Speed Retrieve

• Casting and retrieving RattleTraps over beds of vegetation and along drop-offs and other structures is a good way to find bass. Simply cast the lure out and retrieve it quickly back to the boat. Reel as fast as possible, keeping in mind that if you reel too fast, the lure will track off to the side and become ineffective. This technique is best for finding covering large expanses of water and finding active bass, but not necessarily for maximizing your catch from any one spot. Once you catch a bass or two from a specific spot, you are better off fishing the area thoroughly with a slow-moving bait like a plastic worm.
  
  

Yo-Yo

• The yo-yo technique for fishing RattleTraps is most effective along the edges of structures like points and drop-offs, or along weed edges. Cast the lure out and let it sink to the bottom. Lift your rod tip and reel so the bait swims a foot or two off the bottom, and let it sink again. This technique imitates a wounded fish and is especially productive if bass are not feeding actively. Most strikes will occur when the RattleTrap is falling back to the bottom.
  
  

Pop It

• When you are targeting bass around vegetation, allowing the RattleTrap to make contact with the cover is a good way to provoke a strike. Cast the bait out over a weed bed and retrieve it slowly enough that it hits the vegetation. When you feel a little extra pull on your line, which you will when the bait first hits the vegetation, jerk your rod tip sharply forward to pop the lure off the vegetation. If a bass is in the area, the sudden movement likely will generate a strike.
  
  

Bump, Drop and Run

• Throw a RattleTrap around vertical, solid cover like dock posts and partially or fully submerged trees. Cast and retrieve the bait so it runs into the cover, then quit reeling and let the lure fall for a second or two. Start reeling again and bring the lure back to the boat. With this method, it is best to make short casts to specific objects. Bass are most likely to hit the lure as it is dropping, or when you start reeling again.