rapala jiggin rap

[its an addiction]

So i was out last night on a mission to ice a couple eyes.  about when it got dark i started marking a few fish in 10 foot of water and well, i got em to hit but i couldn't get a hook up.  What I am wondering is if anyone ever changes the size of the treble on these jiggin shad raps.  the rap i was using was just over an inch long and i had a minnow head on the treble.  I'm thinking maybe the treble was a little small cuz i know i set the hook at the right time.  Has anyone ever had this problem or heard of changing the treble size.  Im going to put on a lil bigger one next time i go and see what happens.

[spartaman12]

So i was out last night on a mission to ice a couple eyes.  about when it got dark i started marking a few fish in 10 foot of water and well, i got em to hit but i couldn't get a hook up.  What I am wondering is if anyone ever changes the size of the treble on these jiggin shad raps.  the rap i was using was just over an inch long and i had a minnow head on the treble.  I'm thinking maybe the treble was a little small cuz i know i set the hook at the right time.  Has anyone ever had this problem or heard of changing the treble size.  Im going to put on a lil bigger one next time i go and see what happens.

if u put a bigger treble on there it will hook on the top of the shad rap and make the hook useless

[Grizzly Rider]

When that happens, short strikes, I change lures.  99% of the time I fish a buckshot rattle lure tipped with 2 or 3 perch minnows when I'm eye hunting.  If I start getting short strikes then I change to a jigging rap and vice versa........

[Fishassin]

Do you think the minnow head could be the problem?  It might make them aim for the treble and miss the hook up. If they are aiming for another part of the Rap the treble usually gets em on the hook set.  2 of the 4 eyes I caught on raps the day before yesterday were hooked through the bottom jaw up.  There ARE other places to put minnows on jigging raps

Fishassin

[its an addiction]

Well, I went out last night and had a few come right up to my jig but no biters.  When they show up on your vex you gotta keep your lure jiggin right?  I kept jiggin it and then raised it bout a foot and they came right up but did not want to bite?  This jiggin rap i have glows in the dark when its not even charged by a led.  Walleye can see well in the dark so i'm wondering if maybe the glow of the jig was kinda weirdin em out.  i think next time i'll try a less aggressive lure.  possibly just a med size jiggin spoon.  What do you all do to entice the walleye into biting once they show up on your vex? any tips?  thanks guys

[fishstalker]

Try dead sticking a live minnow 

[its an addiction]

I had a minnow in the hole next to me just swimmin around under a small bobber.  I figured that one of them walleyes would take that minnow since they didnt feel like going after my jig.  we did have some bad weather come thru yesterday when i was out on the ice with rain/snow.  maybe that was why they weren't biting.  i'll just get out there and try agin.  trial and error.  thanks for the input fellas.

[Fishassin]

Another thing you could try is...  When jigging the rap snap it up 18" and let it slack line all the way back down, stop it solid about a foot off bottom and don't move it fer about 20 seconds. It stays moving for a long time down there and they usually hit it when it slows or stops.  Jigging it in front of them tends to attract them but I've never had much luck securing the bite.  You could also try not using the Flasher if you know there is fish there, you can concentrate on just your jigging action,  Whip and wait, repeat.  You'll feel the bites.
One last thing is to make sure you use a loop knot on the rapala not a normal cinch knot.

Fishassin

[Adam Bomb]

I usually tip my raps with a minnow head. Infact, its standard practice on Saginaw Bay. Never had a problem with hook ups on raps. They always seem to get stuck. All i can say is they musta been short hitting and lucky.

As far as presentation with the rap, try a lift, fall, hold technique to attract them. Simple yet effective. Once theyre there hold the jig still. Theyll often hit it. If not, start to nod or jiggle the rod tip and hold again. If they dont hit jiggle again and then do a shorter lift drop, then hold again. If that dont work try raising the bait up a foot or so away from the fish and repeat the process. Theyll often shoot up and smack it. This works with raps as well as other presentations as well. There are just minor variations to each presentation.

Glow is another story all together. Ive done very well on glow over the years for walleyes. Some days you can charge it up like a light bulb and theyll hit, other times they want a subtle glow, and others none at all. So, thats something that can change from day to day or with their mood changes.

Good luck out there.

[its an addiction]

Yah,  Thanks for all the suggestions.  I will keep them in mind when im on the ice this week.  See if i cant entice one of them delicious walleye to bite.  I tried keep it still, i tried raising it up a foot or two and have em chase it.  I think it just wasn't a good day.  IDK. 

[rocky]

try the minnow head on the back hook, that is what i do, never seem to have a problem hooking up.  only problem i have is line twist.

[pickledpike]

Try replacing the treble with a dropper.  I like a treble on a stiff dropper so that it doesn't get tangled (we used steel leader).  Did OK on this setup while fishing for some finicky eyes.

[coltons dad]

it happens to me also. dont upgrade the hook, it happens alot more to me if i tip it w/ a minnow head. if the fish are hot i dont tip. just keep moving it working slowly up if it doesn't come in a smack it right away, those are my favorite! once i moved up to 8lb flouro to jig w/ it happens to me less. so if your really worried about tangeling, i would say use 8lb and dont it w/ anything but you need confidence to fish a rap w/o tipping. i go back and forth. you can also take off the treble and slide a small piece of gulp onto the shank of the treble and reattach to the rap. take it off after fishing or it dried up like leather. you only learn how to catch wallies buy learning where u messed up on other fish and not do that again. big rips are to attract, little 1-2" constant nods to trigger a bite always working up, had wallies follow my rap up 10feet before hitting before. and use a small swivel 18" above your rap. best luck.