Rapala Shadow Raps...

[OkobojiEagle 868]

I've been spending a little time this afternoon winnowing my jerkbait box and I'm stuck not knowing what to do with the Shadow Raps that are laying beside my assortment of LC Pointers, Staysee and X-Raps... I haven't been particularly successful with them when compared to the others I mentioned, but I'm not certain it isn't a confidence thing and I haven't given them enough time to prove themselves.  Weigh in if you've been successful with your Shadow Raps!  (I'm thinking through my Spring/Fall fishing and not suggesting July/Aug is the time I'm fishing them.)

 

oe

[Smokinal 1,369]

That's one of those baits I had to have but I think I've thrown once? When I want to throw a jerk I reach for the 110. Not sure when I would throw the Shadow over the 110. I guess where there are rocks i could hit lol

[Jeff H 651]

Won't go without mine, Ive done very well with them.  Blue Ghost is my killer.

[Scott F 3,223]

I've gotten smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, pike, muskie, catfish and drum on Shadow Raps. The only way you don't catch fish with them is to leave them in your tackle box.

[BuzzHudson19c 319]

I like them and have done pretty well. For whatever reason, they tend to catch a lot of bluegill. Not that I want to catch them, but every time I throw a shadow rap, I will at some point catch a bluegill.

[Attila 570]

When I started using them on bass I did well...then the musky started ravaging them too.   But they do work well, and I'll be throwing some tomorrow.

[Chance_Taker4 402]

I used to only throw the xcalibur eeratic but when they were discontinued I when searching for a new jerkbait now the only one in my box is xraps and shadow raps. Shadow raps tend to work better on pressured water and spring fall but I'm not afraid to throw it anytime. My go to colors are ghost and carbon. The only 110 I can compare to is the eeratic and they are leaps and bounds better.

[smalljaw67 2,136]

The very first outing with the Shadow Rap I had was all it took for me to be on board!!! I got 2 to try, after the first trip I drove to Cabela's and grabbed another 10, moss back shiner and ghost shiner have been the 2 patterns that have been the best but albino shiner has been the winner if the water has a little stain to it.

[Yeajray231 2,166]

If it says rapala on it , I feel like I will catch a fish with it. I have to be in the top ten of biggest rapala fans on this site. 

 

I own a few of the shadow raps, my best color is like a charcoal or black ghost . They catch fish right out of the box... 

 

But with the shadow rap (and most lures ) timing and retrieval are the most important ingredients in your success.  I have many jerkbaits from several different companies and have caught fish with them all.. 

 

Any bait that mimics a baitfish will catch bass year round . 

[OkobojiEagle 868]

I guess they'll stay in the box for a while yet and I'll try to have them tied on more often...

 

 

oe

[Burntorangefan 25]

I'll combine a couple of comments and weigh in:

 

I really like Shadow Raps and they work very well.  That being said, I don't pick them over 110s and typically throw them when I'm targeting a narrow area and I'm worried about damaging a 110 or in musky water.  I literally lost (2) 110s in the spring to separate tiger muskies and it's hard to explain the feeling of losing $50 in tackle when it was doing what it was designed to do!

[gimruis 515]

I bought 3 of these in various colors and running depths 2 years ago when they first came out because they were on sale 3 for $20.  At the time it seemed like a great investment since they normally were about 10 bucks each.  I tried them several times last season and couldn't even get a friggin' pike to go at one!  So I kind of gave up using them until this spring when I gave them another chance for some suspended smallmouth on Mille Lacs.  They were effective, especially the perch pattern which is a dominant forage species for this lake.

[Mad Scientist 9]

On a side note regarding the Shadow Rap - is cracking still an issue? I remember some discussion and a video about them cracking fairly easily. Was this ever really a problem, and if so does it remain as such?

[smalljaw67 2,136]

11 hours ago, Burntorangefan said:

I'll combine a couple of comments and weigh in:

 

I really like Shadow Raps and they work very well.  That being said, I don't pick them over 110s and typically throw them when I'm targeting a narrow area and I'm worried about damaging a 110 or in musky water.  I literally lost (2) 110s in the spring to separate tiger muskies and it's hard to explain the feeling of losing $50 in tackle when it was doing what it was designed to do!

 

I have a few original Vision 110s because I got them when they were hyped as being the best thing since sliced bread. They are a good bait but just like every other bait there are times and places that one bait works better than another. I know some will find it hard to believe but I've had days when a RC STX was getting crushed when I couldn't get a sniff on a 110 in the same color, and I also had days when a 110 was the only jerkbait they would hit. When that Shadow rap is on, a 110 won't get much play, it has happened to me a lot, and why is something we'll never know but I discovered a few things that seems to point to the suspending properties of a lure that make a difference. I found that if the fish aren't willing to chase, the RC ST was better than a 110 and the same thing with the Shadow Rap, if the fish were more lethargic the Shadow Rap seemed to work 100% better than a 110, and the reason is simple, the 110 is a slow riser. Most suspending baits will rise, but the rate they rise is how I gauge them, if a bait rises 1 foot in less than 5 seconds it is a floater, 5 to 8 seconds it is a slow riser and 10 seconds it is a suspender and the 110 is a slow rising bait that does best when fish are willing to move a little further and faster. The 110 is a great bait but a lot of times that Shadow rap is more effective.

[Chance_Taker4 402]

On ‎7‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 6:16 PM, Burntorangefan said:

I'll combine a couple of comments and weigh in:

 

I really like Shadow Raps and they work very well.  That being said, I don't pick them over 110s and typically throw them when I'm targeting a narrow area and I'm worried about damaging a 110 or in musky water.  I literally lost (2) 110s in the spring to separate tiger muskies and it's hard to explain the feeling of losing $50 in tackle when it was doing what it was designed to do!

This is why I don't have any 110s $25 for a jerkbait is absurd just like $15-$25 for a 1.5 crankbait