Rattle Traps! Probably one of the most versatile but overlooked baits out there today! That goes for fresh or salt water! The Rattle Trap has been copied, replicated and simulated and still, not many makers of this type bait can beat the original! The Rattle Trap is considered a lipless crank bait and there are many types on the market. They are a very effective bait and will catch big fish even when the fish don’t want to bite.

Rattle Traps come in a variety of sizes, colors and floating or sinking. You can fish for anything from Crappie to Barracuda with them! That’s pretty versatile! I don’t believe there are too many other lure makers that can say that! The most common is probably the ½ oz to ¾ oz and used for bass fishing, so that is what we will discuss here today. The 2 favorite colors would be silver/blue and a red of some sort.

One of the keys to fishing Rattle Traps and other lipless crank baits is flexibility. That goes for you and your equipment! My personal favorite setup for this type of fishing is a 7’ med/light action rod with 12-15lb P-Line in monofilament (mono). Some people like to use braided line on these baits, I am against that. These baits actually need the stretch that mono provides. Baits like the Rattle Trap will not work the same on braided line as they will with mono.

I like the med/light action rod for the feel and so I don’t rip the bait from the fish's mouth. This rod also gives the fish the flexibility it needs to eat the bait! Let me explain, when a bass comes from behind a bait to try and eat it, she will actually try to eat the bait inches away from it! She opens her big mouth and creates a suction effect and sucks the bait into her mouth. Without the flexibility of the rod and the line, the fish would not be able to do this!

Working a Rattle Trap in fresh water for bass has more ways than can be discussed in this article. The basics for Rattle Traps are cast and reel (steady retrieve), jigging and ripping and trolling!

Cast and reel is just that. Mostly used in open water and a lot of times used where bass are schooling. This technique will also help you cover a lot of water in a short time. When you are using top water baits and the fish are missing your bait, switch to a Rattle Trap and use this method keeping the bait within 2-3 feet from the surface. This will get them every time!

Trolling is another way that Rattle Traps are used. This is mostly used in deep open water lakes and sometimes even with down riggers. This is also the preferred method for off shore fishing. Granted, you will have to use heavier line and rods for this type of fishing!

One of the scariest and least used ways to use a Rattle Trap is the ‘jigging and ripping’ method. It is also the most productive for me and my favorite for the big girls that don’t want to eat! The scary part is the area in which you will be doing this. I like to use this method where there is SOME grass or hydrilla, not over grown, just patches.

The forage that I am referring to is usually beneath the surface. In this photo, you can see the slick areas where the Hydrilla is. When fishing areas like this with a Rattle Trap, you will want to fish the points. The center mass of these areas will be too thick to try and run a bait through. Make short casts past a point, retrieve the lure slowly until you feel it up against the Hydrilla. By short casts, simply give yourself enough room and time to finish the retrieve. Too long of a cast will give the bait too much stretch and will not have the same action. Too short of a cast will have you running off the fish before it gets a chance to take the bait. Once there, stop your retrieve for a few seconds holding tension on the line so that the bait is not just lying on the bottom. Hold the bait there and give it a few small twitches with the rod making it seem like something eating on the forage or trying to get in to it. After you have done this for a few seconds without a strike, give the bait a quick but short tug. This is the ripping part. Depending on the size and thickness of the forage you are in will depend on the amount of force you will need to use.

Here is the key to doing this, you only want to pull the bait part of the way and stop. Don’t try to pull the bait all the way out of the forage but at the same time ripping hard enough so that you are not just pulling the forage with you. You want the bait to ‘rip’ through the forage making it break free from the current spot and then stop, just as a baitfish would do when hiding in the forage. What you are trying to do is get that fish that is sitting inside the forage to take the bait. She is not going to do this if you rip it completely through! You will just run her out!

People are often concerned about the forage getting hung on the bait. This does happen time to time but is one of the chances you take fishing this way. Rattle Trap has done a good job trying to overcome this obstacle by using the small treble hooks that will cut through the forage and making the bait swim the way it does. The forage is not enough to break your line as long as you keep an eye on it and re-tie when necessary.

Ok, you have bumped the edge of the forage and no strike. You have ripped into the middle and no strike. Don’t give up yet, you are not done with this retrieve! This time, your next rip will bring your bait out of the forage completely. This is where you will get most of your strikes if done right. These fish are sitting close to the edge of the forage or even swimming the outside of the forage looking for the opportunity of something to eat. You want it to look like your bait was in the forage trying to get out and just busted out like it was in jail! Ripping the bait out then letting it fall a couple of inches or so then a soft pull almost like a jig just by raising the rod tip up, then down again. Normally if you are going to get the strike, it will happen on the first drop, but not always.

Rattle Traps are an addicting bait to use. Once you feel you know what the fish prefer in your area, you can really do some great things with this bait. There are many variations and techniques that this bait is capable of handling. The next time you are bass fishing and they just don’t seem to want worms, flukes or top waters, tie on a Rattle Trap and experiment with it, you might be surprised at what you can do with it! And if you have never used a Rattle Trap for Redfish in saltwater, you are missing out!

Tight Lines every one!

By Anthony Meshell

Staff Writer Anthony (ameshell) Meshell was born in Houston, Texas. Anthony married his High School Sweet Heart and Best Friend, Melody in June of 1989.  Anthony has two beautiful daughters, Macy and Katelyn.

As a young child, Anthony was raised on the water. Anthony’s family was always around water and the outdoors. He caught his first bass at the age of 5 years old and has been chasing them ever since. He also chases after Speckled Trout and Redfish now.

After graduating Pearland High School in 1987 (man he is getting old), he enlisted into the U.S. Navy.  He served during the Gulf War and was stationed in Mayport, FL.  Anthony is now a Police Officer for the City of Manvel, TX. Manvel is only a few miles from where he grew up.

The past few years have been a really great learning experience for Anthony and his family. Anthony has always had a passion for hunting, but had never really been able to pursue the passion until now. He hunts Deer, Dove, Squirrel and Hog. His older daughter, Macy, has also taken an interest in hunting and the outdoors. She is in FFA and they are raising Rabbits for show.  Anthony now has a deer lease to take the family hunting on and they enjoy every minute that they can there.

These days if Anthony is not fishing or hunting, he is thinking about fishing or hunting.