Rapala has introduced a number of innovative crankbaits in recent years, and signed some big-name cranking gurus like David Fritts to help design them. The DT Series has been a huge success, and the DT line continues to grow. But Rapala hasn't limited itself to bill-crank R&D.
In fact, one of the more interesting cranks to charge out of the gates recently is the company's new Clackin' Rap.
The Clackin' Rap is a lipless rattling crankbait that features some new ideas in construction. It's very different from the Rattlin' Rap baits that have been made for years, and which I've used over grassbeds with good success in various sizes and colors.
I had the opportunity to take a new Clackin' Rap to the lake in early November to see what I could do with it. The following are my observations after several hours of fishing with it.
Physical Description
Rapala's promo material reads as follows: "The lipless Clackin' Rap creates a distinctive sound and vibration profile that allows fish to zero in. The uniquely designed sound chamber features a single steel ball and external metal discs that transmit a distinctive clackin' sound with maximum vibration."
The ends of that sound disc are exposed on each side of the lure, and thus in contact with the water. I do feel the big "clacking" sound that emanates from what's essentially a drumhead is be more powerful and sharper under the water than if it had to be transmitted through the lure body.
As the single large BB hits the walls of the sound chamber, it produces low-frequency clicks that, according to Rapala travel further and deeper down the water column to call fish from greater distances.
The lure is 3 1/8 inches long and weighs 7/8-ounce. It sports a No. 4 treble hook on the back and a VMC SureSet No. 3 treble on the front.
Silver Lining
One thing I like about the foil-type finishes on these baits is that the reflective material's on the inside of the lure and shows through the clear plastic. That way it's protected from damage, and doesn't chip and peel off like so many other rattlebaits I've used – especially when banging them along riprap banks. The translucent textured body with internal holographic foil creates a more diffused flash that might resemble a baitfish more than a mirror-chrome finish does.
Clackin' Raps are made in 17 different colors. The red-crawdad color with an olive back should be killer next spring, while the moss-black/shiner so resembles a bluegill that I can't believe Rapala doesn't call it that. It should be great around beds and docks, and throughout the summer. Meanwhile, I fished the bone/chartreuse color in fall to mimic the pale shad in the cool water.
On the Water
As I tied the Clackin' Rap to some 15-pound Berkley Big Game mono, one thing that I noticed right away, besides the obvious sound chamber, was that the lure body's wider than most rattlebaits, but still has a slim tail. That got me to wondering what kind of action it would have.
I remembered from fishing with Fritts years ago that some of his favorite old wooden crankbaits had very narrow tails. He said that made the tails kick harder and he thought that provoked more strikes.
As I dragged the lure back and forth beside the boat, sure enough, that tail was kicking hard as the lure pivoted at the center of the wider body just below the line tie.
Rapala's Mark Fisher said that because the Clackin' Rap is much wider and broader, "As it moves along, it displaces more water, creating the kind of vibrations that interest big fish."
I wish I could tell you that's exactly what happened on my outing, but unfortunately I didn't get on them. I was out on a brutal, cold, windy, post-frontal fall day on Wheeler Lake, Alabama – not long after winter drawdown – and wasn't able to locate any grass on the stump flats. It had apparently already died out.
During several hours of fishing the Clackin' Rap from 1 to 6 feet deep over shellbeds, gravel bars, and hard bottoms with scattered stumps, I didn't hook a fish. My partner was able to catch one 2-pounder dragging a finesse worm behind the boat.
So in place of my own personal testimonial (and until the early spring, when we'll update this review ), you'll have to look to David Fritts, who used the Clackin' Rap as part of his arsenal at the Clarks Hill FLW Series in late October. He won by more than 10 pounds over Thanh Le.
What I did discover, though, is that the lure has a rock'n'roll motion – it rolls side-to-side while the tail thrashes back and forth. It doesn't make as much racket as the type filled with BBs, but you can hear the clack as it nears the boat. It also has a subtle wiggle as it sinks on a slack line – like a fish swimming for the bottom.
The way it moves and sounds sure appears to me like it would truly aggravate the bass into some vicious strikes.
I do have mixed feelings about the SureSet hook. It's supposed to hold fish better after you hook up, but that oversized, extended, forward-facing hook looks like it would snag any cover you ran the bait over. It's a ferocious looking thing, but it didn't snag when I beat it along the bottom. I was grinding the bait on a medium-slow retrieve, digging deep to find any remaining grass (to no avail).
However, as many rattlebaits will do, it did grab the stumps pretty quickly when I ran the bait into them – maybe a little more than a standard treble. Tough to say, though.
Overall, I definitely believe I'll add the Clackin' Rap to my tacklebox, because the sound and action are very different from other vibrating lipless crankbaits. As much as I have to fish behind other anglers, having something different often means having an edge.
Notable
> The Rapala Clackin' Rap sells for $9.99 in the BassFan Store.
> The Clackin' Rap is available in the following 17 colors: bone/chartreuse, clown, copperhead, firetiger, gold, glass-ghost, gold/olive, hot-steel, moss-black/shiner, olive-green, purpledescent, purple/gold, red-crawdad, rusty-crawdad, silver, silver/blue, and yellow-perch.
> Click here for Rapala's Clackin' Rap info page.
