Rapala® Flat Rap™ Crankbait
Target Species: Smallmouth Bass
Also Good For:Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike
The Flat Rap™ is just the latest creation in a long line of successful shad style crankbaits from Rapala. Unlike its cousins, the original Shad Rap™ and the X-Rap Shad™ (review), the Flat Rap is a flat-sided, floating crankbait designed to work the surface and offer a new presentation to otherwise conditioned fish. The lure is available in two sizes: 3.125" length (1/4 oz.) and 4" length (3/8 oz.). For our testing we chose the smaller size in Clown and Original Pearl Shad.
First Impressions
Like any Rapala crankbait, this lure is solid right out of the package. As is typical with the brand you can expect solid construction with a good range of available colors. The Flat Rap is composed of balsa wood and features an elongated, minnow-style body with flat sides and a small triangle lip. As with most Rapala lures, price is above average ($7.99 MSRP).
Fishing the Lure
On the first cast, it was clear that this lure does not cast like balsa. I was able to get good distance with pinpoint accuracy. What really sets the Flat Rap apart however, is the design. The stick sports a new triangle-shaped lip with horizontally flat sides creating action that literally looks like a shad shimmying just below the surface. Enhanced by the paint schemes, this creates more flash than you'd expect. The combination of action and flash is convincing. The lure is also extremely buoyant so you're primarily going to work the mid-to-top water with this crankbait. This leads to its best technique...
You can crank this lure slowly and steadily, but where the Flat Rap really excells is as a jerkbait.
Yank it in short taps, allowing it to tick the surface while slowly reeling in the slack as you go. Get ready for rising hits from deep fish. Bass love to come up from underneath and launch it. Unfortunately, Bass also seem to throw it more often than other lures and I found the catch-to-throw ratio to be about 50/50. I'm interested to substitute some SureSet™ trebles on to see if that makes a difference.
Review Summary
Overall consider the Flat Rap by Rapala a good lure to own and one considering tossing off rocks and other hard obstructions. Our only criticisms are the price and the fact our Clown color, chrome-like finish was beat up and scratched. Other than that, this lure does offer a new twist and gives a presentation many fish have yet to see. We recommend it for the mid-level to advanced angler who will know when and where to use it.
