Shad Raps

Boy what a good early spring bait, I have a few q's for you.
Jointed or non-jointed?
and what makes those rattles sound different from other rattling baits?

try the blue and orange short bills for spring

Both styles serve the purpose in different situations but I prefer jointed if I had to choose only one...I think it gives more action, represents an injured bait fish more...

As for colors, they have some good one's but I prefer the trout colored. I have no idea about what makes the rattling sound different from any other bait...

The shadraps that work best for me don't have rattles. I like a #5 non-jointed in silver/blue if it's sunny, or red craw if it's muddy or not sunny. The #5's small hooks will do a long distance release a little more often than the bigger cranks though. Throwing it on a limber spinning rig with the drag set pretty light helps some with that.

try taking a suspend dot and putting it on the side of the bait during the really early spring. shad are still dying an this gives them a really weird sideways action that looks like a dying shad. i slayed them on barren like that last spring. won't work on a jointed one though.

That's an excellent idea dpage. Seems like it would work in the late fall when the cold water die off starts too.

Thanks guys,
This is one of my primary early pre-spawn patterns. I'll have to get me a couple non-jointed raps, I haven't looked for them because since my success on the jointed ones last spring, I was stuck on those. I like the idea of the suspend dot, I try this with the suspending jerk baits as well, although I wish they would work better with the dots in front of the jerk baits, but the bill I suppose doesn't let the head drop below the tail. I tried three dots in the front of a Mo Zuri jerk bait and the thing sank level. I think maybe if the head would fall below the tail, and an upward pull presentation would duplicate a shad kill better, need more practice.
Good luck and take care

There is another Rapala worth trying in late April and May this a fluorescent orange # 7 countdown Rapala.It only seems to work about a month in the spring.Just about any fish that will eat a minnow will hit this lure.

i like the idea with the suspending baits never thought that. try the dot on top over the head. never tred but it sounds good lol

>try taking a suspend dot and
>putting it on the side
>of the bait during the
>really early spring. shad
>are still dying an this
>gives them a really weird
>sideways action that looks like
>a dying shad. i
>slayed them on barren like
>that last spring. won't
>work on a jointed one
>though.