My buddy caught a bass on a trap the other day. I've caught a few here and there but I never really ever fish a trap or any other lipless. So I decided to focus on them for a bit.

 

I fished the private pond wednesday with one, caught a bass, then lost the lure, in this case it was a Super Spot.

 

Today I fished the pond with a 1/4oz super spot and had 3 hits, but they all came unbottoned. I guess I need to set the hook a bit harder. I mostly just reeled into them, though one I thought was grass.

I sort of always thought of traps as cold water baits, but I decided to give them a go in the dog days and they seem to be working. Any tips are appreciated.

2 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Any tips are appreciated.

 

Ok, here ya go!

 

 

 

I fish lipless baits more than other crank baits.

 

i like them when fish are on flats or for paralleling banks.

 

i can sort of play with depth and speed and i like that I can let them fall and then rip or lift them back up mid retrieve.  
 

The old yo yo retrieve has caught my largest lipless bass at 9 lb 3 oz in January paralleling rip rap.

 

I think they work better in more conditions and types of cover and they seem to be capable of a much less mechanical much more natural retrieve cadence like  jig.

9 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I fish lipless baits more than other crank baits.

 

i like them when fish are on flats or for paralleling banks.

 

i can sort of play with depth and speed and i like that I can let them fall and then rip or lift them back up mid retrieve.  
 

The old yo yo retrieve has caught my largest lipless bass at 9 lb 3 oz in January paralleling rip rap.

 

I think they work better in more conditions and types of cover and they seem to be capable of a much less mechanical much more natural retrieve cadence like  jig.

Pretty much covers it

 

 

 

 

Mike

I fish lipless and floating crankbaits in the same areas. Usually around coontail or milfoil this time of year. If the bass aren’t interested in a floating crankbait with a wide wobble, I’ll try a lipless crankbait. 

Yep.  What pat brown said.

 

And you’re right- they ARE great early season cold water baits.  Throw them across a grass flat where the grass hasn’t started growing yet and you just have a few clumps around.  Burn it through there and when it catches a clump, pop it free for a reaction bite.

 

Also, keep in mind that among lipless crankbaits there are a couple different types.  A trap is more of a cast and retrieve with some pops type.  A red eye shad type will yo-yo better because of the weight placement down low.  A RES in the same weight as a trap will fish deeper (and faster for a given depth) compared to a trap.

Here in Florida I have tried all shapes and sizes and colors, and the one I catch the most on is a medium sized lure that is blue and silver flash foil. I keep a dedicated rat'l trap rod at the ready and is a go to for awesome schoolie action or when I see an actively feeding fish I can cast to quickly.

 

It is a lure I can cover a lot of water with and at different depths and speeds and let flutter down into holes or rip it. One of my top 10 lures year round for sure.

 

I try and match the hatch as much as possible but they like the blue around here. How strange is it to see a baitfish lure colored like a crawfish bottom feeder? If it works, it works.

@Pat Brown summed it up perfectly. 

I love a trap. Used to do very well on them on saltwater. Snook and redfish actually love them. That said I get sick and tired of cleaning filamentous algae and crap off a trap in ponds and lakes. It’s a lure I just don’t enjoy haha. 
 

my wife caught her PB on a craw colored red eye shad on a lake we had in Florida that was actually a pretty clean one vegetation wise. 

10 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Today I fished the pond with a 1/4oz super spot and had 3 hits, but they all came unbottoned. I guess I need to set the hook a bit harder.

I have a drawer full of Cotton Cordells and I fish one every single time I fish.  The hooks are good for only one trip out (a few fish) as they get dull quickly.  I put Owner hooks on them and they last an eternity.  

 

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

paralleling rip rap.

All great advice from Mr. Brown and I'm emphasizing this.  Bang that Super Spot along rip rap in conditions when the fish should be up feeding and you're going to have a great day at the lake.  

I fish a trap when the bass wont bite billed crankbait, and fish a billed crankbait when they wont bite a trap.  I give each a few casts and let the bass tell me what they want.  I tend to throw lipless around grass or open water, and other crankbaits around wood, and rock.  

Any more I throw Red Eye Shads and almost always hop them along the bottom. I dont throw lipless around wood. I'm just not good enough to finesse through without hanging up.

I keep a lipless tied on virtually all the time, mostly Redeyes in “Natural Shad”, but switch to a Cordell Spot when burning it over grass.
 

Back in the day when Cordell had the “G finish” spot in Smokey Joe, it was a clear water/sunny day killer. They should have never discontinued it (or have just abandoned the Spot lineup like they did in general).

 

With the Redeye, I like to hop it down banks and points like I would a bladed jig - raise it up/reel at the same time then just kill it. It gets absolutely hammered on the fall. 

Another way to look at it might be to ask when to throw a standard crankbait vs a lipless. For example if I'm on a rocky bank w/ no boat or kayak then probably a squarebill. If I'm in a kayak pond that I know gets down to 10 feet and I think they are on bottom then probably a mid diver that goes down to 10-12 feet.

 

On the other hand if I am in a huge body of water or have no idea where they are going to be in the water column that's where the beauty of the lipless is for me. If it turns out they are on the bottom you can bounce it. If they are at 5 feet you can fish it at that depth. Also if there's grass around it can be a better choice. You can also switch over to a standard crankbait once you figure out where they are but for example if the water depth is 40 feet unless you have one of those huge lures with a gigantic bill that drills into the center of the earth (and a rod that can actually handle it) then a lipless is actually still a better bait since you can still bounce it along the bottom.

 

To sum it up the lipless is unique due to it's versatility so in my opinion it's better to start with that and then ask when it makes sense to go with a standard one and for me that's usually when you think you figured out where they are and want to try and target them at that depth.

Not much to add that hasn't been covered already. I would suggest tailoring your lipless to the retrieve you want to do. The Rat-L-Trap, for example, is excellent for burning on a straight retrieve, but not the most effective with other lipless retrieves. The Rapala Rattlin' Rap is another one that excels at a straight retrieve but has a less aggressive sound profile.

 

Baits like the SK Red-Eyed Shad, Thunderhawk Sergeant, Booyah Hard/One Knocker, 6th Sense Quake, Bill Lewis Hammer Trap, Jackall TN, Berkley Warpig, etc are really good at yo yoing, jigging, stop and go, etc, but still great on a straight retrieve or ripping grass.

 

Pay attention to your sound profiles, too. Pressured fish might not go for an obnoxiously loud bait like the Rat-L-Trap, but the Rattlin' Rap or the silent Thunderhawk Sergeant can trigger those fish on the same retrieve. One Knocking baits can also be the ticket here. Not just around pressured fish, but in higher visibility water, as well.

 

If I could only take one, it would be a 50/50 call between the 1/2 Booyah One Knocker (one in Copper Shiner was responsible for my biggest lipless fish at 9lb 1oz yo yoing through a shad ball in late fall), or the 3/4 oz Thunderhawk Sergeant. Both very versatile in that they can do any of your common lipless retrieves.

 

You mentioned fish coming unbuttoned, it's something you'll have to live with throwing a lipless, but you can mitigate it. Throwing a rod with a much softer tip, specifically a crankbait rod, will help absorb a lot of the fish's head shakes and keep them pinned. I throw them on a Dobyns Fury 705CB, paired with a 7:1 Curado 150 MGL spooled with 15lb fluoro and my landing percentage is vastly higher than when I was throwing the same rod with braid, or throwing mono/fluoro on stiffer rods. Some baits, like the Thunderhawk Sergeant, also have rotating/swiveling hooks that also help keep the fish from getting leverage and throwing the bait.

On the topic of rattles, it pays to have some “silent” lipless cranks on hand. In really clear, pressured water a quiet bait like the Damiki Tremor Silent in a natural color can elicit some bone jarring strikes. 
 

 

I’m with @king fisher. Two weeks ago I was catching them on a crank. This morning, we fished the same lake and they didn’t want the crank, they only wanted a lipless. Same lake, similar conditions, both times paralleling drop offs. 

4 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I try and match the hatch as much as possible but they like the blue around here. How strange is it to see a baitfish lure colored like a crawfish bottom feeder? If it works, it works.

You mean kinda like this?

Yep. That's it.

 

I just searched for the history of the rat'l trap and found an article. I hope its OK to post a link to an article? I surely do not want to break any rules. Gonna go read them again. I want to sell some stuff and gotta a book of rules to read first!

 

https://bass-archives.com/the-rat-l-trap/

I fish from the bank and mostly like to use a lighter 3/8oz. & 3/16oz. Rapala Rattlin' Rapala in rip rap because of the slower fall with better control in shallow water -- Red Craw. Fewer Snags. Like the Bill Lewis for 1/4oz size -- Red. And not all lipless cranks are the same ... 

Good Fishing

1 hour ago, GreenTrout said:

Rapala Rattlin' Rapala in rip rap

I use to catch a lot of bass with a Bayou Boogie along riprap. I may I lost them all. I might have one left. 

49 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I use to catch a lot of bass with a Bayou Boogie along riprap. I may I lost them all. I might have one left. 

The Bayou Boogie was a classic. Still got a couple hanging around. The Heddon Super Sonic was another solid player that would be nice to bring back. 

4 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

Yep. That's it.

 

I just searched for the history of the rat'l trap and found an article. I hope its OK to post a link to an article? I surely do not want to break any rules. Gonna go read them again. I want to sell some stuff and gotta a book of rules to read first!

 

https://bass-archives.com/the-rat-l-trap/

I have 1 suspending Rat’L’Trap left. I bought them in about 94-95 

I was looking around and found this on the RedZone by none other than our very own Catt.. RIP Catt, miss you. 

I throw a lipless when I want to catch fish. I also throw a lipless because they catch big bass. I have caught two largemouth PB's on them both DD's. The late great Catt caught his PB on one as well. @Pat Brown caught a trophy on one. I'm sure others have scored some PB's on them as well.