Shad Raps In Cold Water

This winter I have been doing really well on Shad Raps. My favorite by far is a #5 original balsa shad rap in a craw pattern for stained water, or a shad pattern for clear water. Do I think the bass think it is a crawfish swimming through the water? Heck no! But can they see it a little better in dirty water? You bet.
   I do best with shad raps when the water is between 40 and 55 degrees. Fishing in the 40s vs. fishing in the 50s are pretty much two different techniques.... 43 and below is very tough, but sometimes they will hit a shad rap in this, particularly if the water is stained. 43-48 is good fishing typically, and 48-55 can be really good if they want a shad rap, but when it gets that warm you have a lot of other baits that come into play.

When the water is in the lower 40s, you pretty much have to be ticking the tops of rocks or wood to get bit, for some reason the fish react to that and in the cold I haven't been able to get hit doing anything else. I typically retrieve the bait very slowly, as long as it dives to the right depth and is hitting rocks or whatever I need it to hit, I'm in good shape. Sometimes I will pause for a brief moment when the bait hits a rock, fish definitely like that pause on some days, other times they prefer a straight retrieve. With water in the 40s I throw them on a spinning rod with 8-10lb braid and at least an 8-10 foot leader of mono or copolymer (NOT 100% fluorocarbon because it doesn't provide any stretch and the little trebles need some give). The fish move slowly enough in that cold of water that braid tearing out hooks isn't much of an issue, the braid also helps you tell the difference between a rock, a stick, and a bass, because the bites are extremely light and easy to miss if you aren't paying attention.

When the water is 48 and above, the fish are a lot more aggressive. I use a faster retrieve and fish the bait on a medium action crankbait rod with 10lb fluorocarbon or copolymer. The fish fight much harder in these temperatures so I like the crankbait rod for keeping the hooks buried. Strike detection isn't as big of an issue since they hit harder in the warmer water. Deflecting off of rocks or wood is not as crucial during this time, they'll hit it on a steady retrieve without deflection, but bouncing it off of something is always good. I also catch more fish on the #7 shad rap in these temperatures, it dives a little deeper and is a much bigger bait that is easier to throw on casting gear.


If you haven't tried a shad rap when the water is cold or "cool", you may be missing out, it's definitely worth a try! Here are some cold water shad rap fish...