RAGE Tail Baits

Got a couple questions for you guys out there. This year i have been throwing the strike king rage topwater baits (shad/toads) with great success for smallies. I love the idea of a plastic topwater and they have a great sound/bubble trail. Anyway i have noticed a couple things and first is that it seems the fish only go after this bait once. This is kind of interesting to me, because I often times have had a fish blow up on a zara spook, popper, buzz bait etc, several times or until you touch them with the hooks. Such is not the case with these baits. Has anyone else noticed this??? Secondly these baits seem to trigger big fish, and are a great search bait. When fishing with another person we have had great success having one person throwing a Rage, and another using a tube for a follow up cast if the fish doesnt get hooked. Also has anyone used them for Largemouth with any success??

Charles Schmidtbauer

I started using the shad last year as a lets see what happens. I got plenty of blow ups but no hook ups. This year was the same. What I have done is to use it for a search lure and when the blow up happens, I throw a Cabelas worm to complete the catch. They are very aggressive with the follow up worm.

have you tried the zoom Horny Toads? I’ve used both the Rage and the Zoom products…and at this time have about 30 packages of HT’s in the boat…and 1 Rage…’just in case’…

I find I do get multiple blow ups on the HT…and here, it’s all LMB all the time…have to go about 5 hours north for smallies…

No I have not but I will stop today. What color do you find the best. Thanks For what it’s worth I used Frog Green and abrownish color.

When buying these types of baits I have been told by a very good local Bass dude to not get hung up on colors. White and Black are the only two colors I believe a guy needs. If I can’t find Black I go with Purple. Reason being……..So I have been told and am now a believer…..these baits cause a reaction bite. Imagine laying under a weed mate or log looking up, when the sky is bright I throw the dark color, when the sky is dark I throw the light color. I believe it to be more of a contrast thing than a color thing with these types of plastic baits.

As far as repeated blow ups…..I can’t even get a second hit on a spook this year

Thanks Bret. You saved me some bucks!!!!!!!!

I agree with bret 100% white and black are all I use

white, black…and junebug chartruese…

whatever color you get, get at least 3 bags…when the bite is hot…you don’t want the fun to end…

I agree with using the zoom horny toads. They are a cheaper than the rage, and you can catch multiple fish on one toad, where as the rage it is usually only 1 fish, The rage do have bigger feet and splatter more water, but the pike really like them too. Went out yesterdat on a local lake and caught about 50 smallies in 6 hrs, all on horny toads, green and red flake colors are what I normally use. Biggest one went 19 3/4. I team my toads up with the stanley ribbit hook. They are spendy but get alot more hook ups then just using a single hook. As far as multiple blowups, I had one fish blowup 4 times back to back before I finally could get a hook in him. If you find an area and one blows up and misses it and won’t strike again give the area 10 to 15 minutes then go back and throw your toad again, works everytime