RattleTrap

[Ghostshad]

About what water temperature does the RattleTrap keep in ? My #1 bait use to be a StickBait , now thanks to my Brother, One fishing trip with Him changed me for life . Everything i had was slow speed just lazy fishing , worms , lizards , SoftPlastic. He went with me in about April & i had my SoftPlastic on & he said You got any RattleTraps , gota few some where , got em out & the rest is History , Changed all my reels to HighSpeed , Now 7 Ft Rods & a 3700 full of Yo-Zuri RattleTrap . How i love throwing them but its all i wanta throw. I've tried to learn a spinnerbait & SwinJig but i just don't have no luck, i know its me because of this forum. But when i die Bury me with my RattleTraps. GodBless & Thanks to EveryBody on this Forum

[JG233]

I've never caught a fish on a rattletrap, but I've gotten hung up and lost lots of rattletraps.

[Choporoz]

Lipless cranks are one bait that I pay little attention to water temps.  At least as to when to use them.  They are so versatile and cover water so well, that there's never a good time NOT to try them.  Ripping them off grass and yo-yo-ing at or near the bottom are my two favored ways, but I've also learned to work them around docks and even through tips of brush sometimes. 

[scaleface]

I caught more fish on lipless cranks this year  than ever , the Strike King Red Eyes though .Largemouths , white bass , channel cats , blue cats and drum . Every single fish came from 10 to 20 foot deep along the bottom . Sometimes I would just raise the lure off the bottom and hold it there for a second and lower it slowly , hop it like a worm , rip it  or reel it in slowly then kill it . I hope it wasnt just one of those fluke years because it was a whole lot of fun .

[Ratherbfishing]

15 minutes ago, Ghostshad said:

 when i die Bury me with my RattleTraps.

 

I plan to have a custom made casket with rod holders, tackle box storage, and maybe even a depth finder (so I can keep from going too deep-if you get my meaning).

 

Are you asking what depths are most effective?  If this, the answer depends on where the fish are, obviously.  The shallower it is (assuming there isn't too much vegetation), the easier they are to fish using a standard retrieve.  The deeper they are, the further you'll probably need to cast to get to the desired depth and retrieve.  I understand that Redeye shad is more effective using a raise and drop retrieve than, generally, the Rat-l-trap (brand name) is but I have not much experience with this.

[Spankey]

Pretty sure my first bass of the season will come off a Rat-L-Trap or jerkbait.

[roadwarrior]

Well, give the Red Eye Shad a try and find someone to give ALL of your Rat-L-Traps to. 

 

 

[blckshirt98]

I'm no Rat-L-Trap expert but I use one when I need to fish a crankbait either when it's cold, or, when I need a relatively straight retrieve without much wandering but still want the crankbait vibration.  I've heard/read the really tight wobble of the Rat-L-Trap is good when it's colder and fish are less active so I've had some success with it in the late fall.  I've also tried throwing it when trying to thread the needle between closely spaced vegetation.  No luck there yet but it's an option I've tried and I'll probably try again at some point.  I've still caught enough bass in the few times I've tied it on that I bring one with me whenever I go out.

[iceintheveins]

They work good year round, but I use them in the spring and fall most often. Very versatile bait that you can use a variety of speeds and retrieves with.

[Catt]

12 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Well, give the Red Eye Shad a try and find someone to give ALL of your Rat-L-Traps to. 

 

 

 

Better buy some by March 

[chattooga_ basser]

I like throwing the smaller sizes, especially in rivers or when the bite is tough and/or they are feeding on tiny baitfish .

[scaleface]

2 minutes ago, chattooga_ basser said:

I like throwing the smaller sizes, especially in rivers or when the bite is tough and/or they are feeding on tiny baitfish .

Me too and I need to throw them more , especially in summer .

[smalljaw67]

The tight action with the sound and vibration is killer when the water is cool in spring. One thing I suggest you do is get a few different brands and different sizes, the main differences in each are sound pitch and speed in which they begin to vibrate. I also started to like the silent models in clear water, and always make sure to have some one knockers, for some reason when they don't want to rattle the one knocker will get creamed.

[Spankey]

I find on the river its that lure that will keep you from getting skunked or at least get you a few dinks during a slow bite summer day. 

 

For the most part I throw the Mini Traps. 1/4 oz. size. Same with the CC Rattling Spot.  1/4 oz. CC had a nice 3/16 oz version but I don't see them any more. The Tiny Trap to me is more for trout. 1/8 or 1/16 just a bit too small. 

 

Im sure I have a decent color selection like most of you. But, in all honesty I really only need a chrome w/ black back, chrome w/ blue back, and gold  w/ black back. This is just my opinion. My findings. Again only my opinion I find a Rattling Spot to work as well as a Rat-L-Trap.  

 

I find to buy spares and additional colors I have to go the mail order route. They don't seem to be as available anymore. I think Wally World has some of the Rattling Spots for about $2.96. 

[CybrSlydr]

Thus far my brother and I have lost 3 rattle traps and caught 0 fish on them.  lol

[WIGuide]

They are a pretty good year round bait, and unless the water completely ices over there it wouldn't be too cold to throw one. Just like any bait though it's not going to be the right bait 100% of the time. Learn when and where to use them.

[Fishes in trees]

Maybe it is just me, but I'd put Rattle Traps down the list, toward the mediocre side as lipless cranks go.   Rapala, Red Eye Shad,

Spots, Yozuri Drums, and my personal favorite Berkley Frenzy are all lipless cranks that work better for me.  My main issue is the attitude in the water,  I just don't like the way it comes through the water.    I think the aforementioned baits all come through the water better, and thus they work better for me.

Secondly, I am a big fan of cheapish hooks on lipless cranks.   Keep plenty on hand, hooks that are sharp enough when they are new but if you get them snagged bend out relatively easily.   I think of it as kind of like a tear away jersey.

I generally throw these baits on 20  or 17 lb line and I've saved over a dozen baits by not swapping out hooks and using the cheapish hooks that they come with and when they get too bent, swapping out the hook with one of similar quality.  I don't think that this costs me very many fish over the course of a year, compared to the loss of baits.

[Bankbeater]

I use them year round when there is no ice. I use the 1/4 ounce size in shallow water, and the 1/2 ounce size in deeper water.

[Sittin there reelin em in]

I like to use rattle traps in the fall on really windy days. For some reason i get the most hits those days.