Rattletrap or Rattlin' Rapala? 2024
plymouthrockbass reply :
Which do you prefer if any? I realize there are plenty of other lipless cranks out there but over the years ive found these two to be the most productive and most widely recognized. Up until last year i always preferred the rattletrap but i caught a ton of bass on rattlin' rapalas last summer. Any thoughts?
deep reply :
QuoteWhich do you prefer if any? I realize there are plenty of other lipless cranks out there but over the years ive found these two to be the most productive and most widely recognized. Up until last year i always preferred the rattletrap but i caught a ton of bass on rattlin' rapalas last summer. Any thoughts?
You did? What's the trick? For the life of me, I can't catch a thing on the rapala liplesses.
I do pretty much okay with red-eye shads and the bill lewis' traps though.
Bigbarge50 reply :
Also never caught a thing on a rattling rapala
Now a bill lewis rattle trap......
Well I am taking it everyday of the week and twice on Sundays.
Possibly the most under-appreciated Bass fishing lure in my opinion.
deep reply :
The only problem with the bill lewis' rattletraps are the hooks. All the ones I bought invariably had one hook of either of the trebles super blunt. The other hooks were pretty sharp though, which is funny.
I prefer to stick with red eye shads now-a-days.
WanderLust reply :
Rattletrap everday of the week and twice on Sunday. 
I also perfer the RES to Rapala.
guest reply :
I catch more on rattln raps than the Bill Lewis lures, especially Bluegill, silver blue back orange belly and shad.
.dsaavedra. reply :
QuoteThe only problem with the bill lewis' rattletraps are the hooks. All the ones I bought invariably had one hook of either of the trebles super blunt. The other hooks were pretty sharp though, which is funny.I prefer to stick with red eye shads now-a-days.
they have updated their hooks and they're actually really good now. i think they're called Set-Lok.
warwickforlife reply :
I love the Rattle Traps, but I've never caught a fish on my Rapalla.
IntroC reply :
Have caught fish on both. I think Traps are better than the raps and redeye shads better than both.
Fishes in trees reply :
Berkley had a rattle trap type bait called a Frenzy. That is my current favorite of these style baits.
SDoolittle reply :
QuoteBerkley had a rattle trap type bait called a Frenzy. That is my current favorite of these style baits.
Man, I bought some of those Frenzy hard baits back when they first came out, and I don't think I ever caught a fish on one.
BassThumb reply :
Out of those two, I prefer the Rattlin' Rapala. They work very well for river smallies up here.
Lipless cranks are one of my favorite lures, and out of all of them that I've tried, I like the Xcaliber XR50 and XR75 the best, either the standard or the One Knocker version. The standard ones can be had for around $5 on sale and at that price are a very good value. Check them out.
David Rangel reply :
Both work, but actually I'm glad with Xcalibur Rattle Baits, I got better results with those.!
David
paangler3117 reply :
rattlin rap any day. I have a whole box of rattle baits and not a trap in the box.
Jim
VABassin'14 reply :
QuoteQuoteThe only problem with the bill lewis' rattletraps are the hooks. All the ones I bought invariably had one hook of either of the trebles super blunt. The other hooks were pretty sharp though, which is funny.I prefer to stick with red eye shads now-a-days.
they have updated their hooks and they're actually really good now. i think they're called Set-Lok.
Yes they have upgraded their hooks. Rat-L-Traps are my original go to lure, and I have a ton of them that are missing a lot of paint. If you don't have a at least a trap or two in your tackle box, you should.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I'd give another vote to the Excalibur rattle baits and another one that has not caught a thing on a rattlin rap. I find them all the time in trees but I just give them away to my brother in law along with all the other baits I find that I have no use for.
B A S S E R reply :
wow maybe im missing out.. I've only used the rapala ones and have caught tons of bass and pike on them. I got some xcaliburs and red eye shads to try this year. But I have never tried an original bill lewis rattletrap
Catt reply :
Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps extremely deadly in cold water
tholmes reply :
I use both, pretty much interchangeably, along with the Cordell Spot, with a slight nod to the Rapala. Strike King RES is better than both.
Tom
gar-tracker reply :
Quick RT story:
I knew a legendary local fisherman from Gainesville Fl Johnny White ( Shaw Grisbey can verify that), he told me of testing the first rattle traps with Bill Lewis on Newnans Lake, can you imagine throwing them for the first time, they caught hundreds of fish.
I like Spros.
Bigbarge50 reply :
Do people think the body shape is what makes the red eyes better?
Have always been loyal to the traps (because they produce) but have bought three red eyes this year because of how highly everyone speaks of them.
Why do people think the red eye is better? I have to wonder if sometimes the trap suffers from the fact it is classic and "not new" hence some people tend to think "old=worse"
BassThumb reply :
QuoteDo people think the body shape is what makes the red eyes better?Have always been loyal to the traps (because they produce) but have bought three red eyes this year because of how highly everyone speaks of them.
Why do people think the red eye is better? I have to wonder if sometimes the trap suffers from the fact it is classic and "not new" hence some people tend to think "old=worse"
The Red Eye Shad has a nice wobble on the fall. Many brands of traps have very little or no wobble on the fall, including the Bill Lewis Rat L Trap. The RES is a great bait when you're fishing traps yo-yo style.
I think the popularity of the Rat L Trap has suffered as the price has risen into the $5-7 range, for the same bait that was $2.50-3 not so long ago. The Bill Lewis trap has followed the recent trend of the over-priced crankbait without changing the lure itself, other than adding slightly better Set Lok hooks that aren't very sharp.
ww2farmer reply :
I fished Rat-L-Traps almost exclusivly since the late 80's, caught plenty of fish on them, some good ones too. I have caught more fish in the last 3-4 years on Red Eye Shads than the I have on the Rat-L-Trap in the previous 20 years combined. Who knows why.......is the RES that much better? Maybe, but doubtful. I know after I started to fish the RES I started to pay attention to the when/where/why I use lip less cranks alot more, and I also started playing with size, colors, retrieves more. I used to throw a chrome/blue trap no matter what, straight steady retrieve, and never in cold water. So I guess I never gave the Traps as fair a shot as I have the RES..........but I have caught so many fish on the RES, and have sooooo much confidence in it, I can't go back now. One thing the RES has on the Trap is that it stays up right and wiggles on the fall, I got alot of bites on it after I kill it and let it fall.
Indiana Bass1 reply :
I'll take an XR 50 over any of the rest. I have caught a ton of bass on the Bill Lewis rat-l-trap but it seems like you have to tune it after every catch and that gets to be a pain in the butt.
Primus reply :
If I were picking between the Rattletrap & Rattlin' Rap, Bill Lewis wins this battle. That said I can think of several lipless baits that are more productive. As mentioned the SK Red Eye Shad, Yozuri Rattlin' Vibe, Spro Aruka Shad, Sebile Flat Shad, Jackall TN series & Imaktsu Buzzer Beater etc are what I prefer to throw. Bill Lewis & Excalibur are solid baits if your just burning it in but these other baits are better if you need to lift & drop, slow roll etc.
Vinny Chase reply :
Rapala of course is one of the best lure manufactures in the world, but their lipless cranks don't live up to the rest of their products.
I also can't catch a cold with the rattlin raps. I like to throw:
1) Rattletraps
2) Yo-Zuri Rattle Vibes
3) Spro Aruko Shads
WanderLust reply :
QuoteBill Lewis Rat-L-Traps extremely deadly in cold water
Yes indeed. Spring and fall favorite. 
IntroC reply :
QuoteQuoteDo people think the body shape is what makes the red eyes better?Have always been loyal to the traps (because they produce) but have bought three red eyes this year because of how highly everyone speaks of them.
Why do people think the red eye is better? I have to wonder if sometimes the trap suffers from the fact it is classic and "not new" hence some people tend to think "old=worse"
The Red Eye Shad has a nice wobble on the fall. Many brands of traps have very little or no wobble on the fall, including the Bill Lewis Rat L Trap. The RES is a great bait when you're fishing traps yo-yo style.
I think the popularity of the Rat L Trap has suffered as the price has risen into the $5-7 range, for the same bait that was $2.50-3 not so long ago. The Bill Lewis trap has followed the recent trend of the over-priced crankbait without changing the lure itself, other than adding slightly better Set Lok hooks that aren't very sharp.
I agree. %100 increase in price is rediculous for a rattle trap.
bugman reply :
Traps are great lures but I agree that the hooks need to be replaced right out of the box. Gammi #4 & #5 work best for me. The #5 can be hard to find but they don't get caught on the nose of the trap like #6 do. I also have found that about 1 out of 4 will not swim straight, but the ones that do really catch fish. Chrome/Blue and Smokey Joe are my go-to colors. That being said I find myself fishing Red Eye Shads 90% of the time.
plymouthrockbass reply :
its funny how everyones had so much success with the res. I have three that ive fished over the past two years and have barley caught anything on them. Ive had much more success with the rattletraps and rapalas. Maybe just the conditions of the waters im fishing...
roadwarrior reply :
QuoteI'll take an XR 50 over any of the rest. I have caught a ton of bass on the Bill Lewis rat-l-trap but it seems like you have to tune it after every catch and that gets to be a pain in the butt.
I carry a number of brands, but Rat-L-Traps are
not among them. My most productive lipless crank
by far is a Xr50, blue/chrome.
8-)
Raul reply :
I carry several brands of lipless cranks:
Rat L-Trap
Rattlin Rapala
Bayou Boogie silent
Bayou Boogie rattling
Sonic
Super Sonic
Ratl RRR
Spot
Some are quite old, some are even discontinued ( like the silent Bayou Boogie, Sonic and Super Sonic, Rattlin RRR ), in can 't say this one is better than this one I catch fish with all of them, what I can say is that there are days that, for example, the Rattlin RRR oufishes all the others and I 'm shure it 's because all of them sound different in the case of the rattling ones or in the case of the silent ones they wobble at a different rate. It 's a matter of trying and finding which one produces best that day.
chromedog reply :
I have a few Rat-l-traps I throw occasionally. Mostly throw the XR50's or the Red Eye shads.
Bankbeater reply :
Rattletraps. If the bass won't hit them the muskie usually will.
Rich Tehan reply :
Wow, not much love for the Rattlin Rapala. How about the Clackin' Rap? Anyone use that?? I just spent $9 on it, it better catch fish!
J Francho reply :
I have caught a ton of fish on Rattlin' Rapalas. They have one of the more durable chrome finishes. Lasts longer than the two casts a BL original does.
Anyway, I throw more Aruku Shads and D-7 for Weedcutter these days.
CSimon2 reply :
I very rarely use lipless cranks. I have some, but just don't use them. I think I am going to have to start using them and see which ones work better for me. I have both the Bill Lewis and the Rapala.
Vinny Chase reply :
QuoteWow, not much love for the Rattlin Rapala. How about the Clackin' Rap? Anyone use that?? I just spent $9 on it, it better catch fish!
They sink like a rock :-/
IntroC reply :
QuoteI have caught a ton of fish on Rattlin' Rapalas. They have one of the more durable chrome finishes. Lasts longer than the two casts a BL original does..
That is one thing that can be said about the Raps is that you'll never have a problem with paint chipping. The hooks are also way better.
bassman018 reply :
Rattletrap... im a classic kinda guy...
J Francho reply :
QuoteQuoteI have caught a ton of fish on Rattlin' Rapalas. They have one of the more durable chrome finishes. Lasts longer than the two casts a BL original does..
That is one thing that can be said about the Raps is that you'll never have a problem with paint chipping. The hooks are also way better.
Mine are from the early/mid 90s, so the hooks have been changed out several times, LOL.
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