Heavier alternative to a Shad Rap?

[07Rapala]

I love Shad Raps for cooler water early and late in the season and also for fishing rivers with deeper water. However, they are light and hard to cast much distance.

What are some good alternatives to a Shad Rap with a similar, subtle action and narrow wobble?

I picked up a Flicker Shad last week, but realized when I got it out of the package that it has some balls in there to make it rattle. I'm thinking of drilling a small hole in and inserting some super glue to silence it. 🤷‍♂️

[DaubsNU1]

What rod-reel combo are you using?

 

I switched all my spinning rods to 10lb braid to either 8 or 10lb fluoro leaders. Throw my cranks with these set ups...cast like a dream!

[07Rapala]

1 minute ago, DaubsNU1 said:

What rod-reel combo are you using?

A couple rods I use I have a 7'3" medium-light, extra fast and a 7'6" medium power, medium-fast action both with 2500 reels and 8-10lbs braid to floro leader.

I feel like it's the light weight of the lure and the wind resistance that's the main challenge. Sometimes you can plan to cast with the wind at your back, but not always.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Its a real PITA, but loading them works. I used to load them with lead to get them to suspend.  If you just want to add weight to help with distance, it's not as tedious.  Stil a good idea to tank test them so you don't add too much weight and make them a sinking SR. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by GetFishorDieTryin
mistake

[07Rapala]

16 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Its a real PITA, but loading the, I used to load them with lead to get them to suspend. 

Seems like some typo or auto correct there. Loading the what? Are you talking about heavier split rings or weighted hooks?

 

I started another thread to talk about rod set-up. What I'm asking here is what other lures are similar to Shad Raps in performance, but easier to cast? Surely there must be some more "modern" lure that does the same job?

[LrgmouthShad]

I do not recommend replacing the shad rap. Throw on spinning rod and light line if you are not already

[galyonj]

2 hours ago, 07Rapala said:

Seems like some typo or auto correct there. Loading the what? Are you talking about heavier split rings or weighted hooks?

 

I think @GetFishorDieTryin is talking generally about increasing the weight of the lure. Different hardware can absolutely accomplish that that, but you can also use suspend dots or strips to tune the lure.

[garroyo130]

23 hours ago, 07Rapala said:

However, they are light and hard to cast much distance.

 

What size raps are you throwing and how far out are you getting them?

[Bankc]

A bigger Shad Rap perhaps?  You can't really alter the weight of the Shad Rap without altering the characteristics that make it so deadly.  That's why they're still so popular after all of these years, despite the fact that everyone hates how light they are.  

But, there are some alternatives worth exploring.  The Rapala Fat Rap is a bit heavier and usually does well when the Shad Rap does (cold water, slow bite).  Same with a lot of flat sided cranks, like the Berkley Frittside.  They're both a bit more aggressive in wobble than a Shad Rap, but much less so than most of your traditional crankbaits.  Or you could try weighting the ones you have.  I've never tried it with a Shad Rap, but I'm sure others have.  

[rangerjockey]

Black Label balsa has a version that has a weight added. I believe its 3/8. Great paint and hardware. 

[webertime]

LC Bevy Shad

Megabass Flat Slap

Osp High cut

 

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

9 hours ago, 07Rapala said:

Seems like some typo or auto correct there. Loading the what? Are you talking about heavier split rings or weighted hooks?

 

I started another thread to talk about rod set-up. What I'm asking here is what other lures are similar to Shad Raps in performance, but easier to cast? Surely there must be some more "modern" lure that does the same job?

Sorry about the typo.. loading a plug or crank is when you drill a hole in it and fill it with a liquid or lead.  Really I started loading the shallow shad raps so they would suspend on the pause, which turned out an outstanding way to catch fish here during the coldest part of the winter.  A side effect of that is that it helps casting distance.  Shad raps are hi floating and very buoyant, it takes far more then upsizing hooks or split rings to effect the rate of rise.  You can cover the entire belly of the bait in suspend strips and all it will do is ruin the action because the weight is spread over the entire bait and it doesn't help casting because the bait wants to tumble.  ME its best to have the weight just behind the lip, that way it retains action.  Frittsides and flicker shads are similar, but they still have the same drawbacks as theyre light, flat sided baits that have lots of surface area relative to weight.  Flap slaps could be what youre looking for.  Ive only got limited experience with them, but they wor really well.  Im just hesitant to load one as MB baits are generally precisely weighted and I dont want to ruin a 20$ bait.

 

[ElGuapo928]

I really like the Yozuri 3DB as an alternative to the Shad Rap - especially when the wind isn’t working with me. The action is pretty similar, and not a bad price point either. The “real gizzard” color is a killer!

[rgasr63]

I had the same problems with the shad rap so much so that I put them down. I have been using the KVD pro model 1.5 deep crank when I was able to fish in the boat. What to you guys think?

[FishTank]

Duo Realis Shad 63MR or 57MR. They cast much better than the Shad Rap. They have a magnetic weight to help them suspend. I fish them somewhere between a crank bait and jerk bait. 

[RHuff]

I prefer the Berkley Frittside as my first choice with the Shad Rap coming in second.. 

[Bluebasser86]

I use the shad raps a lot, but opt to fish them on spinning gear instead of casting. The #5 is my go to on 8lb mono. The Flicker Shad Shallow is another favorite as well as the Duo Shad 63MR. 

[07Rapala]

Thanks for all the input guys.

Yesterday was a case in-point. I don't think the fish were in a mood for a shad rap, but even if they were I was having a hard time getting it to them. It was fine when I was casting with the wind behind me but cross-wind casts didn't get very far (medium-light, extra-fast rod spinning rod).

I bought a flicker shad and tried to silence it by drilling into it and super-gluing the beads together... ended up with a bunch of water in it. It cast great! But sunk pretty fast.

Fish are really slowing down up here so crbnkbait season, even for shad raps, is probably over. But I'll spend some time this winter playing with a few and seeing if I can add even a little weight.

You guys proposed a lot of good-locking options... even if some are a little pricy!

[Bass Rutten]

On 11/7/2023 at 11:01 PM, FishTank said:

Duo Realis Shad 63MR or 57MR. They cast much better than the Shad Rap. They have a magnetic weight to help them suspend. I fish them somewhere between a crank bait and jerk bait. 

Do the Duo's have rattles or silent? 

[FishTank]

3 minutes ago, Bass Rutten said:

Do the Duo's have rattles or silent? 

Yes but its subtle. If I remember,  there are three weights inside.  I have a couple more coming.  One has a transparent body. I can post a picture when they arrive.

[WRB]

Try casting a Thinfin, excellent lure that far more difficult to cast then a Shadrap😎

Tom

[FishTank]

On 11/13/2023 at 1:41 PM, Bass Rutten said:

Do the Duo's have rattles or silent? 

 

So it may be hard to see. This bait was not as transparent as I thought.  It does have a couple of balls that rattle.  The one in the head is the loudest. Also, another interesting thing, I noticed it has something inside that vibrates when you hit the bill. This would be cool when banging it around cover but based on the design,  I'm not sure it would be a good idea.