Suspending jerkbait mimics dying minnow’s last movements to trigger bites; see how to fish it in video below
Combining a horizontal struggle with a vertical fade that mimics a minnow’s final quivering moments, the Rapala Shadow Rap suspending jerkbait triggers bites as predator fish move in for an easy meal.
“The Shadow Rap does something I’ve never seen another bait do — I call it the ‘death quiver,’” said three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and 2014 Forrest Wood Cup Champion Randall Tharp. “When you pause it on slack line, it shimmies from side to side as it’s suspending there. So even when it’s sitting still, it looks just barely alive.”
The lure is being unveiled to the public this week at the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell, where Rapala pros Mike Iaconelli, Brandon Palaniuk, Ott DeFoe and Jacob Wheeler plan on making it part of their arsenal. Click here to see a video of the groupp discussing the lure.
“That fading away action I think might just be the ticket to getting those fish to bite down there at Hartwell,” said Wheeler. “That bait does stuff that not another bait out there in the market does.”
While most jerkbaits follow a forward trajectory with each twitch of the rod tip, the Shadow Rap’s action stands out.
“Not only will it dart side to side, but with a certain jerk, you can make it spin around almost 180 degrees,” Tharp said. “But it also moves vertically too — it will dive down, then move up.”
So a Shadow Rap will trigger bites on its initial kick and its snap back to life, as well as on its slow-fading fall.
Featuring a minnow body profile, flat sides and metallic finish with textured scales, the Shadow Rap is designed to target bass and other gamefish in 2 to 4 feet of water, while the Shadow Rap Deep targets fish in 4 to 8 feet.
Both models come armed with three No. 6 VMC Black Nickel Round Bend Hooks and are available in 14 color patterns: albino shiner, blue back herring, blue ghost, bone, bud, carbon, clown, ghost, ghost shiner, moss back shiner, olive green, purpledescent, silver and yellow perch.
Each measures 4 3/8 inches and weighs 7/16 of an ounce.The Shadow Rap and Shadow Rap Deep are available at sporting goods stores nationwide. For more information on the lures, click here.
To see a video on how to fish the Shadow Rap, click here.
