Spring Brown - Go To Stickbait Brands

[idn713]

With bay rats having been the hot ticket and now no longer a thing, what is everyone’s go to stick baits that are actually being manufactured!
 

Looking to stock up for the coming season and just wondered what people preferred. 

[GAMBLER]

Jointed Rapalas and Rattling Rogues are good ones that are still made.  

[idn713]

12 minutes ago, GAMBLER said:

Jointed Rapalas and Rattling Rogues are good ones that are still made.  

lol rapalas work well when those lips aren’t breaking every other fish. 

Edited February 8 by idn713

[GAMBLER]

7 minutes ago, idn713 said:

lol rapalas work well when those lips aren’t breaking every other fish. 

Find older used ones.  The old ones were better quality.  

[13owhunter]

I'm partial to yo zuri and thundersticks but spoons have been doing much better for me early season.  At one point in my fishing career i would have never thought i would choose a spoon on a flatline before a stick bait......   Really think stick baits shine with a cast and retrieve that can introduce some variability in action.  Dont really get much of that trolling slow and shallow.

[HB2]

I still love my jointed Rebels . 

 

3 1/2 mostly and 4 1/2 . 

 

The 5 1/2 are good in dirty water and catch kings Sometimes . 

[Legacy]

3 hours ago, idn713 said:

With bay rats having been the hot ticket and now no longer a thing, what is everyone’s go to stick baits that are actually being manufactured!
 

Looking to stock up for the coming season and just wondered what people preferred. 

 

Dont tell anyone but Bay Rats will be making a come back in 2024...

[chowder]

20 hours ago, GAMBLER said:

Find older used ones.  The old ones were better quality.  

The lips are easy to replace with a Dremel tool. Rapalas run shallow, Bayrats will snag if you are running shallow. Here’s how I roll: stix on board lines( blk silver and color on each side)/  spoons on shallow riggers ( 1 natural and one color) / crank baits on shallow divers (1 natural and one color)

[Yankee Troller]

22 hours ago, idn713 said:

With bay rats having been the hot ticket and now no longer a thing, what is everyone’s go to stick baits that are actually being manufactured!
 

Looking to stock up for the coming season and just wondered what people preferred. 

 

Pay attention to my YouTube page Sunday night. I've collaborated with FishUSA to bring out some good Brown Trout colors in a proven bait.

 

That being said Bay Rats and Smithwick Rattlin Rogues (floaters) are my two go to's. 

[chowder]

Yozuri’s have always been right up there in my book. Almost always start with a blk/ slvr Yozuri as 1 of 3 stix on each side. Hard to beat an orange jointed rapala on at least one side ( since smithwick stopped selling orange ones) A green smithwick is usually out at 1st as well as a chartreuse bayrat. After that I let the fish tell me what to do. I would add that if shallow riggers are taking fish and not flatlines then add split shot and or use short cores off boards. 

[spoonfed-1]

Rapalas when fishing slow and Smithwicks when I kick the speed up.

[HB2]

It is extremely important to know the dive rate of the lures you are fishing  of each lure . Unless of course you like snags . That is if you are fishing 15 ft or less 

 

I find that my jointed Rebels dive the most least followed by straight original Rapalas . 3 to 5 ft . 

 

Smithwicks seem to dive 5 to 7 ft 

 

Jointed raps dive the most 

 

9 s. 7 ft 

 

11s 10 ft 

 

13 s 12 ft . 

 

The bigger the bait in     the deeper it dives generally. 

 

Also tuning is critical IMO . 

 

 

Edited February 10 by HB2

[whaler1]

On 2/8/2024 at 12:21 PM, idn713 said:

lol rapalas work well when those lips aren’t breaking every other fish. 

I’ve never had a lip on a Rapala break off on a fish. 

[idn713]

29 minutes ago, HB2 said:

It is extremely important to know the dive rate of the lures you are fishing  of each lure . Unless of course you like snags . That is if you are fishing 15 ft or less 

 

I find that my jointed Rebels dive the most least followed by straight original Rapalas . 3 to 5 ft . 

 

Smithwicks seem to dive 5 to 7 ft 

 

Jointed raps dive the most 

 

9 s. 7 ft 

 

11s 10 ft 

 

13 s 12 ft . 

 

The bigger the bait in     the deeper it dives generally. 

 

Also tuning is critical IMO . 

 

 

Having fished extensively in the tribs, regardless of dive rate (which I know) the rapala lips are trash. When they are running good, they certainly catch out there on the spring bite. Just not worth $8 a fish IMO

[idn713]

2 minutes ago, whaler1 said:

I’ve never had a lip on a Rapala break off on a fish. 

That’s shocking. I break 4-5 a year fishing the tribs and that’s all on new baits. 

[whaler1]

Think the difference is I’m talking about trolling. My guess is the trib fish are bumping into rocks etc. 

[spoonfed-1]

27 minutes ago, whaler1 said:

I’ve never had a lip on a Rapala break off on a fish. 

x2

[HB2]

44 minutes ago, whaler1 said:

I’ve never had a lip on a Rapala break off on a fish. 

X3 

 

But I have all older ones 

[whaler1]

Only problem I have is I bend the hooks on release. Many times snapping off hook points trying to straighten them out. 

[Traveling Circus]

57 minutes ago, whaler1 said:

Only problem I have is I bend the hooks on release. Many times snapping off hook points trying to straighten them out. 

The above is also true for me......

Bombers short shallow (older ones), Smithwick Rattlin Rogues, jointed Rapalas...... probably in that order. 

 

 

[chowder]

Thought I’d add that the critical factor in snagging and breaking off lips when trolling is the length of the lead between release and the stick bait. This length is a critical factor in how deep the bait dives. Sometimes I will deploy a chute flatline rod with a very long line BUT- I keep the actual lead much shorter by attaching the actual lead to a styrofoam ‘pike’ ball that itself is maybe 100’ behind the boat. I like to put that rod up in the arch so fish on other lines that swing into the space behind the boat don’t get tangled

[fisherman777]

17 hours ago, idn713 said:

That’s shocking. I break 4-5 a year fishing the tribs and that’s all on new baits. 

Man I've never broken a j9 or j11 lip on the old or new ones. The j13s on the other hand...

[SchultzFishingTeamOutdoors]

Another option that some may find availability is the Bomber 14a 3 1/2" size. Very similar to Bay Rats SS and S3. That being said I hope to see Bay Rats come back again lots of Browns and Kings have come to the net with my custom painted Tricky Ricky's  

[Yankee Troller]

 

 

[Songdog]

Hoping to see those bayrat colored, Rogues on the FIsh USA website soon??