Rapala Shadow Rap SDR11

Spinning anglers often ask why Rapala is so popular among trollers in Lithuania, or why it has no competitors in the crank category, while the Japanese manufacturers dictate the trends in twitching minnows. The answer used to be simple - they didn't have such good models. Until a few years ago, the only X-Rap and the soon to be launched Flat Rap could be described as a typical twitching minnow, and this hunger for suitable models naturally led to this negative opinion. However, Rapala did not waste any time, hired renowned Japanese engineers and within a few years added a plethora of modern twitching minnows to their range of products. For a few years now, the opinion of anglers has been slowly changing and more and more anglers are looking at the Rapala range. Can Shadow Rap challenge the wobblers that are so popular in Lithuania, but twice as expensive as those from Japanese manufacturers? Yes.

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The Shadow Rap's play in the water is its strong point. It belongs to the category of slow sinking wobblers. During a pause of 1 metre, this wobbler sinks on average in 20 seconds. Its working depth is 0,8-1,2m. During the pause, the Shadow Rap is positioned in the water with the head tilted downwards by about 45 degrees. When timed, it rolls from side to side like the Flat Rap, but slightly less so. However, the main feature of this wobbler is not rolling like its wooden predecessor, but the ability to rotate sideways by 180 degrees. I didn't believe it until I tried it myself, but it does it perfectly and you can easily repeat such movements many times in a row. Thanks to this ability, with a certain technique, it is possible to lure fish in a very small area with a lot of movement and a lot of vibration.

When fishing the Rapala Shadow Rap it is recommended to use the following retrieve technique. The horsepower of this wobbler is the very sharp sideways movements, which can only be obtained with a strong short movement of the rod. The strength of the movement depends on the stiffness of the shaft and the type of line. With a braided shark, a weaker jerk is sufficient, with fluorocarbon, especially when the bait is cast further, a much stronger jerk is needed. Be sure to test in clearer water how hard you need the sinker to move 180 degrees side to side, and practise making as many movements as possible in as small an area as possible. The aim is not to have the wobbler walk towards you, but to walk sideways as much as possible in the same spot. This technique is of course not intended to whet the appetite of the pike, but to annoy it. Another quite effective way of guiding this wobbler is to imitate a darting fish. One or two light tugs and a long pause, allowing the fish to drown.