Ive enjoyed the other topics in here and I got to thinking(I know thats trouble), lets talk about rattle traps, LV500's and so on. Colors preffered(and where) time of year, and how to fish them.
I dont know where I went wrong with rattle baits. I used to fish em alot on the Delta and Cleear Lake. Seems like the last few years I have given them little time as I struggled to get bit on them like I had in the past. I know fall is a great time for them, so what can you tell me to get me back to catching fish with them again. I fish more lakes this time of year then the Delta.Ill be heading to Berryessa for the next few months.
Oh and just an FYI i have way to many rattle baits.
One of my first artificial baits was the Heddon Sonic, definitely one of the earliest lipless baits..You couldn't call it a rattlebait, it had no rattles..I used it for six or so years until I finally lost it in a submerged tree..Unfortunately I never caught a single fish on it..Now Rattle Traps, Cordell Spots and Lucky Craft LV's are a totally different story..I know most used these baits working them across the tops of grass beds, but I have had most of my success in more open water..I haven't caught a single fish with them on the Delta, but have had success on Clearlake..
mac
Take a kid fishing, and don't forget about us older kids either..
We are always looking for new and improved ways to catch more bass, and often the answer is right before our very eyes. Heck we are bass anglers, always having to try the latest “Hot Bait” , we simply overlook it. Chances are it you have a half dozen or so right in the boat. What is it? A Rat-L-Trap. That's right, the one there in the little clear box it’s simple, loud, baitfish imitating lure we all have in our arsenal that we've been using for years, a Rat-L-Trap.
Rat-L-Traps come in a variety of sizes, colors and styles. Some sparkle, some have spinners on them, some have a plastic bill on them for diving deeper, some float and others will suspend. There are so many, it's sometimes hard to figure out which one to use. If you find yourself in this situation, like I so often do, go back to the basics. The ½ ounce chrome with a blue back, chrome with a black back or a gold with a black back are my standard baits. On cloudy days, early morning or late evening, I use the gold color. When the sun is bright, you can't go wrong with the chrome.
Before you choose a lure, look at the bait we are imitating a bit closer. Bass Eat Shad! It’s obvious that all and baitfish in there diet are shaped basically alike. So look for a lure that has a flat body and has the overall outline of the baitfish.
Now we will discuss how the natural prey of the black bass moves through the water. These small fish have quick movements. Their “wiggle” is very tight. The tightness of this wiggle increases when they speed-up to avoid a being a snack. And they commonly travel in schools to avoid demise. When Bass or Stripers, attack a schools, like any other predator zero in on a single target
Now put these pieces to the puzzle together that a solid choice is always a flat-bodied bait. It should have a tight vibration when retrieved. The lure should be shaped like a baitfish and the lure also has to come in enough size and color variations to make it applicable under all possible conditions. Does such a lure exist? This lure still stands alone as the highest producing bass lure there is.Rat-L-Trap
Fishing The Trap
The Rat-L-Trap is a bait that can be used in a variety of ways. The most common way to use the bait is what I call the basic cranking method. Long casts reel it back relatively fast hoping to trigger a strike from a feeding fish or generate a reactionary strike from a passive fish. If that doesn't work, you can try slowing it down a bit allowing the bait to work a little deeper. Often this subtle little difference will result in more strikes.
Remember though one of the most unique features of this lure, and one that makes it extremely versatile is its ability to fall through the water. As I retrieve a “Rat-L-Trap”, I am constantly feeling for the lure to hit a structure, like a log or stump. When this happens, I immediately pause the retrieve for several seconds. This lets the lure fall through towards the bottom. Many of my strikes come as the lure is falling.
One of my favorite ways to use the bait is probably the most underused presentation of all, a yo-yo retrieve. I use this approach when fishing the bait off of main lake and secondary points and around the deep weed edges of main Delta channels when the fish are not real active.
Cast the bait out and let it fall to the bottom. Once on the bottom, quickly pull it up a foot or two and stop allowing the bait the flutter back down imitating a wounded or dying baitfish. The presentation of an easy meal may very well cause a non-feeding fish to go ahead a eat your bait simply because its there and its easy. The result, you catch a more fish.
Presentation techniques for this lure are as endless as your creativity allows them to be. The rattles inside a “Rat-L-Trap” make noise with the slightest of movements. This bait can be retrieved slowly for a cold water or early season presentation. It can also be retrieved in rapid, jerking motion to effectively imitate an injured shad.
Don’t be misled into believing that this crankbait cannot be fished in heavy cover. The design of the “Rat-L-Trap” actually prevents many hang-ups. Because it’s lipless, the contoured front of the lure slides over limbs and logs much more easily that those lures with plastic lips. The favorite hiding place for shad and the favorite ambush spot for bass should never be overlooked or under fished. Pitch the “Rat-L-Trap” right in there and be prepared for some crazy results.
In Areas throughout the Delta you can fish these baits around grass, you need to be using a high speed reel with a gear ratio of 6:1 or better on a medium action rod. This will allow you to literally rip the bait through the grass triggering strikes. If the fish are aggressive, they will usually hit the bait just as you pull it loose from a snag in the grass. If the fish are not real aggressive, you may need to scale down to a ¼ ounce Rat-L-Trap in order to slow the bait down enough to get bit; yet keep it from staying hung up in the grass due to the slower retrieve needed to generate strikes. This is where having a variety of colors and sizes of baits come in handy.
As a tournament angler, keeping a fish on after hooking it can mean the difference between making a paycheck and not making one. That's why I always replace the hooks on my Rat-L-Traps when fishing a tournament. The hooks that come on the bait are okay for pleasure fishing or pre-fishing a tournament, but when it really counts, I want a good sharp hook that increases my chances of landing the fish.
The next time you're at the lake or your favorite body of water and you can't figure out what lure to use to catch Bass , remember the answer may have been sitting there all along. Everyone needs a new Rat-L-Trap in their box, Simply, the Rat-L-Trap Catches Fish!
Okay, Now Vibrating baits have come a long way since the Sonic and The Rat-L-Trap. LV series from Lucky Craft produces very tight distinct rattle with a bit different shape than my ole favorite yet certainly has got a hold on delta anglers, Especially in early spring and fall. Others, Like One Knockers and more single thumping rattles I personally prefer in Colder slower retreives..
Enjoy!
Good bait to talk about – I have one tied on 60% of the time through out the year. I use the Lipless (rattle trap) mostly when fishing the grass and that mean the Delta or Clear Lake. The method I like is pulling it through the grass. When it hangs up is when I reel back the pole and pull really hard to get it lose and that is when I get hit. I use a Shimano Carbomax 6’6”, Medium Heavy Fast Action. Not a very expensive rod since this is not a feeling technique, I pick it up at WalMart for about $40. I have an Abu Garcia 7 to 1 reel load with 65 pound Power Pro braid.
I use three colors, Crawdad Red, Blue Chrome, and Shad Color I juiced up with chartreuse on the side and blue/purple on top. Again I don’t use expensive ones because I do lose them. I mainly use Rat-L-Trap and change the hooks to bigger ones.
Other technique I use with Lipless is to let it drop (flutter down) like a dead shad in open water.
Dan, a lot of great information about the Rat L Traps. I agree with you.
I use the "stop n go/yo yo" method to retrieve my traps. I do not use the stock hardware -- upgrade my hooks to Owner 4x or VMC 4x and change to heavier split rings and oval split ring on top. Before I changed out the hardware, we use to lose a lot of the larger fish to hardware failure. Since I made the change, we have never lost a fish to a hook getting straightened or a split ring failing.
In the Delta, for most of the year, I have 2 rods with Rat L Traps, a 1/2 and a 3/4 oz. The color that I use all year around is Diamond Dust. During the winter time, I add a third rod with a 3/4 oz chrome Rat L Trap (blue back/orange belly) since I tend to spend most of the winter cranking for stripers and salmon (when we could catch them). I use 65 lb braid on these rods because you never know what you can catch. My rod of choice for my 1/2 oz lure is a XCF665 Lamiglas. For my 3/4 oz lures, I have a XCF705 Lamiglas and a Powell 735 rod. On all three rods, I use Quantum Energy PT770 reels.
Using this lure and just those two colors, I have caught my personal best for striper (27 lbs), salmon (27 lbs), and black bass (9.6 lbs).
Last edited by NaCl on Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks Burke!Great info on hardware changes as well, A MUST for all vibrating baits! it doesn't matter whos you choose 4x hooks and split rings are a ghange you will not regret!
I use 7' and 7 6 Temple Fork (TFG FWC 765 and 766) with Vicious Elite Flouro or braid. Powell also has a great rod for this that Dave Rush had showed me I have to have but its on my wish list. Maybe one of his staffers can tell what rod it is...Saving Up Keith!
Really comes down to personal preference as to which rod one prefers. I love my Powell 703 glass for most application. The only time I dont is for ripping the bait out of grass, then I want graphite 733 or 734. I just have not been throwint the baits enough in the past 18 months.
A great lipless crank that i love to throw is cheap to buy is the Cotton Cordells..I love these for the fact that they're quite light once they're in the water..i prefer to let them sink for a little while before running them back to the boat..
on the expensive end i prefer the SPRO over the LCs..i have caught my fair share of nice spots throwing these..
the times kinda slowed down for these..but it depends on the lake..e.i. Eastman lake does great with these..especially around this time when the bass are really starting to feed on the shad..throw to the boil..yo yo it..and get ready!!..summer is also great..
on the other hand Pine Flat..even though the feeding of the shad are heavy right now..they wont bite for some reason..idk..same with Hensley..i do great with these during the summer especially at sunset..right when the water starts to cool down..but right now..nothing?
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