Another Rippin Rap ??

I picked up a couple Rippin Raps two weeks back with the intentions of committing some time to them when at Lake Erie next week. I had a few fives…. but bought 7’s for this plan. After seeing this week’s IDO, and the big fish they were boating with 6’s, it has me questioning my choice.

Not wanting to buy some of both… is there a driving reason for say 7’s over 6’s?

I expect to be using them in 6-12′ of water, on the reefs where I expect mostly males to be.

Going out on a limb here and saying the weight had more of a factor in the bait of choice from the Green Bay episode (referring to size/profile only, not color). #6 comes in at 1/2oz- 2.5″ while the #7 is almost twice that at 7/8 oz 2.75″. Couldn’t see the exact rods they were using but looked like Avid’s and Legend Extremes. Guessing 68MXF or 610MLXF rods were used… Tough to throw #7’s with those IMO.

If you don’t bring #6’s, that’s what they will be biting on. If you go buy a bucketload of #6’s, they’ll biting on #4’s… isn’t that how it goes???

This is just my $0.02. Good luck Chuck!

I bought four #6 for this weekend. As stated, I’m sure they will be hitting on #7! In all seriousness, this show makes me buy an awful lot of stuff… Their sponsors should be giving them raises!

My thinking from watching the show would be that the #6 was used to fish from the shoreline out to say a break. I would think that the #7 would be better suited for a little later in the season fishing from the deep back to the boat on the edge of the flat. 7/8 oz. is a lot of weight to fling into 6′ – 8′ of water.

Thanks. Wasn’t sure if it was purely a weight on depth decision, or based purely on size and drop speed with the lighter size 6. Just seems the fish were slamming it… and wouldn’t have been shy of it other size.

I can see it is a weight…. and less so size consideration.

I have both the 6’s and 7’s and I think the 6 is the perfect size. 7 seems a little big for the waters I fish. And the 6 weighs plenty to fish deeper water. Just my opinion though

The lake I fish, I prefer the 6’s but I don’t go out hoping to catch anything bigger than a 25″er (it would just be a bonus). All of the fish I catch on the 6’s are between 14″ and 20″. If my lake had a good population of larger fish I would consider the 7’s

I like the #6. I’ll throw the #7 occasionally, and rarely the #5. If I were stuck with a #6 forever I’d be happy 90% of the time. And the 6’s catch big fish just like the rest of them. Go back to the store!

Making the trip to exchange tomorrow… thanks all.

Any of you guys put bigger hooks on the 6s? They seem a little small.

Mike, I completely agree. I upsize the hooks on all of them.

Mike W wrote:

Any of you guys put bigger hooks on the 6s? They seem a little small.

Yep = Gama EWG’s Sticky little things

I like that ideal of a bigger hooks. ?? The area I hope to use these in is a rather snaggy reef area (Erie next week). Would you just change the back hook, or both?

Went to two local Ganders last night, since this weekend… 80% of the stock of size 6’s were gone, all of the Green UV’s. James and IDO are doing a good job selling these things

Re size. If you check back two seasons (show at same location), they slammed them using the larger rippin raps. Result, I now have both sizes. Fleet Farm will have all sizes on sale Saturday, for five bucks!

Lure size has nothing to do with the size of fish caught…..for the most part. Back in its heyday, here on mille lacs, when most walleye caught were 20″ to 27″, I caught alot of them on #5 shadraps. There was one specific color, a “green” one that worked very well, when larger baits did not produce. I know someone who would buy out certain baits in stores around areas where a walleye tournament was being held. The half hour infomercials…….fishing/hunting shows are on the air to make the sponsors money. It looks like James is doing his job. Just remember, 3 to 5 fish caught in an outing can make a half hour show, it all depends on how good of an editor you have on staff and the gift of gab the shows star has.

There’s a bunch of different ways to catch fish… for me, trying the rippin rap thing is more about something different. Dedicating a certain amount of time to learning something new, and having fun doing it. Catching fish will be a bonus.

Another show filmed in G Bay, maybe even the same day as the IDO show (Larry Smith Outdoors) worked hard to sell Kalin plastics. Funny, three guys in the boat, and four of the first five fish were caught by a guy tossing a blue/silver rip pin rap. I’ve done the big plastic thing… and like that as well. This will be new. Did I get the ideal from the last two years of show up there, sure. But it is about something new, more so than the best hot way to catch fish.

I am not knocking James or any other producers of outdoor shows. As much as babe winkelman uses the catch line”teaching America to fish”, he wants you to go out and buy the brand boat he is running this season and all the other equipment he is using, right down to the coffee he is drinking. If rippin raps are hot, by all means, go out and fill the tackle box up with them, if they don’t work out, somebody will snach them up here on the classified ads.

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike W wrote:</div>
Any of you guys put bigger hooks on the 6s? They seem a little small.

Yep = Gama EWG’s Sticky little things

Just curious if you think the treble’s on a Rippin Rap are inferior, or if you just like the Gama’s better? Seems ridiculous to me, to buy a $8 bait and then have to make immediate improvements to it.

The RR hooks are razor sharp. They have enough give that I can pull them free of snags but not so much that a fish will bend the hooks in my experience. I’ve never seen a need to replace them unless they were damaged.

Had a few fish hit those raps and still miss the hooks. Dont think the fish are hook shy so why not go bigger.

Those fish on green bay do like the rippin raps but thats not all they are hitting. Sure was nice on sunday to get a plastic bite going again. Dam ripping raps start wearing out a shoulder after a while.

Mike W wrote:

Dam ripping raps start wearing out a shoulder after a while.

Always a good complaint to have at day’s end…..

FYI. Rippin Raps on sale this week at Fleet Farm $4.99. The old school rattle traps are on sale so.