Trapping A Bass
by Tom Lester
In our ongoing quest to find new and
improved ways to catch more bass, sometimes the answer is right
before our very eyes. So often the most effective means of
boating more fish is so simple, we simply overlook it. Chances
are it is right in front of you, but you don’t see it. It’s
like not being able to see the forest, for the trees, so to
speak.
What is it? The ol' reliable
Rat-L-Trap. That’s right, the simple-looking, easy to use,
noisy, baitfish-imitating lure we all have in our tackleboxes
that we’ve been using for years, a Rat-L-Trap.
Rat-L-Traps are the number one
selling bait in America. There is a good reason for that… they
catch fish. Anglers everywhere have used a Rat-L-Trap at one time
or another in their fishing. Chances are they caught fish on 'em.
The Rat-L-Trap is a “go to” for everyone from the beginning
anglers to long-time touring professional anglers,
Chunk 'n reel. The Rat-L-Trap is
a bait that can be used in a variety of ways. The most common way
to use the bait is what I call the basic “chunk and reel”
method. Chunk it out there and reel it back in relatively fast
hoping to trigger a strike from a feeding fish or generate a
reactionary strike from a passive fish. If that doesn’t work,
you can try slowing it down a bit allowing the bait to work a
little deeper. Often this subtle little difference will result in
more strikes.
Yo-yo retrieve. One of my
favorite ways to use the bait is probably the most underused
presentation of all, a yo yo retrieve. I use this approach when
fishing the bait off of main lake and secondary points and around
the edges of creek channels when the fish are not real active.
Cast the bait out and let it fall to the bottom. Once on the
bottom, quickly pull it up a foot or two and stop allowing the
bait the flutter back down imitating a wounded or dying baitfish.
The presentation of an easy meal may very well cause a
non-feeding fish to go ahead a eat your bait simply because its
there and its easy. The result, you catch a fish.
Variety. Rat-L-Traps come in a
variety of sizes, colors and styles. Some sparkle, some have
spinners on them, some have a plastic bill on them for diving
deeper, some float and others will suspend. There is so many, it’s
sometimes hard to figure out which one to use. If you find
yourself in this situation, like I so often do, go back to the
basics. The ½ ounce chrome with a blue back, chrome with a black
back or a gold with a black back are my standard baits. On cloudy
days, early morning or late evening, I use the gold color. When
the sun is bright, you can’t go wrong with the chrome.
Grass. Last month I fished a BASS
tournament at Sam Rayburn. The tournament was won on a Rat-L-Trap
being fished over scattered grass (hydrilla). Several other
anglers, including myself, caught fish on Rat-L-Traps in the
grass.
When fishing these baits around grass, you need to be using a
high speed reel with a gear ratio of 6:1 or better on a medium
action rod. This will allow you to literally rip the bait through
the grass triggering strikes. If the fish are aggressive, they
will usually hit the bait just as you pull it loose from a snag
in the grass. If the fish are not real aggressive, you may need
to scale down to a ¼ ounce Rat-L-Trap in order to slow the bait
down enough to get bit; yet keep it from staying hung up in the
grass due to the slower retrieve needed to generate strikes. This
is where having a variety of colors and sizes of baits come in
handy.
I really love fishing Rat-L-Traps over grass. The bait looks
like the forage the bass are feeding on - a shad - and the noise
from the rattles inside seems to attract the fish even when they
are buried up in the thick grass. When a grass bass hits the
bait, it usually inhales the thing.
Red Zone. Another bait to use
over grass is the Red Zone Rat-L-Trap, it suspends. After
cranking it down during the retrieve, you can stop the bait and
it will suspend allowing the fish more time to see and strike the
bait. You can also use it like a jerk bait while it is
suspending, then continue the normal retrieve. This lure is also
highly effective on pre-spawn fish in creeks that are suspending
between the creek channel and their spawning areas in shallower
water.
Hook replacement. As a tournament
angler, keeping a fish on after hooking it can mean the
difference between making a paycheck and not making one. That’s
why I always replace the hooks on my Rat-L-Traps when fishing a
tournament. The hooks that come on the bait are okay for pleasure
fishing or pre-fishing a tournament, but when it really counts, I
want a good sharp hook that increases my chances of landing the
fish.
The next time you’re at the
lake or your favorite body of water and you can’t figure out
what lure to use to catch ole’ bucketmouth, remember the answer
may have been sitting there all along. There’s a good reason
everyone you talk to has a few in their box, the Rat-L-Trap
simply catches fish.
Until next time, enjoy the Texas outdoors.
Tom Lester
| Author Information.
 Tom Lester owns and operates Four Seasons
Lawnscape, a landscape and lawn maintenance service, in
Corsicana, Texas. He has fished for most of his 36 years to
some degree or another. He fishes competitively in bass
tournaments and is beginning his professional bass fishing career
in the BASS invitational circuit and the Everstart Series.
Tom lives with his wife, Kelly, in Corsicana, Texas, only a
few miles from Richland-Chambers reservoir, one of the hottest
new bass lakes to open in Texas in the past ten years. He
formerly resided in Cleburne, Texas, where he guided part-time
for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Tom is currently on the
field staff for Abu Garcia, Norman Lures,
Inspiration Lures, and Bill Lewis Lures, and on the pro staff for
Kalin's,
CastAway
Rods, P-Line,
and Nuwave Products.
Tom enjoys fishing, hunting and writing his outdoor column for
the Corsicana Daily Sun and freelance writing. He is a
former high school Agricultural Science instructor and animal
health pharmaceutical sales rep. He graduated from Texas
A&M University with a B.S in Agricultural Education and a
Master of Education degree. Tom likes being his own boss so
he can take off to go fishing, whenever he likes, and leave his
wife in charge of the business.
Email Tom at lester01@airmail.net
Visit Tom at his web site: Fishing
Pro Staff |
|
