Hi Walleye 9,
Here are a few of the hard bait options that Rapala offers for shallow water bass. Their lures are hand tuned and tank tested and I also find that they hold their tuning extremely well. As far as hooks go, the VMC black nickel hooks that come with these lures are excellent. They are both sticky sharp and strong.
Rapala Clackin’ Crank (New in 2011) Features the Clackin’ Cadence Rattle, square billed crank with a shad shaped body. The No. 5 dives to 3’ and the No. 7 dives to 4’. The amount of vibration that this rattle chamber gives off is incredible.
Rapala Crankin’ Rap (New in 2011) No. 3 dives 2’ to 3’ and No. 5 dives 4’ to 5’. Both the No. 3 and No. 5 feature a square bill. They also have a loud rattle.
Rapala Dives-To 4. Features a balsa wood construction, casts well and has an internal rattle. Also dives to 4’.
Rapala DT Fat 1 Dives to 1 foot on an aggressive cranking speed, or slow down the retrieve just a bit and run it as a wake bait. This bait has an extremely wide wobble and is definitely a big fish bait. It also has an Internal Rattle.
Rapala DT Fat 3. Dives to 3 feet. It is 2 ½” in length and has an extremely wide aggressive wobble. It also has an internal Rattle.
Rapala DT Flat 3. Dives to 3 feet. The flat sides of this balsa crank has a tighter action than the original DTs.
Also lipless cranks such as the Clackin’ Rap, and the Rattlin’ Rapala can be fished shallow with an immediate retrieve. As well, jerkbaits such as the Clackin’ Minnow Size 9, Flat Rap Size 8 and 10, Rapala MaxRap – all sizes, the various X-Raps, etc.
The new Rippin’ Rap (lipless crank) from Rapala will be unveiled this week at ICAST. I have seen it, and it is going to be a winner as well. If you guys are on facebook at all, check out the Rapala Army facebook page. This is updated by Rapala Canada and they will be posting videos and updates of the new products at ICAST this week.
http://www.facebook.com/rapalaarmyGood luck!
Jeff