OK, we've got the Pop-R vs Yellow Magic thread so let's get some input on this. Even though this isn't my prime time of the year for lipless crankbaits (I like 'em more in spring and fall) lets hear some opinions.


Rattletraps are cheap if you can catch them on sale and inexpensive at their regular price. I've caught a ton of bass on them ... all 3 major bass species. I love 'em.


I let a friend talk me into getting a couple of LC LVR (lipless vibrating rattle) in the 5/8oz(I think ... they're heavier than the RT). He swore they'd fish circle around the RT. I haven't found that to be true in my case. I know they have a different wobble and sound and the Rayburn bass see tons of rattletraps but they(LVR) haven't outproduced the RT for me.

At $16 dollars a whack I took a pretty good hit in the wallet for little return. It may change down the line as I'll keep fishing them especially early spring.

Feel free to throw in any other lipless rattle baits y'all like or don't like. I have had some OK results on the BPS XPS lipless rattlers too.

Old School - Pico Perch (frog)
New School - Strike King Red Eye Shad (548 color)
Outfish the expensive stuff 4 to 1
(That's why I don't stock em)

I saw some of the LC LVR's yesterday at BPS for $17, and almost swallowed my dip of snuff. Think I have to pass on those, however the LC Pointers are "Da Bomb"!!!

The rattle trap is one of the all time greatest lures ever made. It is a classic fish catcher along with the spinner bait, and crankbait. Anytime the bite gets hard, or I dont know a lake, I pull out one of these three and go to work, stick with it, and can usually end up putting a limmit in the boat.

I would not take another lipless crank bait over the rattle trap, however, one day I was outfished on choke canyon by a buddy who was throwing a different brand of lipless crankbait (dont remember which) while I was chunking the trap. It was about a 3 to 1 ratio.

I dont know if it was just luck, or if some of those other brands of lipless crankers are better than the trap. My guess would be that it was just luck, or that it was just better on that certain day. I will still claim the rattle trap over all other lipless cranks, but you wont find my tackle box without em either. Not the $17 ones though, they make others that look and do the same thing in my book.

I like to throw the Yo-Zuri Hardcore drum for a lipless bait. Spring pre-spawn and fall schooling.

IMO the two LC baits that are a "must have" are the Pointer 65 SP and the Rick Clunn .5 because there are no manufactures of a quality down-sized bait that compares to those two. The RC .5 is a small bait with big hooks that runs true out of the box. The RC .5 is smaller than most baits and will get bit when nothing else will.


I have a box full of LC and those two are consistently stellar performers. The rest work OK. I do like my Sammy 65 when conditions are right. For the Pointer and Sammy 65's you need a well tuned reel, medium-heavy rod with an x-fast tip and a max of 12lb line to get the action right. Anything less and you won't get the best out of em.

I throw the excaliber bait like the RT and really like it alot better. There is not that much difference in price between them.

For the money, the Rattle Trap is hard to beat.

i never have much luck with rattle traps, but i like to throw rattlin rapalas once in a while. i can usually pick up a fish or two one one of those

Quality control from Bill Lewis has SUCKED this year. I had an entire order of 3/4oz that were split in half or had paint coming off in the package. I got my wholesaler to trade me out on them, but I won't be restocking them after that fiasco.

I'd give them a chance to tighten things up some. A lot of folks really like them.


BTW I've picked up a couple of them Red Eye Shads from Strike King in the sexy shad color.

I'd say stick with the traps!

I've done very well with the RT's this year. Can't beat them for the price. Certain colors of the Cordell Rattlin Spots have also produced well for me this year, and they're even cheaper than the RT. Can't quite justify 15 bucks for a Lucky Craft.

I've done great with both. If there are two guys in the boat, one uses the LC and the other throws the trap. Usually, we can both catch fish.

I would assume Boyd Duckett knows what he is talking about. I say stick with the trap. Much more inexpensive.

Redeye Shad. Better fluttering movement after ripping it out of the grass.

At Ivie we fish traps over the grass there alot and I have found the Berkly Frenzy in any green hue will tend to out fish the trap, maybe 3-1 and size tends to be bigger.

Rat'L Traps: Work well, but come with bad Hooks, need to change them out.

Cotton Cordell lipless cranksbaits: Good, with better hooks

SK Diamond Shad: Same as the Cotton Cordell, but I can't find the same shad color that caught me big fish (7.5 lbs) before.

SK Red Eye, Sexy Shad: I just used it once, but I only caught small bass with it, while catching big bass on a buzz bait.

Pointers: Great action, long casting, and works very well at times!

Still trying out the LC baits. I will try the LC 1.5 tomorrow.

Rattle Traps hands down. Or as we call them here in Texas ( Redneck crank baits) getterdun!!!!!!!!!

Cameron, though I do love the Rattle Trap, I will agree on your issue with the paint chipping off. This is one of the things that i do not like about rattle trap. I have tons of traps that have had the paint chiped off of them. However, to fix this, I take a red paint pen and fill in the areas of chipped paint. It makes them look kinda cool, and is just like a bleeding bait series. I have even caught fish off of the ones I have done this to.

Man I can get a lil ignorant with a Bill Lewis in spring! The LVR's are good, but not worth the extra $$$. I tell you what though, the excalibur 3/4 one knocker...the schazaam! Beleive me alot of tackle is made to catch fisherman, not just fish!

I quit using Traps, gone to the Red Eye Shad. Best lipless crank I've ever worked.

I do like that Bill Lewis is starting to put triple grip hooks on some of the lures. That way I dont have to change so many out.

this guy knows what hes talking about.

Strike kings Red Eye for me-priced right and good hooks.I think they should sell Rattl-traps without hooks because they`re useless.The Lucky Crafts are better but pricey but you really need the R.C 1.5 and .5 crankbaits if you havent tried them!

Thanks for everybody's opinion!

I still haven't tried a lipless bait that will out perform a Rat-L-Trap day-in-day-out.

Just change out the hooks on the "Orginal" version or get the new version with Set-Lock hooks.

Traps are great as long as I change out the hooks but I have recently had a lot of luck with the XR50 and have currently been trying out the Strike King Red eye.

its all confidence for me, and a red rattle trap will catch fish for me anywhere

The Red eye shad is a good bait, only knock is the ones I demoed were chrome and the plastic chrome was all but gone after a few fish.

Xcalibur X50 and Yo-Zuri Drum's are a few buck more and the quality shows. I use both Xcalibur and Yo-Zuri. I have been considering having some Red Eye Shads custom painted to replace the plastic wrap, I probably will.