|
RAPALA SHAD RAP
Rapala introduced the Shad Rap in the early
1980's, and since it's introduction, the Shad Rap has been the best-selling
crankbait in the US. There is no other crankbait sold that looks more like a
baitfish, runs as true straight out of the box, and hangs up as infrequently as
the Shad Rap. While I am not a strong proponent of crankbaits in river
situations (they get hung up too often), the Shad Rap is one of my favorite
lures. I have caught everything from crappie to stripers on the Shad Rap, and
virtually every type of fish in between. I even caught five catfish on a Shad
Rap one day on the Coosawattee River. Shad Raps are great in clear water because
they look so realistic and also cut the mustard in dingy water because they
throw off a decent amount of flash and vibration. Shad Raps work well in slow
water and outshine all other crankbaits in swifter water because they track
straight as an arrow. They are easy to fish, too. The best retrieve is to throw
them out and start reeling.
Every size of Shad Rap will catch fish, but I
prefer the SR05, a 2" model that will get down to around 6 or 7 feet on a
fast retrieve. This is the smallest Shad Rap made, and is perfect for the clear,
rocky streams found in northern Georgia, where redeye and spotted bass are
waiting for a meal just about that size. The SR05 also might be the best lure in
the world for white bass! Crappie, rock bass, largemouths, big bream, stripers,
hybrids, and even the aforementioned catfish all have trouble turning down this
tasty little offering. I've even caught a carp pushing seven pounds on a Shad
Rap, which would put me in the running for the Dog River Carp king trophy! This
smallest member of the Shad Rap family is probably not the best choice if you
are targeting largemouths or stripers (they usually prefer a bigger mouthful) or
bream or crappie (they usually like smaller meals), but for good all-around
mixed-bag fishing, the Shad Rap is tough to beat.
I have some pretty good reasons for choosing
the small Shad Rap over larger models. The main reason is that I hate getting
hung up when floating down a river, and larger Shad Raps (with bigger hooks) get
hung up a good bit more than the SR05. Another reason I like the smaller version
is that I can usually get the lure back when I do get hung because the lure
normally runs at about six feet or less, allowing me to reach my rod tip down
into the water and jiggle it free. These things cost $5 a pop, and the
difference between getting hung up in six feet of water versus nine feet of
water is very important to me on those early spring trips when I'd rather stay
in the boat. Having said that, I rarely have a Shad Rap make it through an
entire season without leaving it on some river. Despite the fact that they ride
over logs and through branches better than any other type of diving lure, Shad
Raps are still crankbaits and will get hung a bit more than other lures.
Best Seasons and Situations
Shad Raps are tough to beat in the springtime when white
bass and hybrids make their spawning runs. At left is a hybrid weighing at least
four pounds and to the right is a white bass weighing about two pounds. Both
were taken on the SR05 model in the shad finish.
Shad Raps are a great choice any time white
bass are in the river, which is normally during the spring spawning runs.
Traditionally, the most famous white bass lure is a white curly-tail grub, but I
prefer the Shad Rap. White bass normally reside somewhere near the bottom while
making their runs, and the Shad Rap will get close enough to do the job 99% of
the time. Any time you feel the lure come into contact with the bottom or any
other obstacle, all you have to do to avoid snags is to stop reeling for a
second or two (allowing the buoyancy of the bait to raise it over snags) then
commence reeling at a slower pace. It is easy to control the depth of the lure,
even in swift current. Curly-tail jigs are tougher to fish because you must reel
faster to keep them away from snags, and if they so much as touch a tree limb,
they get hung. Jigs are also tougher to fish in swift current, because in order
to get down to the fish, a heavier jig head is often required, and then you are
really talking hang-up city!
The Shad Rap also shines in situations where
redeye and spotted bass are likely targets. These fish are most commonly found
in northern Georgia, where the rivers run fairly clear most of the year and
there is not quite as much woody cover to deal with. You can get away with
fishing a Shad Rap almost year-round for these bass if you remember to fish a
little slower when its cold out. Despite it's small size, the Shad Rap will
entice surprisingly large spotted bass into striking. I like to put on a Shad
Rap on North Georgia streams during the spring and let the whites, spots, and
redeyes fight over it! Another little tip: Trout in the Chattahoochee River will
tear up a Shad rap in short order. This surprised me at first, because most
people throw tiny flies and spinners at trout in the Hooch, but I've seen the
Shad Rap catch too many limits not to mention it.
Tips and Techniques
When bass fishing, I prefer to use the Shad
Rap when the water is pretty clear. There are flashier and louder lures to use
in murky water (though the Shad Rap is pretty good in stained water too!), and
clear water allows me to spot potential snags in order to avoid hang-ups. The
main reason though, is that fish in clear water are often a bit more selective
in what they eat, and nothing looks as realistic wiggling through clear water as
a Shad Rap! During the warmer months, if the fish refuse to hit topwater, the
Shad Rap is often my second option, because it can be fished fairly quickly in
the middle depths without getting hung up that often. When the sun is setting
and I've still got two miles to float, the Shad Rap allows me to get there
quickly and still have a great shot at catching fish.
The SR05 Shad Rap works best with
medium-light spinning tackle and 6 lb.-test line. I feel that 8 pound line
inhibits the action a bit too much and 4 pound line might not get that
three-pound spot into the boat without some answered prayers. I normally just
throw out and reel in, varying the retrieve speed until I find what works.
Whenever the Shad Rap makes contact with wood or rock, stop reeling for a few
seconds and let the lure rise a foot or so. Many times, when you start reeling
again a bass will have eaten it. Every once in a while on a slow day in
midsummer, a retrieve consisting of violent jerks and pauses will sometimes
entice a few bass that must like it rough.
I don't fish the Shad Rap much for largemouth
or shoal bass anymore, but I have had great success on these species using the
Shallow Shad Rap in the next size up (SSR07, 2 & 3/4"). These lures get
down as deep as five feet and run like a dream in fast shoal bass water or lazy
largemouth hangouts. I have a friend that swears by one of the bigger Shad Raps
for stripers, but I have not personally verified that claim yet.
I haven't mentioned lure color yet, but since
I normally fish Shad Raps in clear water or for fish (white bass) that like to
chow on shad, I go with the shad finish. I would expect that the brighter
finishes would be really effective in stained water and that the crawfish
pattern might be good at times too. Rapala is also making jointed, rattling, and
suspending versions of the Shad Rap that are made of plastic rather than balsa
wood. My guess is that since Rapala makes them, they are probably pretty good
lures, too. If you are a crankbait enthusiast, I would suggest you have a few
different flavors to try. I am not a crankbait enthusiast, but the Shad
Rap is slowly making a convert out of me. If Rapala ever comes out with a
weedless version of the Shad Rap, this lure is headed straight for the top five!
|
