Rapala Shad Rap SR-7 Deep Runner
I was putting away some tackle today when I saw my favorite lure and thought you all might like to see it. The picture doesn’t do it justice. The thing is completely tore up. The gloss finish is almost completely gone, the clear plastic lip is so scratched up you can barely see light through it, deep gashes show like battle scars on the body and the hooks have been straitened out and bent back into shape so many times I’m not sure how much longer they will last. None of that bothers me though. She still runs straight and still fools the bass.
The lure is a Rapala Shad Rap SR-7 Deep Runner in Shad color. I use it with a 6′ 6″ medium action graphite rod and a Calcutta 150 reel with 10 or 12 pound Floroclear P-Line. It hasn’t caught my biggest fish or the most fish but I take it with me every time I go fishing. I have lost them in the past and I always replace them as soon as possible. In fact, I now have a small stockpile of them in my garage from a sale I came across. This particular one has lasted this whole year. I’ve broke it off in rocks and weeds but I always managed to retrieve it, even if it meant getting a little wet. One day at Lake Wohlford I lost it when my knot broke while fighting a fish. About an hour later I returned to that same spot and saw my lure floating in some debris on the surface. I guess the fish thrashed around enough to get himself un-hooked and I was lucky enough to find it again. I’ve had some great luck with this lure. I’m sure I’ll eventually snag it on a deep rock or break it off on another fish. When I do it will be a sad day for me but I’ll get some battle scars on a new one in no time.
I’ll toss this lure any time of year and I always have confidence in it. I’ll toss it in two inches of water when fish are shallow, out in open water when fish are suspended or through brush, rocks, stumps and weeds when they are deep in cover. My favorite way is to drag it through rock piles. I tend to get some bigger fish when I’m able to make some noise bouncing it off rocks and gravel. Even if I’m catching fish on a completely different pattern I’ll almost always make a few casts with my Shad Rap before I leave a spot. I’ll also use it as a fish finder. I can cover water quickly with it and get reaction strikes from the aggressive fish. Once I’ve found a fish or two in an area I’ll switch to something else to better meet the conditions or location. Basically, I’m always looking for an excuse to get this Rapala wet.
San Diego Bass Fishing 