FishCity.tv Urban Fishing by Taro Murata

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The Rapala X-Rap is already a popular lure amongst anglers, but a new 1-1/2″ size has been released for 2011. This new size is perfect for trout and panfish. There were also 4 new colors added to the X-Rap lineup, and we were lucky enough to get one of the new tiny sizes in an all new Olive Green Muddler color.

Construction

The X-Rap is well made and durable. The trailer holds up well too. The VMNC Black Nickel Hooks are sharp and resist rust. The lure runs perfectly true out of the box, it is common for lures in this size category to not run straight out of the box.

Appearance

The lure is available in some great colors. It’s hard to find any other jerkbait on the market that has the same type of detail and flash as the X-Rap series. The Olive Green Muddler has some extra details in a versatile and effective color pattern.

Usage

I used this lure for catching perch in the spring. I needed to get it a little deeper than it normally runs, so I used a 3-way rig to get it to the bottom. It was extremely effective when the action slowed down – other lures would stop producing, but the X-Rap kept catching them. I varied the retrieve a bit by jerking the lure three times and then letting it set for a few second before jerking it three times again. It accounted for some of my biggest perch, including one that weighed in at 1.8 lbs.

Conclusion

There are many suspending slash style baits on the market like the X-Rap, but I have never seen a bait like this in such a tiny size have the ability to slash like the original. This is one lure that panfish and trout anglers are going to have to add to their ultralight arse