Got a few hits on a trap today casting from shore at a local pond. I hooked into one but he shook it. I think I got another hit, but it could have been the bait bumping something, although I am pretty keen on the difference between a strike and bump now. I recently watched a video on Concast On-Demand where KVD was instructing how to use a lipless bait properly. He said that if you just use a straight retrieve you are cheating yourself. He said he likes to let it drop to bottom and rip it and pop it back to the boat, hopefully bumping things on the way. He said this is the way you ghet big strikes. I tried this method and I only got one strike when I was toying the bait in, and none on a straight retrieve. They showed some nice underwater action of the lure when he was retrieving it(I not only find this interesting, but very helpful as well as you can see what the bait is actually doing) and no wonder why it gets strikes. He said he likes the 1/2 ounce and 3/4 ounce best because they allow for a long cast. I figure they cause mor eosund and vibration and offer a hungry bass a worth while meal to expend energy on trying to chase down. KVD also said his favorite lipless rod is a 7' glass rod that is sensitive to feel the bait. Just thought I;d share this.

I have always heard fall is a great time to throw lipless baits since bass are out schooling on bait fish. Just make sure you "work" this bait, and don;t just reel it in.

Well, who can argue with KVD?

Still, I think "where" you fish is far more important than "how" you fish.

I have good success with a steady retrieve around stucture and/or cover.

My experience has been that the "speed" of your retrieve is important,

sometimes slow, at other times fast. When fish are active and

aggressive, burning a lure back to you can be very rewarding.

" He said that if you just use a straight retrieve you are cheating yourself. " What he should have said is, if you only use a straight retrieve you are cheating yourself. Bump and run, or yoyoing the bait is nothing new. Use varied retrieves and you will find what they want, assuming that bait is working at the moment.

The weight varies by depth desired: 1/2 ounce is good to about 3-4 feet on a steady retrieve - 3/4 ounce is good to about 5-7 feet.

Im not sure if its the area i live, or what im doing, but I never caught one damb fish on a trap and iv been trying for a while now

i consider it the most overrated lure, but i know that statement is ignorant.....how about overated for my use...

i have tryed everything, and watched the same exact video the poster did on ondemand.....

i give up, maybe ill try the smaller size one

First advice I will give if you have the actual Rat-L-Trap:  change the cheap, dull, "no fish is gonna stay hooked on these" hooks that most of the baits come with.  

You are correct that fall is a great time for traps.  I have several lakes that have grass flats and the shad school up on them in the fall and the bass follow.  Retrieves can vary from buring the bait just under the surface to ripping it out of the grass.  Just try different retrieves and let the fish tell you what they want.

Brad