Rapala Minnow Rap help needed (no longer)

[jaystraw]

I bought the Minnow Rap in silver with the deep diving lip a while ago thinking it would help me catch some of the deeper bass during the summer heat.

Well, all I've caught are weeds so far.

I try to use it when it's at least 10 feet deep, but I'm not sure that's even enough. It sure seems like it's diving very deep, but I'm not sure how much.

Anyone had much success with these? Anyone know how deep it will dive at a normal slow trolling speed?

Thanks for any help!

If you go to the last post, this thread has a somewhat happy resolution for me  

[Hinkle2891]

holy crap! do i ever have some advice for you! that is the first lure that i ever used for bass fishing and i used it for years afterwards. usually, you want to use them around rocks and wooded cover. bounce the lip off of the cover. try to avoid weed beds, but if you happen to cast into one, play it off. if you feel the weight of the weed, stop reeling. the lure will float to the top, and usually a bass will come out of the cover and attack. but i usually keep a minnow much like that on one pole, and a senko on the other, becasue i fish deep holes and wooded cover. if you have anymore questions, please pm me!

[T-rig]

holy crap! do i ever have some advice for you! that is the first lure that i ever used for bass fishing and i used it for years afterwards. usually, you want to use them around rocks and wooded cover. bounce the lip off of the cover. try to avoid weed beds, but if you happen to cast into one, play it off. if you feel the weight of the weed, stop reeling. the lure will float to the top, and usually a bass will come out of the cover and attack. but i usually keep a minnow much like that on one pole, and a senko on the other, becasue i fish deep holes and wooded cover. if you have anymore questions, please pm me!

How can you have used the Rapala Minnow Rap for years if it only came out about a year ago?

[jaystraw]

I was kinda wondering that same thing!

Hinkle...are you talking about the regualr rapala F9?  It also has a lip, but it's smaller and lighter that the Minnow Rap and does not dive as deep.  It's my favoirte lure!

The minnow rap though, looks awesome but does not catch fish for me yet.

[jwo1124]

Hinkle probably means the Shad Rap.

The Cabela's site says it dives 5-11 feet.

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0042615121703a&navCount=4&podId=0042615&parentId=cat20388&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat20388&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20388&hasJS=true

The fact that you are getting weeds even in deeper water could be that the weeds are growing 4' up out of the ground. I think hydrilla does this. So if you are fishing in 10' of water and the lure dives on average 8' (5+11= 16/2=8) then this explains why you may still be getting weeks.

I have four of these in my plano box, 2 bright and 2 natural colors. I have yet to catch something on them. I did have luck the other day using a shad rap though getting a small bass and a big perch.

I found that the shape of these minnow raps makes it hard to cast them as they have a tendency to spin and flip in the air kind of like a bad football pass. Anyone else have a problem casting these?

[jaystraw]

I think you are correct about getting the weeds that have grown a bunch. I'm just going to have to use it in deep water with a clear bottom.

I have the same issues with casting them. Overall it has not caused a problem...yet.

You sure can cast them quite a distance due to their weight. They are so heavy it always feels like there is a fish on the line.

[Skunked in DR]

I've had good luck with bleeding pearl and fire tiger but only for walleye and pike.  Can't buy a bass bite on them and I know they're there as others are getting bass on shad raps and other minnow baits.

[MALTESE FALCON]

After so many years of success with the Shad Raps and The original Rapala minnow, I couldn't wait to try the new Minnow Rap. I have a perch and bleeding olive flash which have produced nothing. I will continue to try them, but it's getting boring especially with the same casting problems as jwo 1124.

Falcon

[Cephkiller]

I have some cranks with the same "tumbling" problem on the cast.  Sometimes if you allow a little extra time for the rod to load on the back cast, it will allow the internal weights to shift fully to the bait's tail and will solve the problem.  I don't have any Minnow Raps so it may not work on them, but it's certainly worth a try.  Good luck.

[jaystraw]

sounds like nobody is having luck with the minnow rap.

I just bought a new XRap in sliver today, and I hope I have better luck!

[.dsaavedra.]

Minnow Rap in bleeding pearl caught me this bass:

X-rap in silver caught me these bass:

anyway, the minnow rap bass was caught just cranking it in in a farm pond. no problem w/ weeds or snags cuz its a plain bottom, dug out, farm pond. anyway, that was the only time i fished it, so that was the only fish i caught on it. biggest of the day though   if youre getting troubles w/ weeds, two simple solutions MOST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION move spots, go somewhere with out weeds. OTHER SOLUTION reel slower, i was reeling this thing very slow because if it went to the bottom the lip would dig into the dead tree leaves on the bottom and cause problems. the slower you reel the more shallow it dives.

yea they tumble on the cast but so do most cranks.

w/ the xrap, i like to cast it, let it sit, maybe crank it down to depth, then give it small series of hard freaking jerks. then wait...up to 10seconds. then twitch it forward...wait a few seconds...then jerk it some more. kind of make it random.

[bass109]

nice fish  8-)

[.dsaavedra.]

whythankyou

[Hinkle2891]

right.. the shad rap... thats what i meant. you should buy one of those in silver. try it out.

[islandbass]

After so many years of success with the Shad Raps and The original Rapala minnow, I couldn't wait to try the new Minnow Rap. I have a perch and bleeding olive flash which have produced nothing. I will continue to try them, but it's getting boring especially with the same casting problems as jwo 1124.

Falcon

My findings are the same as yours. I was disappointed with this lure's castibility. When compared to the Xrap or the DT series, it is sorely lacking. I've only fished with it one time and put it away because it was windy.

This is coming from a huge rapala fan. I am glad I bought them when they were on sale.

This new bait is a combination of the Shad Rap and the Floating Minnow if I am not mistaken.

[Solo]

In-Fisherman ran a review on the bait. They said it casts best with a spinning rod and is one of the best WALLEYE baits they have ever used. I have one in perch but haven't caught anything yet. It IS light, has no internal weights, and like a lot of minnow baits, tends to tumble. Long slower casts work best for me.  

[T-rig]

The Megabass Live-X Leviathan is a very similar bait and casts like bullet. Off course it also has it's price! You pay for what you get.

[jaystraw]

this lure went flying off my rod yesterday and off into the lake with the wind due to a bad knot. We seached for it because it floats, but to no avail.

good riddance to bad rubbish is what I say! I'm glad it was a lure I hated.