FISHING BAIT Product Review
Review: RAT-L-TRAP
By Dan Mathisen

We are always looking for new and improved ways to catch more bass, and often the answer is right before our very eyes. Heck we are bass anglers, always having to try the latest “Hot Bait” , we simply overlook it. Chances are it you have a half dozen or so right in the boat. What is it? A Rat-L-Trap. That's right, the one there in the little clear box it’s simple, loud, baitfish imitating lure we all have in our arsenal that we've been using for years, a Rat-L-Trap.

Rat-L-Traps come in a variety of sizes, colors and styles. Some sparkle, some have spinners on them, some have a plastic bill on them for diving deeper, some float and others will suspend. There are so many, it's sometimes hard to figure out which one to use. If you find yourself in this situation, like I so often do, go back to the basics. The ½ ounce chrome with a blue back, chrome with a black back or a gold with a black back are my standard baits. On cloudy days, early morning or late evening, I use the gold color. When the sun is bright, you can't go wrong with the chrome.

Before you choose a lure, look at the bait we are imitating a bit closer. Bass Eat Shad! It’s obvious that all and baitfish in there diet are shaped basically alike. So look for a lure that has a flat body and has the overall outline of the baitfish.

Now we will discuss how the natural prey of the black bass moves through the water. These small fish have quick movements. Their “wiggle” is very tight. The tightness of this wiggle increases when they speed-up to avoid a being a snack. And they commonly travel in schools to avoid demise. When Bass or Stripers, attack a schools, like any other predator zero in on a single target

Now put these pieces to the puzzle together that a solid choice is always a flat-bodied bait. It should have a tight vibration when retrieved. The lure should be shaped like a baitfish and the lure also has to come in enough size and color variations to make it applicable under all possible conditions. Does such a lure exist? This lure still stands alone as the highest producing bass lure there is.Rat-L-Trap

Fishing The Trap

The Rat-L-Trap is a bait that can be used in a variety of ways. The most common way to use the bait is what I call the basic cranking method. Long casts reel it back relatively fast hoping to trigger a strike from a feeding fish or generate a reactionary strike from a passive fish. If that doesn't work, you can try slowing it down a bit allowing the bait to work a little deeper. Often this subtle little difference will result in more strikes.

Remember though one of the most unique features of this lure, and one that makes it extremely versatile is its ability to fall through the water. As I retrieve a “Rat-L-Trap”, I am constantly feeling for the lure to hit a structure, like a log or stump. When this happens, I immediately pause the retrieve for several seconds. This lets the lure fall through towards the bottom. Many of my strikes come as the lure is falling.

One of my favorite ways to use the bait is probably the most underused presentation of all, a yo-yo retrieve. I use this approach when fishing the bait off of main lake and secondary points and around the deep weed edges of main Delta channels when the fish are not real active.

Cast the bait out and let it fall to the bottom. Once on the bottom, quickly pull it up a foot or two and stop allowing the bait the flutter back down imitating a wounded or dying baitfish. The presentation of an easy meal may very well cause a non-feeding fish to go ahead a eat your bait simply because its there and its easy. The result, you catch a more fish.

Presentation techniques for this lure are as endless as your creativity allows them to be. The rattles inside a “Rat-L-Trap” make noise with the slightest of movements. This bait can be retrieved slowly for a cold water or early season presentation. It can also be retrieved in rapid, jerking motion to effectively imitate an injured shad.

Don’t be misled into believing that this crankbait cannot be fished in heavy cover. The design of the “Rat-L-Trap” actually prevents many hang-ups. Because it’s lipless, the contoured front of the lure slides over limbs and logs much more easily that those lures with plastic lips. The favorite hiding place for shad and the favorite ambush spot for bass should never be overlooked or under fished. Pitch the “Rat-L-Trap” right in there and be prepared for some crazy results.

In Areas throughout the Delta you can fish these baits around grass, you need to be using a high speed reel with a gear ratio of 6:1 or better on a medium action rod. This will allow you to literally rip the bait through the grass triggering strikes. If the fish are aggressive, they will usually hit the bait just as you pull it loose from a snag in the grass. If the fish are not real aggressive, you may need to scale down to a ¼ ounce Rat-L-Trap in order to slow the bait down enough to get bit; yet keep it from staying hung up in the grass due to the slower retrieve needed to generate strikes. This is where having a variety of colors and sizes of baits come in handy.

As a tournament angler, keeping a fish on after hooking it can mean the difference between making a paycheck and not making one. That's why I always replace the hooks on my Rat-L-Traps when fishing a tournament. The hooks that come on the bait are okay for pleasure fishing or pre-fishing a tournament, but when it really counts, I want a good sharp hook that increases my chances of landing the fish.

The next time you're at the lake or your favorite body of water and you can't figure out what lure to use to catch Bass , remember the answer may have been sitting there all along. Everyone needs a new Rat-L-Trap in their box, Simply, the Rat-L-Trap Catches Fish! Enjoy!