Original Shad Rap - Favorite ways to use them?

[snake95]

I know original shad raps are a classic and effective bait. 

 

I also know you can do a search and spend hours learning about them on the site.  However, the shad rap has been on my mind as we head towards early prespawn.

 

What are your favorite applications for these guys?  Here have been mine, so far.

 

Sizes: 05's and 06's.  Original silver and shad.

Setup: Spinning with 6-8 lb mono; using a medium moderate 7 ft rod.

Conditions: Relatively clear water, steep rocky banks and hard bottom points.  

Not for: weedy conditions, very shallow ponds or bays, too small and quiet for turbid to muddy conditions.

 

I guess this is kind of a finesse cranking approach. 

 

A few "bonus" questions:

 

Anyone else using 05's or tiny 04's and/or some of the more muted natural patterns for clear water/finesse?

(Might be tough to hook a large bass on such small trebles?)

 

Any success on the Rapala "retreating craw" patterns that came out in 2016 for DT-series and shad raps?

(Not to get into a deep discussion on color, just found it interesting Rapala would decide there was a demand for these interesting patterns).

 

 

 

[Jelvas]

 The Shad raps are a staple in my tackle box, i use all of is sizes. The smaller 05 to 07 sizes i trow them on spinning gear mostly, medium or medium light rod, 8lb mono. However the ones i use the most are the bigger sizes, 09 and 14 (super shad rap), the 09´s i use my medium heavy crankbait rod with 10lb fluorocarbon and the 14´s i trow them on my smaller swimbait rod (E6X 884 SWB) with 12lb Big game. 

 

 I use them almost always when the water is colder, from mid fall untill early Spring, for the warmer months i prefer something with a more wide wobble. The Super shad raps i use them mainly for pike but i´ve landed quit a few bass on them plus tons of followers. Collors wise i use mostly the natural shads and perch patterns in the smaller sizes for bass, for pike i also use the more artificial patterns like fire tiger and hot perch for exemple.

 

 It´s quit a funny coincidence because i just placed one order for a bunch of the bigger 09 and 14 size ones last Friday, was running a bit low on them...

[Riazuli]

I recently ordered a bunch of suspending shad raps (shad rap rs and glass shad rap) in 05 and 07 sizes.  The 05 seems to be a better all around size for me.  I went with suspending because I noticed that the originals weren't staying in the zone long enough once they got the attention of bass that were in sight.  The bass would follow the lure during the retrieve, but lose interest when it shot up to the surface (these were also colder water bass this winter, so warm water bass may be more likely to chase the lure on the ascent). From what I noticed, the bass tend to prefer the natural colors, but I'm sure a firetiger or similar would work well in darker water.  Also, these versions both rattle, so they can be effective when the water isn't as clear.  

[Sam]

Your color is fine.

 

#5's for regular bass; #7's for all bass.

 

Larger sizes for larger fish.

 

Throw all year. Great baits for lakes and rivers.

[HookRz]

Great classic lure. Mostly a cold water pre-spawn search bait in 6 to 8 feet of water for me. Once I find them I finesse them, then continue Shad Rappin' the mouths of spawning bays till I find the next group. 

 

BTW, I'm fishing northern natural lakes. 

[snake95]

1 hour ago, HookRz said:

Mostly a cold water pre-spawn search bait in 6 to 8 feet of water for me. Once I find them I finesse them, then continue Shad Rappin' the mouths of spawning bays till I find the next group.

@HookRz since you are in northern natural lakes, what sizes and general types of colors do you prefer?  

[JoePhish]

#5 in Brown Crawdad is one of my favorite pre-spawn lures especially around rip rap/rocks. I throw it on spinning gear using 8lb FC but I still feel it's too light to cast as far as I'd like so I add a swivel. That also helps with line twist.

[Raul]

13 hours ago, snake95 said:

 

Not for: weedy conditions, very shallow ponds or bays, too small and quiet for turbid to muddy conditions.

Hmmm, the beauty of the Shad Rap is ..... that there’s not only one type of Shad Rap, so ...... SCRATCH THAT and change it for: you’ll find a Shad Rap type that will work for almost any condition.

 

Btw, I got some news for you fellas, Shad Raps catch 14+lbers. 

 

[snake95]

Just now, Raul said:

not only one type of Shad Rap, so ...... SCRATCH THAT and change it for: you’ll find a Shad Rap type that will work for almost any condition.

Fair enough.  

 

I have been using every other type except the original and now that I'm doing more and more fishing from a boat, that motivated my questions focused on the original shad rap (as indicated in the title).

 

In fact, I started with the shallow shad rap for fishing shallow, weedy ponds and ticking just over the top of cover.

 

They jointed diver has caught me trout in fast moving water.

 

I've even added the suspending to my collection.

 

So, this brings me back to asking about the original.

[smalljaw67]

I fish the #5 and a #7 a lot in early spring, the first crank I use. I use them the same way HookRZ does, and I discovered years ago that they will sometimes out fish suspending jerkbaits. The last couple of seasons I've been using the #5 Bagley Balsa Shad, a hair longer than the #5 Shad Rap but same profile and diving depth but they weigh 3/8oz so I can use a casting rod with it, my finesse cranking rod to be exact. They are awesome fish catchers, I was actually shocked because no other shad style crank was as good as the Shad Rap in cold/cool water but the Balsa Shad is right there. I can't really say I prefer 1 over the other, the Balsa Shad I like as I can throw it on casting gear and they have a color called purple shad that is lights out on the waters I fish. I like the Shad Raps when the water temp is lower than 45 degrees, at that temp I'm still throwing hair jigs and tubes and I only have 1 casting rod with me, a jerkbait rod, the #5 Shad Rap is the only crank I throw with a spinning set up so I don't have to bring another rod for them. If the fish aren't on the bottom I'll throw the jerkbait and if they aren't hitting that I'll go to the Shad Rap, regular Crawdad if I'm in water less than 6' deep and Silver in the 6' to 8' range. BTW, Silver and Crawdad are probably the best producers followed by the shad pattern but even that doesn't come close to the other 2.

[snake95]

5 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

regular Crawdad if I'm in water less than 6' deep and Silver in the 6' to 8' range. BTW, Silver and Crawdad are probably the best producers followed by the shad pattern but even that doesn't come close to the other 2.

Thanks, excellent info as always, @smalljaw67

Very interested to hear you are using the little 05's and your experience with color.  I have not fished many crawdad colored baits and intend to throw them more in 2018.

[burrows]

I use a shad rap all year long. #7 one of my favorite baits.

[HookRz]

15 hours ago, snake95 said:

@HookRz since you are in northern natural lakes, what sizes and general types of colors do you prefer?  

 

15 hours ago, snake95 said:

@HookRz since you are in northern natural lakes, what sizes and general types of colors do you prefer?  

Origional balsa 7's, an occasional 5. The color is nothing fancy the old basic silver and black. "Old Faithful" has one eye scraped off but I doubt it matters. Lol. Once I get them down I sort of twitch them along more than crank them. Nothing fancy. 

[TnRiver46]

They work great until you hit a boat dock or rip rap with them in mid air. Then you're out $6.99

[jtharris3]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

They work great until you hit a boat dock or rip rap with them in mid air. Then you're out $6.99

 

Don't do that! 

[Bluebasser86]

I use the #5 in natural bluegill a lot. 6' 8" M spinning rod with 8lb mono. 

[snake95]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I use the #5 in natural bluegill a lot. 6' 8" M spinning rod with 8lb mono.

@Bluebasser86 I appreciate the info.  Hadn't used that color, but I picked up a few 5's and 7's in natural bluegill this winter, thinking of using them in fairly clear water; imagine I will fish them over hard-bottom points in reservoirs here in the southeast.

[Bluebasser86]

11 minutes ago, snake95 said:

@Bluebasser86 I appreciate the info.  Hadn't used that color, but I picked up a few 5's and 7's in natural bluegill this winter, thinking of using them in fairly clear water; imagine I will fish them over hard-bottom points in reservoirs here in the southeast.

I put suspend dots on mine, enough to make it a very slow floater, along with upgrading the hooks to a #6. I crawl it through rocks and around wood, sometimes fishing it by pulling the rod and reeling up the slack and then letting it sit and slowly float up. It's a great presentation in cold water.