[primetime]

I picked up a bunch of these baits when they first came out and I figured they would make a dynamite pitching bait, maybe a jig trailer (All Types) and C-Rig bait as well. I have had some success with the bait on some days but I believe it has much more potential that I am just not tapping into.

If anyone uses this bait and does well with it, I would appreciate any tips on what size hook, weight, when and where, etc...

I have tried it on bladed jigs slowly rolled but it seems to just not produce as well as other trailers but I have heard that people do well with them as a trailer on chatterbaits? What size Chatterbait as I am thinking 3/8 may be too light for a bait that dense? Also have hook up issues when I use it as a trailer....Before I sell them I want to figure it out since I feel this style bait is way under fished and I feel it holds potential to clean up when everyone else is using craws...

Thanks in advance.

[roadwarrior]

I use them as swim jig trailers rigged vertical to look like a baitfish. My #1 presentation is a Siebert Outdoors 1/2 oz bluegill pattern and the Shellcracker in Hard Candy, California Craw or Green Pumpkin Sapphire.  Cast and let the bait fall on slack line, then reel slowly just off the bottom. ALL OF THE ACTION is produced by the lure, you do nothing but reel.

 

[primetime]

Thanks, half Ounce vertical...Man is it hard to take that Menace off but I bet this gets bigger fish, I will try that tonight..Awesome thanks, I figured 1/2 would work better and I think Sieberts Vibrating Baits have Football heads with a ring like many I have..Good deal. That helps, I need to work on my chatterbait game as I put it away for a bit and forgot about it until recently. I used to reel to fast and give them too much added action, I always put good lures away and forget about them after new stuff comes out or I just can't put the plastics and jigs, Frogs down....

[lakeannaangler]

I love the shell cracker for skipping docks on a rage rig.  It is very easy to skip on a spinning rod and one of the few baits i can actually skip on a baitcaster.The bait swings back and forth on the drop and the fish can't stand watching it slowly descend until it is right in front of their faces. For hooks i use a eagle claw weighted swimbait hook with a spring lock on it. I like to use a 1/16oz to make the bait fall faster than it would weightless but not too fast so the fish can get a good look at it while it is falling. They are also a good bait to put on a punch rig because of the shape of the bait.

[RyneB]

I have had some success punching with it and as a jig trailer. I just never use it enough to make it a consistent bait in my arsenal. It seems the menace kind of does every the shell cracker does with a sleeker profile.