By David A. Brown
Special to BassFan


When Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Palaniuk helped Storm design the Arashi Vibe lipless crankbait, he wanted a thin back and a wider underside so the bait would require less water pushing over its form to generate motion. He also wanted a self-tuning line tie, which liberates the connection point.

What’s the common denominator? Motion at low speeds — exactly what extends a lipless cranbait’s appeal and applicability beyond its typical spring-fall range to make this a true year-round fish-getter. Indeed, anywhere below the Ice Belt, the lipless bait’s tight shake can play a major role during the year’s first couple of months.

As Palaniuk notes, combining that tight wiggle with a plodding pace mimics the look of a shivering shad. Sure, there may be times to step on the gas during winter’s grip, but possessing the ability to burn and rip or take a leisurely stroll without switching rods adds a strategic dose of versatility to your frosty game plan.

“There are certain times of the year a lipless bait catches giants and there are certain times of the year it will put 3- to 4-pounders in the boat,” said FLW Tour pro Andrew Upshaw, who keeps a Rat-L-Trap handy most of the year. “It’s a great tournament bait; something that allows you to make a lot of casts and cover a lot of water.”

Cold-Catchers

Now, we’re not really talking about the deep winter stuff here (although we’ll describe a deep warm-season use later); instead, we’re looking at the transitional scenarios that have started, or will soon begin in Southern waters.

“January always sees a lot of transitioning fish, so I want to fish where they’re going rather than where they’re leaving,” Upshaw said. “If you’re up there when they arrive, a lipless bait can deliver a huge day.”

On his Guntersville home waters, guide and former FLW Tour pro Casey Martin said he clobbers the big winter fish by fishing a 'Trap over mid-depth grass beds. The key here is spending the time to find the meat.

“A lot of the break lines will have points and the fish group up here,” he said. “They group up by size, so if you find the right group, you can catch a big sack.”

Showing the lipless bait’s diversity, Palaniuk often targets shallow flats with scattered grass or rocks, where sunny afternoons find winter bass rising from adjacent deep water to warm their backs. Creeping the lipless bait, similar to slow rolling a spinnerbait, can yield tremendous action.

“You’re dragging it almost like a jig,” Palaniuk said. “You’re fishing it super slow; even a lift-and-drop technique. They just react to it.”

And don’t overlook the lipless bait’s appeal for schooling bass. Whether it’s January on a shallow Florida lake where roaming bass are pummeling offshore shad schools before their shoreward move, or a chilly November morning on a TVA reservoir where bass are chasing shad during the drawdown; the principle remains — that shimmy-shimmy-shake flips the fish’s food switch.

Tantalizing Tactics

Palaniuk notes that, while burning a lipless bait may stimulate super-shallow fish, he fares best by throttling way back.

“You can’t fish it too slowly,” he said.



David A. Brown
Photo: David A. Brown

FLW pro Casey Martin employs the Rat-L-Trap for a variety of shallow and deep presentations.

Upshaw agrees: “I like to worm a 'Trap through the grass; fishing it extremely slow and subtly ripping it out of the grass. Especially when the water is really cold in January, the slower you can fish a 'Trap, the bigger the fish you’re going to catch.

“You’re going to get a lot more bites if you just rip it around, but this time of year, the biggest fish are sluggish and they don’t want to chase things that are too fast. So, if you slow it way down and know your areas and soak it in those areas, you’re going to catch much bigger fish.”

Upshaw likens his winter Rat-L-Trap strategy to jerkbaiting, where longer pauses give lethargic fish more time to make up their mind and take action.

“They want something super slow, but they still need to react,” he said. “By worming that 'Trap through there, you’re going to have a lot more fish that react to it, but they don’t have to chase it down. You have to make it really easy for them.”

Show Them Different Looks

Upshaw usually keeps three to six lipless baits on his deck; a mix of original Rat-L-Traps, Knockin' and Stealth (silent) models. Favoring the original for most of his work, he’ll use a 1/2-ounce bait for higher grass and 3/4-ounce to reach deeper growth.

Rayburn Red is his winter staple color, but he finds white craw (white with red dots) has its rockstar moments. With chrome/blue and wild shiner rounding out his cold-season favorites, Upshaw stresses a very intentional color rotation.

“You want to mix up your colors, but I make a true color change like a red to a khaki or a khaki to a white or white to chrome,” he said. “I’ll have five different colors on, so when I go down a stretch, if I catch two or three, I’ll turn back around, pick up a different color and try to pick up a bonus fish or two.

“It’s the same with sound. Sometimes you need to go through with a different sounding 'Trap. That’s why the Knockin’ Trap is my cleanup bait. I’ll go through with an original Trap that has the real loud sound and then I’ll go back through with a Knockin’ Trap in a different color and catch completely different fish.”

'Trapping the main grass line will bring fish to the boat, but Upshaw knows well the importance of side-imaging the grass to detect small differences in height, thickness, etc. Even more more valuable — spotting peripheral opportunities.

“Garmin Panoptix allows me to scan in front of me and find those little scattered outside points,” he said. “What you have to account for are those little kick-outs of grass that come off the edge that hold maybe 15 to 20 stalks. That’s often where the fish are holding. When you see these spots, you Power-Pole down and make your cast to that particular area.”

When It's Warmer

And what about Martin’s warm-season 'Trap tricks? Along with the usual stuff, the Alabama pro finds a 3/4- to 1-ounce 'Trap makes a dandy summer option for educated ledge fish.

“You can rip it over ledges a lot like a flutter spoon,” he said. “This can be very productive when the fish have seen a number of (deep-diving crankbaits).”

For late summer bass Martin likes Rat-L-Trap’s barfish pattern, which looks like the yellow bass that chase shad and leave themselves vulnerable to opportunistic largemouths.

Tackle Tips

Palaniuk does his lipless work with a fiberglass rod, which allows him a little more give to let the fish get the bait — an important point for capitalizing on often sluggish winter bites from bass with winter-hardened mouths. For reels, Upshaw likes a 6.8:1 gear ratio, as it forces him to slow down and fish the bait thoroughly.

Same as his fellow pros, Martin fishes his 'Traps on 15-pound fluorocarbon. Two benefits here: First, the bait gets down quicker to reach the target zone. Also, Martin likes the ability to pad his casts.

“Some guys like to yo-yo a 'Trap, but for me, it’s best to retrieve it on a semi-slack line where you have a little bit of a bow in your line,” he said. “When you tick that grass, you just lift your rod and then the bait falls. If it’s on a straight, hard line, they don’t seem to bite it as well because you’re fishing it too fast. That’s why I don’t like to throw 'Traps on braid.”