I'm still surprise people keep saying rapalas break. I have just started bass fishing but before that I was fishing rivers a lot. I have always used shad raps and bang them off rip raps and rocks/gravel. Never had one break. I have used KVD cranks for a year and had one break on me and not to mention the red eye shad LC paints chip like no other. Yet SK gets all the love and I bet KVD himself is part of the reason. That just shows you the power of marketing and sponsorship.

But I will not preorde these. I find it amusing they are making it like its limited. Soon enough it'll be all over in my fleet farm store. I will buy some and try it.

Rapala products have a bad rep for breaking because they do, there DT series and the original xrap are known for falling apart, then when you go email or call them to return it they want original packaging and receipt, like any self respecting man keeps all his receipts or original packaging in his man purse, and while I personally do not like Strike King cranks, they have a history of standing behind there products, yeah they are junk and fall apart just like all the other cheap cranks out there, but one call or email and they make it right.

Rapala products have a bad rep for breaking because they do, there DT series and the original xrap are known for falling apart, then when you go email or call them to return it they want original packaging and receipt, like any self respecting man keeps all his receipts or original packaging in his man purse, and while I personally do not like Strike King cranks, they have a history of standing behind there products, yeah they are junk and fall apart just like all the other cheap cranks out there, but one call or email and they make it right.

 

The SK line of crankbaits might not endure the industries highest quality control, they also do not carry the higher price tag of many brands. 

 

From my experience, SK baits for the most part, run true, are fairly durable and most importantly catch fish.

 

To call SK junk, which is essentially regarding them worthless, IMO is a little harsh.

 

A-Jay

Just went to the Rapala website and watched the little demo videos.  I like the look of it and if I happen to come across it in the local bait shop or Wal Mart or something, Ill probably pick one up.  But Im not rushing to place an internet order or driving an hour and a half to BPS anytime soon.  As for revolutionizing fishing....eh....who knows.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I could be wrong but I kind of feel like I can get similar erratic action from my crankbaits with moving the rod tip back and worth and giving little pops and twitches on my retrieve.

I was at the Classic Expo yesterday, the Dicks mini-store they had at the Classic has the Scatter Raps.  The Bait Monkey made me buy five of them (get a free Rapala T-shirt when you buy five).   I like the looks of them, Helsinki Shad and and Blue-Back Herring in particular.  I bought two of the models, one that is basically a Shad Rap 7 with the new bill design and the other model is a small crankbait.  I like the way these lures look and I think they'll catch bass once the bass get into a pre-spawn mode.

 

I do have a couple of complaints about these 2 models (crank and Shad Rap) and that is they are rather small and light, going to be tough to cast on a BC, so I'll probably end up throwing them on a spinning rod, I don't like fishing cranks on a spinning rod, but I really don't like getting backlashes. 

 

They don't have a dep running model either, unless you buy the countodwn minnow.  The cranks range is stated at 6-8 feet and the SR7 at 5-8 feet.

Walleye anglers will probably be the main buyers of these. I will give them a shot. I am a fan of Rapala cranks and shad raps. I could see using them around docks as a good option for them and between docks.

Unless I hear that this lure is so great that bass put it on their lines to catch other bass, I'll wait and see. I'm past the point now of running out and buying the next, new, now when it comes to lures.

X2

The twitch bait/stick bait will be a smallie killer- Im a little skepticle about in springtime though -seem like ya need to retrieve it quickly for optimum action -spring time bass arent chasing baits to far-They more or less react to baits close by -so the spring time deal i will have to try myself--AGAIN still nice action on them

It's funny when guys poo-poo a crankbait designed to hunt, like the scatter shads.  Why are old Wiggle Warts and some old Bagley crankbaits highly desirable?  Because some of them have hunting action!  Seen the KVD commercial extolling the hunting action on the SK baits lately?  What about the Wobble Bat from Japan?  Hunt hunt hunt.  That's why Rapala is building the Scatter Shad.  If they can build a quality bait that reliably hunts, that's an outstanding achievement and I'm gonna get me some.

 

Yes, the alternative to a hunting crankbait is to crash your bait into every obstacle you can find.  But that's not possible in all types of cover, so a hunting crankbait is a desirable option.

 

Guys can let their biases run rampant right now, never having seen a Scatter Shad "in the flesh" and never having fished one.  Every bait is "Put Up or Shut Up" when the time comes to fish it - including the Scatter Shads.  But in my experience, Rapala delivers on its performance promises more often than any of the other big names in fishing lures.  JMHO

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm feeling revolutionized.  I am uncertain if I will get over it or not.  Time will tell, I guess.

Many pros say that the main reason they contact cover with a crankbait is to achieve a deflection and cause an erratic action. When this action is built into the bait the reasons for contacting cover are diminished.

Ok So Now We See It!!back To The Original Claim Will It Revolutionize Fishing"???    

 

No it will not.

But it might be a very effective tool. Any crank bait that hunts while being retrieved will out trigger any bait that does not. Its that erratic action that gets bit. That's why jerk baits are so effective. They are erratic when properly worked.  Reef runner makes a banana style bait deep diver in a 800 series. Very popular plug for walleye fisherman. You buy the bait  & it runs crooked right out of the box 9 times out of 10 pulling to the right or to the left.  You have to tune them by bending the line tie right or left. After tuning the bait correctly it wobbles along then suddenly jumps 6" to a foot left then returns back to normal tracking then it jumps right 6" to a foot before returning to straight tracking. The faster you go the greater the hunting action before it finally blows out from excessive speed. 

My guess is the rapalas will shine best with a fast retrieve or erratic retrieve stop & go. Bobby is probably right that the stick bait style will be killer on smallies late prespawn 50-60 degrees water temps just before spawning starts.

I think people are taking the "revolutionize fishing" words too seriously. It's a marketing slogan to get your attention. Just like BMWs claim of the ultimate driving machine. Is it really?

Anyways this erratic action is not new. The Imakatzu Waddle Bat is kings of erratic. I have 2 but waiting for spring to try it. Cost is ridiculous but I guess my curiousity made my bite. There's also the Salmon whacky that swims just like the scattered rap. I think in regions in Europe this is not new.

Googles these up if you haven't heard of them.

I think it's clear how companies will respond to this new Rapala lure. They'll make a crankbait with a lip that concaves in the other direction.

 

It will be a new cold war in the world of crankbaits.

Well whether it is revolutionary or not Rapala has been able to do something  no other bait company has been able to do. They produced a quality built lure with a desirable feature at a reasonable cost.

So what do these baitfish like shad hunt HMMM Plankton-- NAAAAAAH!!! Not going to buy that theory yet- Bluegills -yes--the shad -more of a panic scurry--That movement I will buy  -panic-- They also flare their gills when in the "panic "mode--Reason manufacturers paint the gills on baits red.  Yes I had Dr Loren hill back me on that one back in 1989

It's just a matter of time before Skeet Reese claims he designed this bait lol.

Every bait has it's time and place. I will most likely give these baits a try.

 

I understand the whole hunting deal, but does it really trigger a bass in striking?

Almost all my bites have either come frome the initial retrieve or deflected off something.

Well deflection usually causes an erratic action. Only time will tell with these new baits, but I take all this new stuff with a bag of salt until I see reviews or opinions from others NOT associated with the brand. The countdown looks pretty good though IMO.

The SK line of crankbaits might not endure the industries highest quality control, they also do not carry the higher price tag of many brands. 

 

From my experience, SK baits for the most part, run true, are fairly durable and most importantly catch fish.

 

To call SK junk, which is essentially regarding them worthless, IMO is a little harsh.

 

A-Jay

I call them junk because they do not endure a quality control check, not because they do not work, back when I actually used to fish cranks the SK 1xd was one of my favorites. But it took 3 to get one that was decent, then after a day of fishing it was tore up, and don't even think about leaving it sitting on your deck in the sun for an hour, they would blow up and look like a balloon, never had the same problems with Bomber square a's which I started to use instead of the SK cranks. With all that said though at least SK would back there product if you called them out on it, Rapala= worst customer service in the industry

Im sick of works like "hunt",and "revolutionize". And frankly im sick of all the hype for this lure. Rapala may have made a good lure, they may have made a bad one,...who knows...

Rapala didnt re invent the wheel. The would have been better off to make A SUBTLE RELEASE of theirr product. Without hyping it to hights that the lure can never climb. When i say subtle, i mean release it like everyone else does...that means no (countdown to changing fishing forever) and stop using words like revolvtionize... not many lures do that.

the chatterbait design finally caught on but hardly revolutiionary.

The crazy thing to me is, all they had to do was show the action, show the bill and what it does and then shut up. It didnt need all the hype,..

Why all the hype??? To get them in poeples hands quick. The more lures in hand the more get used the word of mouth spreads. Smart marketing on their part. Many great lures have slipped through the cracks due to "a subtle release". Just saying.

If a no name company brings out that lure with a subtle approach, then i can see what you mean. But this is Rapala one of the most recognized names in the fishing industry, when i say subtle i mean more subtle thant what they did. I mean a count down?lol they can push the product and advertise with out all the drama. The Rapala name is going to draw alot of attention by itself.

Im sick of works like "hunt",and "revolutionize". And frankly im sick of all the hype for this lure. Rapala may have made a good lure, they may have made a bad one,...who knows...

Rapala didnt re invent the wheel. The would have been better off to make A SUBTLE RELEASE of theirr product. Without hyping it to hights that the lure can never climb. When i say subtle, i mean release it like everyone else does...that means no (countdown to changing fishing forever) and stop using words like revolvtionize... not many lures do that.

the chatterbait design finally caught on but hardly revolutiionary.

The crazy thing to me is, all they had to do was show the action, show the bill and what it does and then shut up. It didnt need all the hype,..

 

The marketing guys get paid a lot of money to develop these promotions. Advertising is the key to sales everybody hypes their products.

OK Im done with this subject-

 

Next- I want Dozer Back

If a no name company brings out that lure with a subtle approach, then i can see what you mean. But this is Rapala one of the most recognized names in the fishing industry, when i say subtle i mean more subtle thant what they did. I mean a count down?lol they can push the product and advertise with out all the drama. The Rapala name is going to draw alot of attention by itself.

 

I agree the countdown may have been a bit much.