Rapala vs. Lucky Strike

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey guys,

I just started bass fishing in the last couple of weeks.  I have only cuaght two fish on crankbaits, one on a Rat-L-Trap and another on a Rapala Floating Lure f-5.  I was at Bass Pro in Hampton Va and saw some Lucky Strike Lures and was just curious what the difference quality wise was between the two companies as far as crankbait.  Is the 7-8 bucks extra worth the product you buy?  I know it is preference as well but I was just curious.

I like the fire tiger and silver lures of rapala.  Mostly floating F-5's for topwater cranks, and then I use Shad jointed as runners.  Other than that I have not used much of an arsenal as far as crankbaits.  Sometimes I use Rat-L-Traps but not often.  Would there be any lures you guys recommend if I happend to try Lucky Strike out?  I only use crankbaits so often as I mostly fish spinners and t-rigged worms but I'm just trying to find my niche in each type of bait.  

Also if anyone knows any good Bandit lures to use if you could let me know as well.   Thanks guys.

I also have a question on using suspended lures and husky jerks.  How do you run these as oppossed to floating or deep running lures?

[Guest ncbass24]

Bandit footloose cranks are really great for very shallow water, 1-2 feet deep.

[.dsaavedra.]

well i dont have much money and im certainly not paying 20 soemthin bucks on a lure that could easily be lost. rapalas are under half the cost and i LOVE them! rapalas are my favorite bait...not kidding. so i stick w/ rapalas. i love the floaters for shallow water. also the DT series is really nice cuz of the depth variety they have. i just bought a jointed shad rap and i cant wait to try it out. they way to fish a suspending jerkbait like the husky jerk is to crank it down to depth real fast, then let it sit then jerk it around a bunch, pause, maybe crank in a little bit, and repeat. at least thats how i do it.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Thanks man, I may pick one of those up to try this weekend for Saturday and Sunday.  Any certain colors you find that work best for med/heavy tree cover, bridges, boat docks?  What sizes work best for rivers with medium-heavy current flow?

[.dsaavedra.]

o and i love bandit cranks. they make some awesome shallow cranks.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Thanks for your reply as well DS.  I am going to try that technique with my suspending shad this weekend by the bridge if I see they are holding a bit deeper than the first couple feet.  Other wise I'm gonna be ripping my spinners and throwing my t-rigs.  But any other rapalas you recommend besides the shad rap for working mid-depth levels between 4-10 feet or so?  I do like the shad jointed suspended I have now even though I haven't caught anything on it, the rattle action is good and watching it swim through the clear water in the reservoir last weekend made it look like it HAD to work.  I really haven't stuck with it much lately but I will work it some this weekend.  I do also enjoy the rapala floaters in minnow style or fire tiger.  They just plain work.

[.dsaavedra.]

well it all depends on forage and how deep the water is. i always have success on natural colors. this can include shad, silver, vampire (one of my fav colors). if its deep water, i'd try a jointed shad rap. if its shallow use floaters or jerkbaits...i cant seem to get jerkbaits to run deep...so i use them in shallow water. shallow running fat cranks (DT4 or bandits) are killer in shallow water too. if you are new to crank fishing, heres a tip on estimating the depth of lures: look at the bill on the front. if it is big and long then it will most likely run deep. if it is small and short, then it will run shallow. also, look at the angle the bill when the bait is held horizontal. if the bill is almost horizontal, the lure will run very  deep, if its at a more steep angle, then its a shallow runner. hope all that helped.

[.dsaavedra.]

hmmmm....rapala doesnt really make much mid depth lures....theyr really focusing on their xrap series now. i havent got one yet but i want an xrap jointed shad. anyways, for mid depths, i reccoment all the shad raps (jointed, glass, rs), any of the DT series (4, 6, 10) O AND HOW COULD I FORGET! definitley pick up a minnow rap. those things are beast. i love them. they have the depth and wiggle of a shad rap, but the shape of a fat floater. colors i reccoment for those are bleeding pearl or bleeding olive flash.

[JCrzy4Bass]

I'll try one of the minnows and DT's as you suggested when I pick them up tommorrow night along with the Bandit Footloose.  I have to get a few spinners too and I'm running low on plastic worms.  Man, I'm gonna drop 30-40 easy lol.  Anyways my tackle will be up to date after that and as long as I have a good weekend (haven't been losing as much lately) I should have plenty for a while.  Thanks for all the help man.  Talk to you later man.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Raps been catching fish for me about 20 yrs thats all that matters ,no need to fix what ain't broken specially at 20 plus bucks a bait ridiculous

[Stringjam]

If you're going to fish crankbaits a lot, make sure you get a nice telescoping retrieval pole.  

I'm a crankbait nut and throw them year-round and almost every trip out - - I wouldn't even tie one on without my pole.....get good at using one and you will almost never lose a crank.  

BTW.....I don't think $20 is ridiculous for a lure I'll fish for years.   Disposable soft plastics @ $5+ a bag is way more expensive in my mind.  

[.dsaavedra.]

if you never lost a 20 dollar lure then no thats a good deal, specially since they probly work great, but the thing is you will eventualy lose it. i realy like the looks of them poles, but if youre bank fishing, what happens if you crank is more than 16' or 20' out there? thats about how long those poles can reach, so what do you do then? whenever im in my boat, i just motor over to the snag and pull the opposite direction that i got snagged and it comes out all the time.

[lubina]

I use them both.

Rapala Shad Rap- is the best suspending crankbait. The DT and X-Rap are unmatchable but so are the LC Sammy, Gunfish, Pointers and Combats

[T-rig]

Are you guys talking about Lucky Craft or Lucky Strike?

[.dsaavedra.]

o shoot! i didnt even realise that the titie said lucky strike. i say lucky and assumed it was lucky craft. i forget what lucky strike makes...dont they make swimbaits and stuff?

[lubina]

o shoot! i didnt even realise that the titie said lucky strike. i say lucky and assumed it was lucky craft.

Me too, sorry. I've never used anything from LS other than spinners and buzzbaits

[Guest avid]

Your talking about Lucky Craft lures.

Lucky Strike makes soft plastics.

Lucky craft makes some outstanding baits.

If your worried about loosing them, you can switch out the split ring to "lure saver" split rings.

I agree that a $20.00 or more hardbait is a bargain if it works well.

I have a lure collection that I call my "legacy" collection.  These are all high end lucky craft, megabait, evergreen, etc. baits that will get passed down to my granchildren.  

I still have and use old creek chub and heddon baits form the 50's and 60's.  That's 50 plus years of fishing folks.  Not worth 20 bucks?????

Ok, but your missing out on some great lures.

[.dsaavedra.]

i just dont see a need to pay that much when i can get a rapala for 6 bucks. now a rapala is an outstanding bait!

[Stringjam]

i just dont see a need to pay that much when i can get a rapala for 6 bucks. now a rapala is an outstanding bait!

In certain conditions, yes, they're outstanding.....there are conditions that I much prefer other baits.   There is, however, no "need" to pay a lot to catch bass......but I share a similar outlook as Avid.  This is the enthusiast side of the sport, and it is not as much about need as it is "want," and an appreciation of design and craftsmanship.  I just enjoy fishing with and buying cranks from the lowest end to the upper end, and one day I'll hand down what makes it to the kids.  

I know fishermen that spend more than $20 in beer every weekend that think I'm crazy for buying $20 crankbaits - - but when the weekend is over, I'm still digging my little shad-shaped pieces of art and they're just pi**ing in a toilet with a headache.  

[JCrzy4Bass]

Sorry for the confusion guys.  Yea I did mean lucky craft.  my mistake.  I only saw them briefly in bass pro and got it mixed upw ith stuff I was looking at on line.  Yea my dad just started fishing again and ordered some megabait swimbaits hes going to try this weekend up at lake ridge.  He's real excited.  I'm going out to buy him a new pole for fathers day tonight.  His quantum he has been using forever and its missing a rod guide, and the reel is in some bad condition.  Time for an upgrade especially since he's serious about this.  He pulled out all of his fathers lures and rooster tails he used to use.  Bought a new tackle box from walmart last night and organized everything out.  I'm excited to start fishing with him,  We went out of Lake Ridge last weekend and boatd the occoquan and had a blast.  Mostly sunfish, but he caught a lmb, and i lost two.  Bunch of perch, etc.  He switched to live bait after 3 hours cause he said they weren't hitting lures.  I stuck with it but couldn't reel em' in.

Anyway, yea I waste so much money on cranks cause i've lost so many as a beginner.  Spinners I can control much better and they rip through stuff easier, haven't lost but 1 out of the 4 I have right now in weeks so.  I just want to get better at accuracy and casting before I spend money on higher end stuff.  I'm going to try out some of the rapala suggestions you guys threw out at me, see how they do as I've already caught a few on lures made by them.  But maybe in the future when I get better at cranks, I may try some lucky craft seeing as the advanced fishermen in here have made some good points about them.  Good luck if any of you guys go out this weekend.  Looks like it will be two solid MORNINGS of fishing around here.  Sunday afternoon is gonna get hot though so I'll prob be done by 1.