LIPLESS CRANKBAIT

The Lipless Crankbait has become very popular among fisherman. Lipless crankbait, often referred as just crankbaits, has been around since the late 1950's. One of the most famous of these was the hard plastic white body with red designs, "Cordell Hot Spot", which is now considered vintage . The vintage Hot Spot helped to establish the characteristics of today's versions. These characteristics include a shad like design that sinks in the water and wobbles in a tight fast motion while being retrieved. This motion produces a vibration that emulates fast swimming prey. The next step in the lipless crankbait evolution came when rattles were added. This rattle is produced by BB style shot creating a distinct sound when being retrieved. This rattle combined with the already successful design of earlier crankbaits revolutionized the lure by making it standout in all types of water conditions. Thus, the lures soon became known as the Rat-L-Trap.

The rattle trap requires no special retrieval technique. In fact, simply casting the lure to a desired spot and immediately retrieving it, is most effective. At other times, anglers may allow the lure to sink deeper into the water. Using the old count down method of 1000-1, 1000-2, for example, this helps the angler judge the depth at which fish may be feeding. Also, the height of the rod tip can be used to control the rattle trap's retrieval depth. With the rod held higher up, the lure will be nearer the surface; holding the rod tip down low near the surface or even below the surface allow the lure to run deeper. Changing the speed at which the lure is retrieved may also entice a strike. However, some of the most effective cast comes when the lure actually bounces off a submerged object such as a stump or log. Surprisingly, this lure is quite good at avoiding getting snagged.

Almost any rod and reel spooled with 10 to 14 pound test line will accurately cast a rattle trap whether the cast is a short distance or long. With the wide range of sizes and color designs available, anglers can easily find a lure that will fit their fishing needs. Large mouth bass is most often the fish angler's are going for when using a rattle trap but it can be used to catch crappie, large bream, small mouth bass, redfish, and spotted sea trout.

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