Rapala® DT® (Dives-To) Series Crankbaits

The DT (Dives-To) Series from Rapala is a line of squat-body shad crankbaits specifically designed to "dive-to" (DT) a specific depth. Rapala claims the bait will "quickly fall into the targeted depth, remaining in the strike zone longer than traditional diving crankbaits. Constructed with balsa wood, this lure marries modern-day tackle engineering with classic lure construction. For our testing we used a DT6 (designed to dive to 6') in the "Hot Mustard" and "Bluegill" color schemes.

First Impressions

Immediately upon rigging, we noted the sleek beauty of design and color. Rapala has always been a trend setter in color use and paint detail and with added touch of a balsa-wood body the construction cannot be beat. We noticed right away that much like the Rapala XRap, this lure has a great cast-to-weight ratio and we began the review with a 3 lb. largemouth on our 2nd cast...no kidding!

Fishing the Lure

We used two sites, both fishing from shore. One site was open water, dark-to-murky in color approximately 10' in depth with 4' tall weedbeds and a steep, rock/boulder shoreline. The second was a quiet shoal with clay/reed drop offs near shore reaching as deep as 30' in spots.

We found the DT6 to attract bass at depths down to 12'. However, below this depth this lure seemed to have little effectiveness. Rapala does offer the DT series in deeper diving models (DT8, DT10), so those would be the choice for open water trolling over deep holes, but for the most part the DT6 looks like it'll take bass up to 12'. In shallower water or weedbeds, the suspending treble hook lures will catch obstructions. However, this lure can be fished in a variety of conditions and takes up little room in the tackle box.

Review Summary

Among one of our favorites, this lure scores a 65 put of a possible 100 — definitely worth keeping in the tackle box. The DT impresses on quality of construction, available colors and durability. We found this lure to have a very high cast-to-strike ratio making it worth carrying for anything other than shallow-stream fishing.