Hot to Trout…
Rapala is the company that introduced the minnow-style bait to the world. And now it’s come out with another innovation: the “Scatter” lip design that makes a bait move like it’s alive.
Back in 1962, the introduction of the classic Rapala Floating Minnow in an article in Life magazine (the one with Marilyn Monroe on the cover) started a landslide demand.
Not only did fishermen get caught by the new, slender look of this Finnish lure, so too did the fish. The demand for it was so great after folks started using it, that enterprising shops started renting it by the hour since it was nearly impossible to buy one.
While the floating minnow was used mainly in bass, walleye and pike fishing, it also worked well on just about any fish species.
In fact, my folks used to troll them behind a three- or four-ounce mooching sinker at Point Defiance and Sekiu with good results on both blackmouth and coho (and lots of rockfish if we ventured too close to kelp).
The new Scatter Rap Jointed is the latest version of the iconic floating minnow. And this one has all the right moves that make it deadly for trout.
Mike Neilsen of Tahoe Topliners Sportfishing (530-721-0593) says that the Scatter Rap series of baits are pretty much a go-to for the trout fishing he does in Lake Tahoe.
“I use the Scatter Rap Countdown in the #7 size and the F11 Scatter Rap minnow as I prefer an upbeat pace, looking for the active fish that are on the bite.
“However,” Neilsen adds, “I also use the latest broken-back Scatter Raps (the Scatter Rap Jointed) in colder water. They are awesome at 1.5 mph. They really trigger lethargic fish.”
What makes the Scatter Rap series different from the standard minnow, countdown and crankbait lures in the Rapala stable is the lip; it’s unique in the world of fishing tackle.
The lip is scoop-shaped when viewed from the front, a rounded delta shape when viewed from above and is turned down when viewed from the side.
The shape of the lip gives the lure—whether it’s the Minnow, Jointed, Countdown, Shad or the three versions of the Crankbait—a dodging, hunting action when retrieved or trolled. The lure will run straight for a bit and then dodge to the side, returning to its center line.
Often enough, that dodge is when a fish will hit.
Neilsen fishes the Scatter Rap family on 20-pound Sufix 832 braid with an 8-pound Sufix fluorocarbon leader. He generally uses downriggers with letbacks of 50, 75 and 100 feet with the short line running deepest at depths where he marks concentrations of bait or fish.
He also runs the F11 Minnow on outriggers with the outside line 325 feet back and inner lines set at 300, 200, and 180 feet back. “I’ll run at 3 to 4 mph in 20 feet of water on structure. Both natural colors and the occasional bright finish have been drawing strikes from browns and rainbows,” Nielsen says.
“The side-to-side searching action of the Scatter series simply draws more strikes and is a deadly tool on schooled fish,” he adds. “I’ve also done well with the Scatter Shads when the lakers and browns get on the crawfish. I run short sets on downriggers and bounce the lures off structure. If it’s too snaggy, I remove the front hook.”
The Scatter Rap series contains seven different lures. The three crankbaits cover the shallows, mid-depths and deeper water. The Shad body is another diving bait, but this one has the traditional Shad Rap body, always a plus. The Countdown is a sinking minnow bait, and the F11 Minnow and Jointed are floaters that have limited diving depths.
Finishes differ but all lures are offered in natural colors as well as some that are bright enough to waken the sleepiest of trout.
For more information, go to: www.rapala.com.