Best Rapala bass baits 2023 - ask the pros

RAPALA AUSTRALIA Matt Osley

When it comes to fishing bass tournaments it can be a daunting process choosing the right lure or technique to use on any given day. Rapala has long been synonymous with quality and the ability to produce results in the tournament scene. I have spoken to some of the leading tournament anglers in the bass scene to find out what their favourite techniques and Rapala lures are for fishing in the ABT BASS events.

Tim Morgan, former AFC Champion, is a huge fan of topwater fishing.

“It doesn’t matter what fish you are chasing the most exciting way to catch them is off the top.

There is nothing like getting on the water at first light with glassed out conditions and working your lure back over a shallow flat, next to a snag or off a weed edge with every twitch anticipating that aggressive top water explosion that gets the adrenaline going. Prime time for top water is early morning or late afternoon, but you can catch fish on them all day, especially in overcast conditions.

I will always throw topwater when I can in a tournament as I believe that it is a great way to target big fish when the conditions are right.

Traditionally only a few of the dams visited in the ABT were good for topwater, but now with the inclusion of several river rounds it is going to play a much more important role. No matter what the topwater situation. Below are a few of my go-to topwater lures that have produced results in a tournament situation.”

SKITTER POP 7cm

The original Skitter Pop has not changed since its release in 1998 and would be my confidence topwater bait for chasing bass.

It is such a versatile lure and can be fished several ways. If you want to cover a lot of ground you can do a long cast, hold your rod tip up high and walk the dog back with a slow wind and slight rod twitches. This will usually encourage very aggressive strikes and depending on how hard you twitch the rod the cup face can either spit out a small amount of water for a more subtle presentation or a large amount of water if the fish are more active.

As the sun rises the fish will hold closer to the structure and in shade pockets. The Skitter Pop is also perfect for chasing these fish as you can cast as close as possible to where you think the fish are holding and let the lure sit there for a few seconds then give the rod tip a twitch, pause again and give another twitch this will keep the lure in the strike zone longer and entice the bass to hit.

I think one of the main reasons the Skitter Pop is so good is that it is made of balsa and is very natural and can get even the most heavily pressured fish to bite.

10cm

A lot of people will look at this lure and think it is too big for bass, but it has been a great producer over the past couple of years.

I really like using this lure in dams when I want to cover a lot of water as it is tail weighted , weighs 13g and casts like a bullet. It has a really easy walk-the-dog action and the small cup on the face spits water as it walks. On the pause it sits almost vertical in the water a has a great hook up rate if a fish hits it on the pause. This lure is particularly deadly in the northern impoundments where it imitates larger baitfish like garfish, bony bream, or terrestrial animals like lizards.

The BX Skitter Frog has been out for a couple of years now and it is the lure to use when the weed or lilies are too thick to throw anything else.

With the upturned double hook on the back, it will effortlessly glide over lilies and weed beds allowing you to pause the lure in the gaps before wind over the lilies again and into the next gap. It will allow you to target fish other anglers wont cast at.

You can also fish the lure well in open water with a constant wind which will have the lure dive under come back up spiting water before diving again and the rubber skirt on the back will pulse in the water and look like frog legs kicking. Some of the top water hits I have had on these are unbelievable.

Jerkbait fishing is one of Matthew Langford’s, AFC Champion Angler and

Guide, favourite styles for chasing Australian bass.

“The anticipation and strike on a jerkbait from an angry bass is insane and this style of fishing can often be very productive.

When it comes to fishing jerk baits in bass tournaments, I often rely on two models, the Rapala X-Rap 06 and the Rapala RipStop. Both have earned their sports in the tackle box by producing quality bass in tournament situations.” structure.

A long cast and a slow crank to get the bait down to the desired depth, with a succession of small twitches and pauses of the rod tip is perfect to draw a strike from a hungry predator lurking up shallow.

I’ll normally fish the X-Rap around shallow points, rocks, weed or flooded grass. The greatest attribute of the X-Rap is its ability to get numbers of fish, but the best thing, especially