DT Rapala's 2024

jenga reply :

Just bought some DT's and as I was paying for them a man asked me if I have ever used them before. I said no. He proceeded to tell me that the plastic lip pops off when they run into something. He told me to take some super glue and put another layer where the plastic lip meets the body. Has anyone had that happen and is that a good idea.

Thanks,

Jenga

Davis reply :

I've heard the exact opposite. Heard that the bills are pretty strong and can take a beating.

rondef reply :

I have used them and it has never happened to me.

jenga reply :

sounds like the guy got some bunk DT's.

thanks,

Jenga

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

I HAD IT HAPPEN TWICE ON THE REGULAR DT NOT THE FLAT.One was a 10 and the other a 6,and luckily it was from pulling on a snag and not a fish LOL.

From what I heard from a few people it used to happen a lot when that series first came out and it seems Rapala has improved the problem.If any fall out I would think they were some old ones that were sitting around for a while.Few drops of super glue before use no problem.

MarVaBC reply :

I broke off a lip on a DT10 last year.....but I was smacking the water to get the weeds off of it....so it was my own fault. Never had that happen before though. DTs are good baits....I would highly recommend.

.dsaavedra. reply :

DTs are my favorite crankbait. i caught the fish in my avatar on a DT-4 sure-set. very durable and very nice action. i have used all the styles of the DT (regular, flat, fat, sureset) and never had a lip break off. from what ive read though, the lips only broke off on the older ones, and the deeper they dove the more easily they broke (because of the longer, more fragile bill). but they have fixed that problem since and the newer models of DT are very duarble. well reccomended.

good luck with your new crankbaits!

ba7ss3in reply :

have a 16 & 14 have not had any problems

guest reply :

I use them a lot, and whoever said when they first came out this was an issue, is correct. My first few had chips on the lips, because I bang them into large submerged rocks. The DT's I ave bought since then, no problems. What puzzles me is, that I still have one of the first batchs, and there is no visible difference in the bills.

.dsaavedra. reply :

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What puzzles me is, that I still have one of the first batchs, and there is no visible difference in the bills.

maybe a different chemical composition in the plastic?

Sam reply :

Dave, shouldn't you be in school learing how to read and write instead of being on-line with us guys at work who are goofing off with our computers?

Davis reply :

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Dave, shouldn't you be in school learing how to read and write instead of being on-line with us guys at work who are goofing off with our computers?

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

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What puzzles me is, that I still have one of the first batchs, and there is no visible difference in the bills.

maybe a different chemical composition in the plastic?

OR A BETTER TYPE OF GLUE AND/OR MORE THOROUGH GLUE JOB.

Jimzee reply :

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Dave, shouldn't you be in school learing how to read and write instead of being on-line with us guys at work who are goofing off with our computers?

BUSTED!!!

.dsaavedra. reply :

lol guys. i was feelin real bad with a fever yesterday and i came home and slept for like 5hrs so i was up all night cuz i couldnt fall back asleep. so my mom let me stay home today.

FishTank reply :

I have a box full of Rapala DT's and I have never had one break on me. Which ones did you buy? Maybe the problem is specific to a particular one.

If it were me, I would ignore what the guy said and just fish them as is.

Stringjam reply :

Putting superglue on the OUTSIDE of the lip area to keep it from coming out??!! There is absolutely no way that is going to happen - - if that little layer is superglue is going to keep a lip that is improperly epoxied into the lip joint from coming out - - I'll eat my shorts, and I'll fish naked next Saturday - standing on my head!

I know all about lips popping out, though - - I fished Made in Mexico Poe's for several years - you were lucky to make it through 2 or 3 hard days. ;D

Brad_Coovert reply :

I've never had a lip break on a DT.

I have one of the first DT4s ever made, in the original black/silver foil without any red markings.

That bait is something special. For some reason, it outfishes every other DT I own added together. It's one of those special baits you only use a tournaments. It is so beat up, it is missing an eye and the clear coat is so scuffed up you can barely see the finish underneath. The lip is well worn, but still intact.

It's been fished hard in shallow wood for years, has had several new sets of hooks, but it still flat catches fish like crazy.

If someone took it, they'd be a dead man in short order. >

If I only had a few more like it, as I know, one day it will finally just fall apart. I'll probably open the crankbait box and find it in pieces in its compartment. Yes, it has its own little compartment, away from all the other less catching baits.

Brad

farmpond1 reply :

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Putting superglue on the OUTSIDE of the lip area to keep it from coming out??!! There is absolutely no way that is going to happen - - if that little layer is superglue is going to keep a lip that is improperly epoxied into the lip joint from coming out - - I'll eat my shorts, and I'll fish naked next Saturday - standing on my head.;D

This is exactly what I was thinking. Though I won't vow to fish naked or standing on my head. If the lip is loose and you put some in between and press the two pieces together, it could help but putting it on the surface?...Wouldn't help.

KevO reply :

These are one of my favorite cranks, I have banged them off rocks, trees, whatever and I have never seen that happen.

maxke01 reply :

I saw the beginning of this thread and almost cried. I just placed an order for 10 of these in diff colors and sizes. Look to be a good crank, we shall see though

.dsaavedra. reply :

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I saw the beginning of this thread and almost cried. I just placed an order for 10 of these in diff colors and sizes. Look to be a good crank, we shall see though

;DLOL!!! ;D

dont worry, they are excellent cranks

maxke01 reply :

I have never used cranks but i bought so many of the past few weeks i had BETTER learn

crankybaits reply :

the only time i've broken any of the lips was when i smaked them against bluff walls and really hard on the surface of the water.

tfisherman reply :

Great baits!! Pair them up with a American Rodsmith fiberglass "Fritts" crank'n rod and you can't go wrong

flippin reply :

i highly recomend the DT i beat them off rocks all the time and nnever had one break they can take abuse

crankybaits reply :

in addition to just the DT, i also recommend replacing the normal hooks with sureset Hooks. I know many of the people on this board don't like them, but I have found that my hooksets have increased since switching. In addition the suresets work really great on the xraps.

guest reply :

Hey Cranky: Those sure sets are great, but I can't stand em. I am clumsy by nature if you have say 2 rigs with them in the boat they grab: Rugs,seats,ropes,bumpers,sets,depth finder and oh the poor guy sittin in the back seat

So I stay with the stock hooks, they have been working just fine for me

guitarkid reply :

fishing upside down and naked? i do not even want to try and picture that.

GROSS.GROSS.GROSS.

Micro reply :

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in addition to just the DT, i also recommend replacing the normal hooks with sureset Hooks. I know many of the people on this board don't like them, but I have found that my hooksets have increased since switching. In addition the suresets work really great on the xraps.

I keep a selection of cranks with suresets on them.

This fall I found that the colder the water got the more I was hooking fish in the face and gills (or pectoral fin). I have no idea why that was but some old guy came up to me on the water and said that the fish lazily slap their heads at the bait instead of agressively trying to suck it down. He literally handed me a few suresets right there on the river and and I put them on some some Bombers. Problem solved. Every fish I got after than was mouth hooked. I have no idea what's going on when they strike, but they did help me get cleaner hookups.

ctbassmaster2008 reply :

loose lips = >

Willzx225 reply :

I started fishing the DT6's in late summer/ early fall last year and absolutely love them. They are great baits and have only had problems with one and that was because I hit the head of the trolling motor on my cast and cracked the bill but I have Super glued the bill and to this day I am still catching fish on it.

Joel W reply :

I've been fishing Rapala DT crankbaits from 4's through 16's and have never, ever, had a bill break off due hitting any cover. I've broken my fair share of them by wacking them on the surface of the water to get the weeds off. Very quickly I figured out that it's a lot cheaper to spend 30 seconds manually removing the weeds, then replacing a broken crank, as it takes longer, and it just cost me more money to replace it. I've also never had to fine tune one. They just seem to run true right out of the box.

.dsaavedra. reply :

i never could understand why people whack the water to get weeds off.....it damages lures AND scares fish.

Joel W reply :

As I posted, I was once guilty of that dirty deed. It was based on laziness and just being frustrated from being snagged in the weeds cast after cast.

MarVaBC reply :

There is an art to it....its not just bashing the bait on the water. Takes practice to do it right

Also, only some instances will work, i.e. this won't work if there is 5lb of salad on your bait.

Def. guilty of doing that....I stated earlier that I broke a DT last year doing it. However, its the only bait I've ever broke weed removing in this fashion. For me, its just more efficient than picking it off. I don't think it scares fish either.

Stringjam reply :

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There is an art to it....its not just bashing the bait on the water. Takes practice to do it right

Very true - - you can smack the moss off of the most fragile balsa baits if you learn how to do it right. The art of slop smackin'.

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