I have a few old suspending Rat-L-Traps. What is the optimal way to use them? Are they effectively useless? I mean... bass hit traps in winter already.

I fish them like a suspending jerkbait.

They suspend around 3’ to 5’, and can be a winner any time fish are being lethargic and not really chasing. While largely considered a “winter” bait, they work pretty much year round.

They work great over submerged grass in the warmer months. Pull them down and then it really is just like fishing a suspending jerkbait, except you just pull them instead of twitch them. I fish them the same way in the winter months, except there is no grass to fish them over.