Can anyone give me some help with these. I hear there a good bait but i aint had no luck with them. what retireve works the best and at what speed. or are these baits not good for shallow ponds?

The x-raps are great baits for smallmouth, and I have had moderate success with them for largemouth.  When fishing for smallmouth try "slashing" the bait with 2-3 foot long pulls then let it pause.  I have caught my biggest smallmouth to date, a 6.25 on an x-rap.  Try varied speeds of retreives.

Good Luck,

Cody

The X-Rap is a jerkbait (though Rapala calls it a slashbait).

For the angler who feels that the LC Pointer is too pricey, the X-Rap is an excellent substitute.

You fish the X-Rap as you would any jerkbait:

> Crank it briskly to the desired depth, then stop.

> Jerk it crisply with a single or double-jerk, followed by a pause.

> Experiment with different jerk lengths and pause durations

until you find a productive cadence.

Water temperatures usually offer a good starting point. On balance, the colder the water

the shorter the jerk and the longer the pause. You need to experiment to find the most productive cadence.

Jerk plugs are very productive in spring and fall (colder water) and also in clear water.

Good luck, jerkbaits are a lot of fun.

Roger

I'VE HAD ALOT OF SUCCESS WITH THE X-RAPS EITHER WITH THE JERK PAUSE JERK METHOD OR SWEEP PAUSE SWEEP. THIS TIME OF YEAR IT'S GOOD TO PAUSE A LITTLE LONGER. MOST OF MY STRIKES COME ON THE PAUSE.

go here and click on the box thing that says x rap instructions

http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=x-rap&freshorsalt=Fresh

but to make it simple, i guess its like a sloppy walk the dog cadence. does that make sense?

I would emphasize "the pause". It should be complete. When you pause, move your rod back towards the lure so that it becomes motionless. This will improve your presentation immensely.

ive always been a pointer and rogue fan but recently bought some x raps because i wanted a smaller jerkbait that i could fish from the shore for smallmouth in a local river (pointers are a little too expensive for me to fish in the river from the shore).  i bought a few x raps and was really, really impressed with the action.  this spring im looking forward to giving them a side by side comparison to the pointers i like so much.

i fish them exactly how has been described earlier.  jerk jerk pause while taking up slack, repeat.  i usually do not move the lure with my reel, just with jerks and twitches.

like rw said the pause is key.  i find length of pause to be the most important variable.

matt

GOOD SUGGESTION ROADWARRIOR.

I work mine like im working a Zara Spook even though the action is different on the x-rap

Yeah, exactly what whitemike said. That is how I fish all my jerkbaits whether it is a pointer, husky jerk, ripping minnow, or my new fav, the small X-rap. The olive color was a great bait for me this last year.

Plus it doesn't run as deep as the pointer or husky jerk so it should be perfect for your small pond fishing.

Like RW said the complete pause is the key