Embarassed to ask!

I know that at my age I should know the answer to this, but I don’t. All of you refer to shadraps as size 5 and 7, etc. How do you know the size of these things. I have a few in boxes and even though they are different sizes the all have the #5 on the box. For example I have a 5s which is 5 cm 2″ and 1/16 oz and a FR-5S Fatrap that is 5″ 2cm and 5/16 oz. One has a small lip and the other is a Deep Runner that has a long lip. They run at totaly different depths. Sorry for such a dumb question. After you are don with this question maybe someone can tell me what “pitching from the stretch” is in Baseball!!

No dumb questions are allowed on this site so since it made it to the board, well, you know the rest.
Very good question airpart. Without having a bunch of cranks in my lap here I can only tell you to pay attention to the model name and size of the bait when in the tackle shop. Some baits may have a similar size number but the model name is quite differentand that’s where the difference in size comes in.
I sometimes get confused when reading reports from the guys on the board and they say they were getting their fish on #7 raps for example. Was iit a shad rap, fat rap, floating rap, etc? There is a difference.
Hope someone else can explain it better than me.

I’ll take a crack at this.

The best place to answer your quesiton is to head to your nearest Rapala stocking baitshop/sporting goods retailer and start looking at all the different models. You’ll quickly become familiar with the differing models.

Now, what they all have in common is a size designation within that model, which most consistantly seems to pertain to the body size/length as opposed to weight or running depth.

The Shad Rap has the diving lip. The stunted lip is the Shallow Shad Rap. Then there’s the jointed Shad Rap, the Fat Rap, Rattlin’ Fat Rap (discontinued but can still be found from time to time), and the Rattlin’ Suspending Shad Rap. You may also see Risto Raps, which have a little longer lip than a Fat Rap or Shad Rap and has a body that looks like a blend between the two. These too have been dicontinued but can be found from time to time.

No matter the model, the smaller the number, the smaller the lure body size, and if you know the lure’s “typical” behaviors, you should be able to judge the size and model needed according to your lure selection come fishing time.

This is probably hard to swallow in print……..so head to wherever you buy Rapalas and study them for a bit. You’ll soon see their “system” and quickly determine what is in your tackle box as well!

Good fun and good fishin’!

Thanks to both of you for your quick answers to my question. I think I get it, but I guess what I really wanted to know is which one of these is the one that gets down to 11 ft. The ones that I have been using are the floating ristorap (I think) and they only get down to about 6 to 7 feet. They are killers on white bass in fall, but I have only done fair to poor in the shallows on Eyes. Thanks again

Pitching from the stretch is when the pitcher, with runners on base, does not take a full windup before the pitch, basically just taking one step to the plate and throwing. It is when the pitcher does not “face up” to the plate and windup, but rather has one foot back against the rubber, and the other forward towards the batter, and then just steps with the forward foot and pushes off with the back foot to throw.

Some relievers always pitch from the stretch, and never from the “wind-up”.

Hope that explanation isn’t more confusing than it is helpful!!

WOW thanks for all the info. This is the greatest website on the planet!! Now about the stock market…… (lol)

would you guys say that normally the larger the size crank, the deeper it dives? or does it only have to do with the size of the lip?

The #7 deepdiver will run around the depth you are talking about. A #8 will pound bottom good at that depth. The deepdivers have the bigger longer bill and that will make them dive deeper. There are no dumb questions here and nobody knows all the answers so we are all in the same boat-learning to fish as things constantly changing in the fish’s world [cold water, warmer water, higher water level, lower water level, clear water, dirty water, etc.] and we must make changes according to the sitsuations. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have and if one person doesn’t know the answer someone else will. Welcome aboard. Thanks, Bill

Airpart

This can be majorly confusing as yo upointed out due to the fact that a company, like rapala, uses the same size designations to refer to the different sizes in a wide range of models.

The original Shad Rap Deep Divers come in the following sizes: 5, 7, 8, 9

Shad Rap RS’s (Rattling-Suspending): 4, 5, 7

Jointed Shad Raps: 4, 5, 7

Shallow Runners (AKA SSR’s): 5, 7, 8, 9

So the size is really only half the info one needs to “match the hatch” when trading info with another angler. Model is key as well. Typically, around here in the summer months, most anglers are refering to the Original Deep Divers that most anglers are intimately familiar with. Come winter, a #5 rap would likely be refering to an Original Floating Rapala stickbait…. not the deep diver. So… when someone throws out some info about a bite stating they caught such and such on a #7 Rap… don’t hesitate to request some additional info to clarify.

Hope this helps more than it clouds an already goofy numbering system.

An equal size Risto Rap should dive deeper than an equal sized Shad Rap. The size of the bait is the length of the body of the bait in centimeters not including the bill.

How deep a bait will dive is based on several factors.

1. Length of the bill.
2. Angle of the bill relative to the bait.
3. Line tie placement.
4. Length of the bait
5. Fluid dynamics of the bait.
6. Weight balance of the bait.
7. Line size used with the bait.

There are probably more.

Here are some genaralizations for the above 7 characteristics:

1. The longer the bill relative to the length of the body, the deeper the bait will dive. This is very dependent on #2.

2. The more in line the bill is with the bait, the deeper it will dive.

3. Generally a bait with the line tie on the bill will dive deeper than one with the line tie on the body.

4. Generally a longer bodied bait with the exact same size and angle bill will dive deeper than a shorter bait with the exact same size and angle bill.

5. Larger, fatter bodied baits will not dive as deep as more slender ones, all things else being equal. Yes, even hook size makes a difference on the same bait.

6. Some baits have counter weights in the bills which points the lure down and will get it deeper than an equal bait without the weight.

7. Generally, the thinner the line used, the deeper a bait will dive. Length of line let out trolling or cast also makes a difference to a point.

I think the only thing that was missed was speed.

Great post, rmartain

Airpart, I think that there’s a reference book you might be interested in. It’s called the Precision Trolling Guide and it’s got graphs and tech data on all sorts of plugs, including just about every Rapala product ever made.

– Rick

Thanks for the info on the book.I’ll try to get a copy somewhere.