Rapala X-Rap

[cjac]

Hey,

Just picked up a couple of the Rap X-Rap Xtreme Action Slashbaits, they look like a really good pike lure, especially earlier in the year. Kind of a hybrid stickbait/Shad Rap/Skitter Pop all in one.

4 inch body, but with the dressed tail the lure profile is pushing 6 inches. Suspending bait that runs 4-6 feet deep darting around, and rolls on a pause. Seems to have "pike" written all over it while coming over the top of emerging weeds in the early season.

Has anyone used these? Could very well be my opener bait!

[b1gf1sh1]

great bait. had one late last year a little smaller than yours and worked great for a few fish. casts like a lead weight almost. just the husky was doin so darn good... this winter i picked up at least two and some three of every size color and style(slash rap also) sportsman's warehouse had. did'nt cost me a dime. quit smoking and spent the cig money on them. so.. free lures baby!!! gotta love it. i'm heading to the croix to do some longing for open water. catch ya later.

[weeds]

It's a good one. Last year I got Bass, Northern and Walleye on it. My buddy had two Tigers follow on a metro lake bofore opener. I went to Florida and they really push the pink and white one for Snook. Same color the Hybrid follows came on.

Oh yeah, two Walleye and one small pike last year on opener on a popular lake up-north TROLLING it.

[Neighbor_guy]

I like the husky Jrk better as far as a pike bait, but the Xrap is still a good bait.

[SnipeZilla]

Used it last year and it was awesome. My buddy bought the biggest one they have (13 i think) and threw that for pike up north. Even the giant size one had good action.

[cjac]

Good call out!

Yes, the bigger model is a 13, heavier too which will be nice for casting on some of the heavier set-ups, I'll be adding a couple of those too.....

[b1gf1sh1]

went to the croix down by the xcel and did some casting. as every year it was loaded with shad, but not as bad as it will be end of week. took along a few x-slash and x-raps to toss for the heck of it. decided to study them a little, inspired by this thread, and man o man do they ever suspend nice. beautiful slooooow rise. this is gonna be a good year. did'nt cast the bigger stuff but i did put them on and look at the action a little. man do they look good in the water. i may snip the junk on the hook on 1 to test the difference. can allways retie it. and the construction? wow. tough far as i can see. gonna be a classic. now if they can just get off this holo-graphic clear kick their on and do real solid colors i'll be even more behind them. my vote is an 8.5 out of 10. 1.5 points lost for the colors.

[mrcarp]

x raps are my go to lure use them all the time better than a shad rap for trolling for northerns i like the white one and hot head orange they last longer than balsa lures i have a white one ive had for 3 years it works almost all the time love my x raps

[89Bronco]

I like the X-rap a lot for walleyes and pike early in the year. The pike seem to like a ripping/jerky action...lots of stop and go. The walleyes seem to like a slow, steady retrieve. My favorite for pike, like some others have said, is the husky.

[cjac]

This Xtreme Action Slashbait is supposed to do exactly what you said with rippin' and jerkin' action. The original X-Raps are a bit more rounded with a longer lip.

As said above, I really do like the Husky Js, nice too since they double as great Fall walleye baits, even in the 12s and 14s.

[Random guy]

X-raps don't work Cjac, just send them junky lures up to me and I'll get rid of them for you.

I love the X raps on Red. Everything I look for in one bait. Flash with color, good sound and the option to burn them, slash them and even troll them. They do put pike in the boat, no doubt about it.

[solbes]

I've had decent luck with the X-rap since it came out a few years ago. Last year I got a northern on my first cast of the year with one. Made me smile. The slash and pause seems to be particularly effective early in the year. This seems to work even better for bass. Never caught a walleye on one which surprises me.

I try it every once in a while later on in the summer. I still get hits, but I have far better cranks when it's warmer.

Deep husky [jerk-bait] has been money for pike casting and trolling the last 2 years. I'm sadly retiring my favorite. The finish and paint is badly peeling off. I will be happy to shell out for a replacement though.

[b1gf1sh1]

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I'm sadly retiring my favorite. The finish and paint is badly peeling off. I will be happy to shell out for a replacement though.

i'll give you a brand new one of the same bait for that bait. let's trade.

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Flash with color,

johnny p are you sure these funky see through colors work? if they dont work i'm taking sandpaper to all mine to dull the shine. i like the color. problem is when ''I'' like it the fish usually hate it.

[Random guy]

The way I look at it is when I watch a shiner swim through the water in Red Lake it has a almost transparent flash to it so I want my lure to have the same look- "flash n dash".

[b1gf1sh1]

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I want my lure to have the same look- "flash n dash".

that's that whole confidence thing that's so important. whatever get's ya to toss that lure one more time. shiny transparent stuff just don't work for me like a solid color. mabe it's the rivers(90% is rivers for me) or something, who knows. just like chartruse. i can count on one hand all the fish i've caught on it. and none were bigger than my hand. other guys/gals pull em in all the time. not me man. i can throw them out all day and get skunked. so i gave all of them to the DNR programs. and firetiger?? pa'leeease. gave them up too. so if they work for you and give you that confidence more power to you. i'll try them, give them an honest shot, if they don't work it's the sanding disk for them . glass raps.

[polarsusd81]

 Originally Posted By: Jonny P

The way I look at it is when I watch a shiner swim through the water in Red Lake it has a almost transparent flash to it so I want my lure to have the same look- "flash n dash".

I tried to post on this thread the other night, but my wireless connection failed and the post didn't go up. I got frustrated and shut the computer down for the night.

Anyway, back to the post. This is one of the reasons I love the glass raps and other glass cranks and [jerk-bait] baits. If you look at certain types of minnows, shiners in particular, are somewhat transparent in the water. Pike and other predator fish typically will hit baitfish from under them, and when those baitfish are backlit by the sun, you can sometimes see through them. The glass baits are really good at replicating this effect and the reason I think they can and do work better a lot of the time.

[cjac]

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and firetiger?? pa'leeease. gave them up too. so if they work for you and give you that confidence more power to you.

Hey b1gf1sh1,

I love firetigers, especially on the river!!! Miss in St Paul and they are a blast for walleyes!

You obviously know a ton, far more than me to be quite honest, but I want to go hit the river water with you! I'll wear a blindfold if I have to! I think it would be like the "Odd Couple", lots of different mindsets and opinions! I think it would be a hoot! I'll trade ya a favorite tiger tactic in return!

Up for it?

[Random guy]

Its not a confidence thing its a numbers thing. With the amount of time I spend on the water I am able to produce percentages of what works and what does not work putting my confidence in the numbers and not a specific lure or color...flash n dash works so I will use it. Next best thing to the shiny/transparent is the clown pattern. Doesn't look like anything natural in the water but fish sure like to eat them.

[b1gf1sh1]

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I'll wear a blindfold if I have to!

fine but ya gotta wear ''my'' blindfold . nah really, that sounds like fun. i'm not against showing spots. i have to assume your thinking muskie. that's fine but it's a short window for them in some spots, and then i stop because of spy's . then we could go check out some more known areas if thats ok with you. but yeah, sounds like a good time. croix or ole miss?

[b1gf1sh1]

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Its not a confidence thing its a numbers thing

am i to understand that if a lure don't work you still grab it?? you got alot of patience then, cause if i throw a lure type, no matter the color, i get the retired lure box real quick, and never look at it again, unless i'm useing something similar and it works. i'm a curious type and i try to figure out why this green wiggly thing don't work and that green wiggly thing that's almost the same thing won't. try and find the little differences. like a smithwick stick vs a storm stick. look the same to me unless i see them together, then the storm stands alone. things like that. i try and find ways to give me a reason to throw it one more time. all these lures are gonna get their chances.

[Neighbor_guy]

Clown has always been my go to... that might explain some things........

[cjac]

Hey b1gf1sh1,

I'm up for anything, in general rivers are far underfished and I just want a little more time with someone like you that's experienced at it, reading the water for wing dams, currents, slack waters, etc.

I'd be up for 'skis, bass, wallys, carp, cats..... just about anything to be honest. I'd just like a little time with an experienced river rat. No need for spots, that's the fun part, finding them on your (my) own. I'd be more interested in boat control, water reading, tactics, terminal tackle, stuff like that.....

I'd also like to see if I can sway your opinions on the "flashy" baits! In my limited river experiences, firetiger has done me well!

We'll chat once the time is closer! I'll swap a couple East Metro bassin' spots I have or a little lakeside muskie time for sure......

[b1gf1sh1]

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I'll swap a couple East Metro bassin' spots

your makin' it easy for me, eh? cool. but why'nt you say you like bass, i got a spot on spot on a local body of water for ya... this is a true story, no bull.

way back when, when my grandpappy Amos(call him gramps, or grandpa he'd give a stare to fear) was a young'un there was a concrete pier made from slabs 3 foot by 3 foot some thirty feet long some shorter. it had a statue on the end of it and it stood from sometime in the late 1800's. one night a tornado came through the area and ripped it apart. the statue was never located but the pier is in the same spot, just underwater now. the slabs are next to and on top of each other in water from about 4 down to around 7 feet. it's a bass magnet, along with other fish too. fishing cranks or that ilk produces weeds or a fishless day normaly. but with a jumbo leech (small produces potato chips) durring peak hours in morn and dusk the action is non-stop. a 5 lbr or three is pretty much a givin' and 7+ is not uncommon. real funny because i never see others there. mabe if we have fun on the river we can hit that one too. last i checked it was a designated muskie water too. mabe still is. have'nt been there in 10 years or so.

[cjac]

My curiousity is piqued and my wheels are a spinnin'.........

If this was a graded test, would I get an "F"?

Sounds like fun, I got a little away from bass and am kinda kickin' myself in hindsight.

[Nick Kuhn]

You guys made me go out and buy one of these, I hope you're happy