King of Lipless Crankbaits

[Bankbeater]

1/2 ounce Cordell Super Spot in chrome / blue back or a 1/2 ounce Cordell Super Spot in copper craw. 

[MAN]

I'm still in the Rattle Trap camp.

Chrome/Blue 

Chrome/Black

Red Craw  

 

[thediscochef]

For me it is the red eye shad

 

Honorable mention to the nomad swimtrex 88 3/4oz

[JayMac89]

Red eye shad in 3/8 oz sexy shad color. Iv tried other colors but i just have a ton of confidence in that one color. If i find fish they'll bite that lipless. 

 

Two falls ago i couldn't not catch them on a RES. It actually almost got a tiny bit boring. 

[crypt]

original Rattletrap ......gold.....electric red.....chrome.....any size. 

[WRB]

When I started using lipless there was Heddon Sonic, Smithwick Water Gator, both gone now. In the 70’s Cordell Spots and Bill Lewis Rattle Traps where the  “Traps” we used. Spots for vertical stroking and Traps for horizontal retrieving. Those 2 lipless were kings for 30 years,

Today looking at TW you have more choices then I can recall.

The old Spots and Traps have a lot of company! It still comes down to 2 types; Rip retrieve and sinking stroking.

Strike King Red Eye Shad is most popular making King. Lucky Craft LV500 and Yo-Zuri 3D Vibe are my choices.

Tom

[Justin Collier]

1/4 ounce red eye shad.
1/2 ounce super spot 
1/2 ounce rattle trap 

1/2 ounce red eye shad. 
that is what I throw. I like to throw the 1/4 ounce in winter time. As far as color I throw anything that matches the hatch. I have all kinds of colors. 

[Catt]

[Dan N]

I’ve got about 75, all different types. 
red eye shad is my go to, 1/2 oz.

last fall had a good afternoon on a 1/4 oz. Warpig also.

They were not all giants🤣

[DogBone_384]

Lucky Craft's LV200 & LV500. 

 

 

On 3/20/2024 at 7:56 PM, WRB said:

When I started using lipless there was Heddon Sonic,

 

Found a lot of 3 on the internet... cheap too.

[NorthernBasser]

Lots of good ones out there. This fella has become my favorite over the past few years. 13 Fishing Magic Man in Regurgitated Shad . Sadly, Rapala has bought them out and looks to be discontinuing their baits. 

 

[chubaka]

Redeye Shad 1/2oz anything red for Spring. Stop throwing them after that. 

[ReggieT]

5 hours ago, chubaka said:

Redeye Shad 1/2oz anything red for Spring. Stop throwing them after that. 

Glad you shared that, cause I've never tossed anything red/crawfish pattern, BUT I have been thinking about it after reading so many great reviews!

[Munkin]

On 3/20/2024 at 7:56 PM, WRB said:

It still comes down to 2 types; Rip retrieve and sinking stroking.

 

Tom

 

Wish I would have met you 30 years ago! I agree and it only took me a couple years to figure this out.

 

Rip retrieve start with a Rattle Trap and stroking a SK Red Eye Shad has worked best for me.

 

Allen 

[Columbia Craw]

Hardcore Drum. Not made anymore.

[ReggieT]

54 minutes ago, Columbia Craw said:

Hardcore Drum. Not made anymore.

Researching it NOW...looks great and there are some AWESOME Reviews on it!💪

Tell me about your experience with it??

[rgasr63]

I have tried out a good many of these baits over the years Cc Super Spot, Rattle Trap , Lv500, KVD Red Eye Shad, BPS and Academy H2O and Walmart's versions. All of them caught me fish but The Super Spot, Rattle Trap and the Red Eye Shad have been the best for me. If I was to pick just one it would be the Red Eye Shad. IMHO.

[Aaron_H]

I throw quite a few different lipless cranks for different purposes. Like others said, the main split is between horizontal retrieve and yo-yoing/stroking. After that it's for different sound profiles.

 

Booyah One Knocker gets a lot of time in the water since that single rattle gives you more of a "clicking" sound in the water and tends to work better for me in the fall when they are hammering shad schools. I tend to work this with a yo yo retrive.

 

Rat-L-Trap hasn't gotten much use lately, but it's undeniably the king for horizontal retreive and burning/ripping over grass. I'd love to try out the new Hammertrap here soon, we'll see. Rattlin' Rapala is another great one for horizontal retrieve that has a softer sound profile.

 

Red-Eyed Shad is designed for that stroking retrieve and the shimmy on the fall along with the extremely aggressive vibration on the lift really triggers some great bites. If I could only have one it would be a tough call between this and the Booyah One Knocker.

 

The Thunderhawk Sergeant gets a lot of play time for me, also. Great shimmy on the fall, slightly less aggressive vibration than the RES and sits perfectly nose down on the bottom like the TN does. It's a fantastic lipless that also comes in a silent version which I also throw quite a bit when the fish are more pressured or spooked by the loud rattles. Free-rotating hook hangers on it as well which is a feature I 100% believe should be on more lipless cranks.

 

Berkley Warpig is solid, runs super nose down and seems to come over snags a bit better than other lipless cranks I throw, and the sound profile is very deep and subdued for a multi-rattle bait, it's *almost* one knocker in how it sounds. Used to get a lot of cold-weather use from me but not so much these days with the Booyah primarily replacing it.

 

Been playing around with the H2OX 5/8oz RT "medium profile lipless" which has been doing pretty well. Great vibration and a very high pitched rattle. Throwing it shallow and yoyoing it through shad schools in warmer water has been effective.

[ReggieT]

Just picked this up off FB Market Place for $50 shipping included!

I Am Stoked!

Appreciate ALL the feedback!!

 

[Choporoz]

Lucky Craft, Rat-L-Trap, Rattlin Rap, and Vibe, primarily.   I can't get a sniff with Red Eyes and Warpigs

[wvhunt]

On 3/20/2024 at 7:56 PM, WRB said:

When I started using lipless there was Heddon Sonic, Smithwick Water Gator, both gone now. In the 70’s Cordell Spots and Bill Lewis Rattle Traps where the  “Traps” we used. Spots for vertical stroking and Traps for horizontal retrieving. Those 2 lipless were kings for 30 years,

Today looking at TW you have more choices then I can recall.

The old Spots and Traps have a lot of company! It still comes down to 2 types; Rip retrieve and sinking stroking.

Strike King Red Eye Shad is most popular making King. Lucky Craft LV500 and Yo-Zuri 3D Vibe are my choices.

Tom

I still have a number of the various size Sonics and still fish with them.  The yellow always worked well for me for some reason.

[bowhunter63]

Rattlin Rap 3/8 ounce bluegill color. Right now is the time 

[Munkin]

On 3/24/2024 at 12:08 AM, Columbia Craw said:

Hardcore Drum. Not made anymore.

 

Never caught a fish on one even though everyone raves about them.

 

Allen

[Jmilburn76]

The first pic shows a blade on the back instead of a treble,didn't know that was a thing. Has anyone had luck fishing one like that? 

[Dwight Hottle]

I have had two DD's on a rattle bait. One on the SK red eye shad 3/4oz in sexy shad color & my current PB on a SK red eye shad tungsten 2 tap 3/4oz in crome/blue back color. Guess what bait is the king of lipless crank baits in my opinion? I do change out the factory hardware.