A spinning reel buzzing, line squealing on a casting rod, and a lipless rattling in the water on a quiet morning are some of my favorite sounds.

Back when I fished tournaments, I kept a special stash of Rattle Traps.  I still have a few of them.  Not all visually identical lures catch fish the same way.   These special traps were the ones that caught more fish.   Many of them were so beat up the finish was worn off and all that was left was white plastic.  All I did was change the hooks.  I could fish some new lures and nothing.   I would tie on one of my stash Traps and a fish would come in the boat.  I attributed this to the sound made by the internal BBs.  Sometimes the glue would hold some in place and they would make a different sound than the rest.  I left it up to the fish to tell me which one worked better.   A Rattle Trap with no sound?  That's like a Ferrari with no engine. 

 

That said, there are times when fish want a different presentation.  If you suspect that's the case, I wouldn't fish a lipless crankbait, I would go to a spinner or blade bait.  The effectiveness of a rattling lure has a lot to do with the clarity of the water.  The clearer the water, the less noise you need to make.

 

 

Good perspective, Phil. For me, sound profile is one of the most important aspects of lipless fishing, and a silent lipless can be very deadly on fish that want that baitfish profile and tight wiggle but aren't committing to louder rattles. Of course, there are many times (as you said) where a lipless just isn't the ticket, silent or otherwise.

 

I touched on blade baits a couple of times in the thread, that I believed we see silent lipless crankbaits being discontinued in favor of blade baits which can be fished the same way. Traditionally I've always written them off as hardwater lures only, but I'm starting to come around.

On 9/12/2021 at 12:45 AM, LrgmouthShad said:

Yeah for real. Let us know how they do?

 

Bumping to update that I got my hands on one of those Thunderhawk silent baits. I was definitely wary given that the company is new, but it's a winner IMO. Comes stock with short shank EWGs, although I did swap out the split rings. Lure tracks true, has a tight wobble, a nice shimmy on the fall, and sits nose down on the bottom every time. Only a hundred or so casts with it, so time will tell, but the paint is holding up well. Still looks brand new, no hook rash or paint chipping from fish or rubbing hard bottom. The rotating hook hangers are a really nice feature, too.

 

I'm going to be picking up some of the rattling ones, as well.

1 hour ago, Aaron_H said:

 

Bumping to update that I got my hands on one of those Thunderhawk silent baits. I was definitely wary given that the company is new, but it's a winner IMO. Comes stock with short shank EWGs, although I did swap out the split rings. Lure tracks true, has a tight wobble, a nice shimmy on the fall, and sits nose down on the bottom every time. Only a hundred or so casts with it, so time will tell, but the paint is holding up well. Still looks brand new, no hook rash or paint chipping from fish or rubbing hard bottom. The rotating hook hangers are a really nice feature, too.

 

I'm going to be picking up some of the rattling ones, as well.

NICE. Thank you very much for the update. I might have to pick up a few ?. Darn bait monkey

On 8/12/2021 at 5:05 PM, BASS302 said:

@Aaron_H

I haven't tried either of these, but may be these would work?

 

 

or

PSA, don't let soft plastics touch these... the softener works on this bait too. I like it, but be careful letting a senko sit on it.

 

New Spro Silent Lipless is out.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Spro_Aruku_Shad_Silent_Lipless_Crankbait/descpage-ASSLC.html

In 1977 my favorite crankbait was a Heddon Sonic. All my friends loved Sonics too.  That summer I ordered a Rattle Trap out of my first Bass Pro Shops catalogue.  A friend and I went fishing the day after my rattle Trap arrived.  I was fishing the first trap the bass in that lake ever heard.  I caught fish every cast on my trap, and he got nothing on his Sonic.  I landed bass when I burned it, fished it slow bumping the bottom and in between.  Since that day, I have never fished a silent lipless crank.  I might have to break out one of my old Sonics and give it a try.  Maybe the bass I fish for now, haven't heard a silent bait yet.   

Does anyone currently make a silent lipless crankbait in a <= 1/4oz version?  A quick google search didn't show anything and my stash of old Cordell silent lipless crankbaits is running very low.

4 hours ago, QED said:

Does anyone currently make a silent lipless crankbait in a <= 1/4oz version?  A quick google search didn't show anything and my stash of old Cordell silent lipless crankbaits is running very low.

Drill a small hole in the belly of whatever bait you want to make silent, put a dab of superglue in the hole and shake, seal the hole with epoxy. 

Is there a reason to make a lipless silent? Most people I believe even tacticalbassin don't see a need?

1 hour ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Is there a reason to make a lipless silent? Most people I believe even tacticalbassin don't see a need?

When I'm fishing for pressured bass off shore , it seems like loud rattling crankbaits sometimes break up the school and scatters the fish .

5 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Is there a reason to make a lipless silent? Most people I believe even tacticalbassin don't see a need?

 

I mean, Matt and Tim talk about the importance of fishing a blade bait the same way you fish a lipless, and it's silent.... Just a different sound profile that I think may work better in certain situations. I only have a couple of silent ones, 99% of the time I'm throwing a rattling or one knocker style lipless.

Even silent ones make noise with the split rings and hooks .

"Silent" is definitely a bit of a misnomer, you're right. They still put off a lot of vibration, the hooks/split rings chatter a little, and sometimes the weight can come a little loose and knock a bit. But there is a vast difference in sound in the water vs one with a rattle. On the other hand, I think "silent" is an effective method of labeling the difference between the two.

2 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

and sometimes the weight can come a little loose and knock a bit

I have a Red Eye Shad like that . Its my favorite . I dont even like to fish it unless I'm pretty sure there are no snags to lose it on .