The Rat-L-Trap is no doubt one of the best lipless crankbaits you can use. It’s mostly used to catch bass but you’re free to use it for other fish types as well. Nonetheless, to fish a rattletrap isn’t often as straightforward or as simple as most people assume.
In fact, it takes a certain level of technique to do it right. But despite that, rattle trap setup and fishing are simple enough even for the beginner fisher out there. You just need to learn the ropes quickly.
How to Use a Rattle Trap
So, when it comes to fishing using the Rat-L-Trap, there are a few things to do, and one important thing to avoid. Think of it as the dos and don’ts of how to fish a rattletrap.
Put It Through Grass Weed Lines
Rattle traps tend to be much more effective when they are brought through weed lines and the grass itself. Typically, they are hung on the grass limbs before the lure is freed into the water.
The lure then will easily attract the attention of a nearby bass in no time and before you know it, you’ll be reeling in the catch.
Do the Stop and Start Retrieval
There’s no doubt that the rattle is by far the most important thing on the Rat-L-Trap. It’s designed to effectively draw in bass faster than anything else.
But if you want to make the rattle even more potent, you can use the stop and start retrieval technique. So, start by casting out the bait.
As you start pulling it back towards the boat, jerk it gently using your rod. This will make the rattle effective, and in the end, you’ll have an easy catch.
Try the Yo-Yo Retrieval
The Yo-Yo retrieval is also a similar technique to the stop and start method. In fact, the only difference is based on how you jerk the rod.
So, on the start and stop method, you basically jerk the rod sideways a bit. But in yo-yo retrieval, you do it up and down, a bit more vigorously. This creates a motion that most bass will fall for.
These are some of the things you must learn if you want to know how to use a rattletrap. They may seem simple at first but they actually play a key role in determining how successful your expedition at the lake will be.
Change the Speed Regularly
Another great tip on how to use a rattletrap is to actually burn it across the water.
In fact, this technique is so effective on windy days that the bass will fall for it all day long. Besides, the wind adds more to the vibration of the lure, something that the bass picks up on easily.
Nonetheless, if you realize that the technique isn’t getting you the bites that you want, you can try something else. After all, there’s actually no one way to fish a rattletrap. The more variety you use the better.
Ignore the Normal Retrieve
Remember at the start of the article we said that there are 4 dos and one major don’t when it comes to fishing rattle traps. Well, the major don’t is here and it’s simple. Don’t use a normal retrieve when using these traps.
It’s easy to just cast out your lure and steadily bring it back to the boat with the hope of getting a bite. Unfortunately, that steady and normal retrieve that you’re used to won’t work well with bass.
Simply stop for a few minutes and give the lure time to work. You’re likely to get a bite almost all the time.
Conclusion
There are many people out there who think it’s hard to fish a rattletrap. Although this may be the case at first, it’s all about getting the simple things right.
That way, your experience using the traps will be extremely rewarding. The dos and don’ts above should be a good place to start. But fishing is also about your personal experiences out there so if you find something that works better for you, stick to it.
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