Rat-L-Traps: Fact Or Fiction? 2025
TNBassin' reply :
For the life of me, I can't ever seem to catch anything on a Rat L Trap. I've heard so much good stuff about these lures, but I couldn't buy a bite on these things. I have a few 1/2oz traps, along with a tiny 1/8oz but they have yet to produce for me. What's the secret to fishing with these??
Bluebasser86 reply :
Not a fan of the original traps but they do catch fish. Get some SK Red eye shads or Xcaliber XR50's instead. Stick with natural shad colors for starters or the standby chrome/blue back. They're great for pulling fish off wind blown points and backs of pockets in the fall when the shad school up, but you don't have to have shad for them to work. I catch lots of fish on them out of ponds that don't have shad. Probably my favorite use for them is burning and ripping over submerged weeds. The rattles call them out of the weeds, the bait doesn't have a lip to bury in the weeds and can be ripped free easily, and the fish just crush them as the bait scoots by. Usually a pretty fast, straight retrieve is best for me but I've caught them all the way to almost fishing them like a fast jig retrieve, just popping them and letting them fall. Don't give up on them, you'll be giving up on a great fish catching bait if you do.
BenBassmaster reply :
Fish them with a high gear ratio reel too.
irnwrkr reply :
They are a great search bait. I like a stop and go retrieve most of the time.
riskkid 2 reply :
On 9/2/2012 at 2:04 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Not a fan of the original traps but they do catch fish. Get some SK Red eye shads or Xcaliber XR50's instead. Stick with natural shad colors for starters or the standby chrome/blue back. They're great for pulling fish off wind blown points and backs of pockets in the fall when the shad school up, but you don't have to have shad for them to work. I catch lots of fish on them out of ponds that don't have shad. Probably my favorite use for them is burning and ripping over submerged weeds. The rattles call them out of the weeds, the bait doesn't have a lip to bury in the weeds and can be ripped free easily, and the fish just crush them as the bait scoots by. Usually a pretty fast, straight retrieve is best for me but I've caught them all the way to almost fishing them like a fast jig retrieve, just popping them and letting them fall. Don't give up on them, you'll be giving up on a great fish catching bait if you do.
X2
38 Super Fan reply :
The yo-yo technique can really work well at times too.
West Coast Bass reply :
hoping to get one on my og rat-l-trap soon. its chrome black/red and it should produce fish soon. i just need to put in my time. the sound on these lipless are so unique. it must call them from the depths
Bassn Blvd reply :
I've caught more bass on original Rattle Traps (chrome/black or blue back 1/4-1/2 ounce) than any other hard bait, and that's ALOT. That was until the company went and changed their hook style a few years ago. I still buy R-traps but change out the hooks, which I think is BS. The new hooks are the blame for TONS of misses, the hooks flat out SUCK!
R-traps are also a good bait for Snook and Spotted Sea Trout.
jerzeeD reply :
I use live target lipless cranks most of the time... But I have had some good luck on a 1/2 oz rat-l-trap in bleeding shad (chrome/blue back/red hooks with a couple red spots on the gills. For me, I jusr retrieve based on water temps. Faster when it is warm, slow it down big time in the cold. In the warm watee I begin the retrieve as soon as it hits the water, coldee water I give it a second or two before I retrieve.
tholmes reply :
On 9/3/2012 at 12:50 AM, Bassn Blvd said:I've caught more bass on original Rattle Traps (chrome/black or blue back 1/4-1/2 ounce) than any other hard bait, and that's ALOT. That was until the company went and changed their hook style a few years ago. I still buy R-traps but change out the hooks, which I think is BS. The new hooks are the blame for TONS of misses, the hooks flat out SUCK!
R-traps are also a good bait for Snook and Spotted Sea Trout.
^X2. A 1/2 oz. chrome Rat-L-Trap (or similar lipless baits) is my go-to bait, especially when I'm searching for fish on new water. I usually fish them with a stop and go retrieve, starting shallow, then counting down to search deeper water. I've caught largemouth, smallmouth, walleye, northern, white bass, stripers and wipers on them. Even caught trout, crappie and bream on the Tiny Traps.
IMHO, the most versatile hard bait in my tackle box.
Tom
ClackerBuzz reply :
throw it this fall and you'll be successful. slow steady retrieve with a periodic speed up tossed in. ru fishing from shore or boat?
TNBassin' reply :
I fish from a boat until they lower they lake, then it's shore.
ClackerBuzz reply :
its alot easier to catch fish on a trap (or any new lure) from a boat b/c you can cover more water, get better angles, have more access to deeper water points, and motor over when u get the trebles stuck. burn it along the outsides of weed lines, tick it over the top of them ripping it free when u get caught, parallel the shoreline etc. from shore its all about long casts to keep it in the strike zone longer---i like a 45 deg angle from shore b/c it draws fish from the shallows and deep. its a great spring/fall bait when bass are feeding on bait fish. i like gold b/c i catch so many fish on it. i also found an red one in a stream that basically turned white/bone. put some new hooks on it and bone became my new favorite color for awhile. i used nail polish to make a black one which i'm looking forward to trying. good luck
fishking247 reply :
i've used them over the years with mediocre success. i have not thrown them enough though. If you do buy the the rat-l-trap brand make sure to change the hooks out, the stock hooks suck. i am going to fish them more this fall and pre spawn. i bought some rapala lipless cranks and i will be buying some strike king red eye shads soon.
jignfule reply :
Not my favorite way to fish, but we've had days when we caught so many on rat-l traps we got bored.
papajoe222 reply :
On 9/2/2012 at 11:30 PM, 38 Super Fan said:The yo-yo technique can really work well at times too.
One of my favorite ways to work it. That and running it into the weeds, pausing and then ripping it free.
I like the SK red eye for stroking or yo yoing and a Cordell HotSpot for rippin the weeds.
Keep in mind that both these techniques work best with a rod with plenty of backbone and braided line. Keep your drag on the loose side so as not to pull the hooks free and drop your thumb down on the spool when setting the hook or ripping it free from the weeds.
TNBassin' reply :
Good advice guys, thanks. I ended up buying 4 SK Red Eye Shads, a couple of the Academy Xpress Rattlin Ts, and an Excalibur One knocker. That should give me more options that my Rat L Traps. Pretty excited about the SKs, as I've been reading some good things about them.
Jim_M reply :
Secrets? Just be on the fish and bash them against structure on your retrieve. You will get bit.
MarkH024 reply :
On 9/2/2012 at 11:30 PM, 38 Super Fan said:The yo-yo technique can really work well at times too.
This + SK Red Eye = Deadly fall. They will crush it.
mikey5string reply :
Great fall bait over weedy flats. Fall is the only time I use them.
J Francho reply :
On 9/12/2012 at 10:01 PM, Jim_M said:Secrets? Just be on the fish and bash them against structure on your retrieve. You will get bit.
Agreed. If they don't look like this, you're doing it wrong.
A nice 4-9 trap fish from a few springs ago:
retiredbosn reply :
Like bluebasser not a fan of the original. I've had great success with the Cordell brand, also SK and Excaliber brands. Bought a couple Academy H2O version they are an Excaliber clone expect them to do well. I really like red in the spring, then Shad colors. I don't like chrome in any crankbait, don't know why
Eddie-NoVA reply :
I've been using the OG Rat-L-Trap for a while. Fall is the best time of year to use it. I bump it along structure on the bottom and it get them everytime. I had 6 bass from one structure doing this.
Just like J Francho was saying. If your lipless is not looking worn out, your doing it wrong!
TNBassin' reply :
Glad to hear the H20s are of good quality. Makes me wish I would have bought more.On 9/13/2012 at 6:19 AM, retiredbosn said:Like bluebasser not a fan of the original. I've had great success with the Cordell brand, also SK and Excaliber brands. Bought a couple Academy H2O version they are an Excaliber clone expect them to do well. I really like red in the spring, then Shad colors. I don't like chrome in any crankbait, don't know why
cheezylotus reply :
On 9/2/2012 at 11:30 PM, 38 Super Fan said:The yo-yo technique can really work well at times too.
On 9/3/2012 at 2:13 PM, ClackerBuzz said:throw it this fall and you'll be successful. slow steady retrieve with a periodic speed up tossed in. ru fishing from shore or boat?
agreed....
senile1 reply :
I've had a great deal of success with the original Rat-L-Trap. I use the same colors as Bassn Blvd mentioned in his post. I also use SK's Red Eye Shad, Spro's Aruka Shad, and occasionally the Cordell Spot also. I started out years ago with the Traps so I have used them more and have caught more fish on them than the others but I have been impressed with both Strike King's and Spro's offerings.
As for how I fish the Rat-L-Traps, it depends on the situation but burning and ripping, yo-yo'ing, and slow and steady, etc are all part of the repertoire.
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