HAT’S OFF TO HOUGIE AND THE SITE

I agree 100%! I’ve learned more here in 6 months than the last 3 years of trial and error. Most of the eye guys in my area keep everything TOP SECRET. Other than following someone around and hounddogging them, there was no way to see what worked except trial and error.

One question on rattle traps, do you straight retrieve, stop and go, let them sink then retrieve…I’ve never used them much and have not had any luck when I did, except for some stump huggers!

Bye the way Mountain Man, your post are always excellent! I read everything here and use all that is appropriate for my area! Thanks to all!

I like to throw Rattletraps in rocky areas that look like likely smallmouth and walleye waters. I usually let them sink, then use a stop and go retrieve. I’ll switch to a straight retrive if fish are really hammering them. Rocks seem to be the key for me, if I’m not banging them off rocks, I’m not catching fish.

Ive not done much stop and go… fish sitting in shallow rocks are usually ready to rock… you just buz them with the trap and *wham*…. its as simple as that….. I like to cast paralel with the shoreline if I can and buzz them through water thats no more than about 2 foot deep….. they will work deeper water too…. but then you do want them to sink before starting the retrieve…. they are much cheaper than cranks and dont seem to snag as bad… for casting shallow rocks they are my “fav”…. though there are times when a lip bait will outdue them… I will always try the trap first….. they are an agressive method…. they cast easy, and they dont snag much….. oh yeah… and they really work…..

Mountain Man/Rooster:

I’m with you a 100%, I have caught more fish this year on the river than ever before. I just read the advise of all of the people catching fish and go do it. I just read the Tuck/Rivereyes advise on trolling cross current and cann’t wait to try it. I Love this site.

Edited by Will B on 08/23/01 02:27 PM.

I try both a constant retrieve and stop and go with rattle traps, stop and go is not the best in shallow rocks as snagging will occur. My favorite size is 3/4 oz and color is chartruese for the river. Also the floating models work well over weeds and rocks too, although I have only found them in 1/2 oz size. Traps are about my favorite bait for shallow walleyes, bass, and northerns.

For lake fishing I have found that the rattletrap is a fantastic bait for running over the deeper weedlines, say 8 to 12 feet of water. You will really want to rip the thing along. If you let it drop to much it will hang up on the weeds. Try to tick the tops of the weeds and rip it free if you get hung up. This will often produce the violent strikes that fishing with a rattletrap is known for. Fish take a big swipe at it and that may be what causes the hard strikes. In the river I have found the best results ripping it along with occasional pauses to let it drop like an injured baitfish. I’m with Rivereyes, my #1 chioce of crankbait but you have to get confident with it and understand it’s various applications (like any other lure). I am also with the others in saying that this website is beyond fantastic. Thanks to everyone for helping all of us better fisherman!

Two weeks ago I was fishing the biggest trap in my tackle box and started horsing around just jigging it off the bottom in about 7′ of water. It produced 2 bass and the largest northern I’ve ever caught in about a 10 minute period.

I’d never heard about anyone jigging with a trap before, but it sure seemed to work that day! Anybody else do something ‘unusual’ with a lure that it wasn’t designed for (keep it clean, please)?

I watched my dad do the very same thing in a very clear water. You could see and easy 15 feet and the fish were active coming into the evening hours. He threw it over the edge just because he had never used one and wanted to watch it. When he pulled it straight up, it gave a tremendously violent and rapid vibration that always triggered fish to come investigate. He could make them come and follow, but no strikes. It was pretty neat to watch!

You can say that less expensive part again , and I had no idea till I tried them that (like you said)they do snag a lot less and looking at there shape I was amazed at how well they cast. Lawrence

Ive know guys that use rattle traps ice fishing, they jig them agressively. At times the walleyes take the rattle trap and alot of the time they will take rod set up with a jig and minnow in the next hole over.

I’ve seen some really nice fish taken by guys jigging traps in place of blades. Apparently they fall a bit slower and with all the BB’s inside they obviously make one heck of a racket.

What’s the strangest way I’ve seen a lure used… or at least in a way not intended? I talked with a couple guys last fall trolling, yup trolling, skitter pops on leadcore. And they were doing well on some nice sauger off of Maiden Rock on Pepin. I’ve never even thought to play with that to even see how the “pops” ran through the water on lead….. but I know that’s what they were using to catch those fish as I saw it with my own eyes.

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net