In front of our group of houseboat guests for this years In Depth Outdoors/Rainy Lake Houseboat excursion I was asked to talk in further detail about the “Max Rap” from Rapala. Many of the anglers simply had great quesions for both James and I to answer. I figured sharing some of the highlights per my particular presentation might be of interst to those of you stuck at work this week!! 
I grabbed a stick and laced up a “Max Rap” while detailing precisely how I like to work the bait. I touched on the most common mistakes anglers can make when working a suspending model bait such as the Rapala “Max Rap”.
The most common oversight starts immediately after the cast is made. Many anglers will bomb that….. “Max Cast” and seemingly be astonished at the distance it has gone; THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO TAKE A BITE OF YOUR SANDWICH; 
Fisherman at times lack the rythm involved to quickly go from cast to hookset positioning. Accomplished anglers will often drop a bait directly within the “Wheelhouse” of the fish being targeted. Assuming your cast is even within the area code of the big fish, it becomes critical you immediately assume a position for success.
1. When casting your stickbait you can either feather the line to drop it in the desired position or snap your bail shut when you feel the bait has reached the “Drop Zone”. After doing either of these two options you will want to immediately drive the bait down with a quick snap or twitch. After this is done you will often receive many of your strikes. I’ve had numerous customers say to me; Granrud you get hit in the first couple twitches a LOT!! My reply “So do you!!” LOL!! The point being is if you haven’t taken up the slack and drove the bait down while in the kitchen of the big fish you will either not get bit or not ever know that you did. Work on this and catch MORE fish.
Working a stickbait takes a little coordination and practice, but can be simply lethal on fish of all species while they inhabit shallow waters. Guys that think this is simply take it out of the box and huck it out and lug in big fish….Will NOT have much success. Still with some basic understandings of what it is your trying to accomplish might make this presentation the most lethal in your tackle box.
The Second thing I touched on during the “Pre-Launch” seminar was Neutral Bouyancy. Any bait that features a Neutral Bouyancy factor is frankly extremely fine tuned. This means the bait will not sink or rise in the water column while at a standstill. What anglers often times forget is the add of clasps or leaders will of course alter the Neutral Bouyancy factor. There is a “Cause and Effect” for everything we do while working a bait.
2. One by one anglers learn how effective the “Max Rap” is in our fishing excursions. One thing that I believe makes my presentation more effective is my leaders of choice. For anglers that do not fish Pike infested waters this point will be moot. Still here on Rainy Lake we encounter our share of Razor Mouths in the large variety. I am currently hand crimping 50lb Fluoro leaders. Fluoro in itself will not SINK the nose of the “Max Rap” at a pause. Now on business end of the leader I simply crimp a sleeve off the included oval ring without a clasp. I loop the line through the sleeve and then through the oval ring and back through the sleeve. I pull the line tight and crimp it. This allows me to fish a 50lb Fluoro lead with very little alteration to the bouyancy factor of this incredible bait.
Hope this might be of help to a few of you who are looking to fish this bait or others.
I’ve said it a hundred times, but there are very fine details as it pertains to fishing that continue to seperate getting bit or getting bored. THIS my friends will put more fish in your boat. It is clearly up to you whether you share the information or continue to outfish your friends!! 
Pictured here in another Rainy lake VICTIM of the Flake Silver………MAX RAP 
See you on the water Team!! BE the boat with the net out.
