Rapala Scatter Raps have action unlike any other bait. Instead of tracking in a straight line, they “wander” left and right in a seemingly randomized path. As you increase your retrieve speed or trolling speed, the erratic, searching action intensifies.

We’ve noticed that trout and salmon really like to follow lures, but the unique action of the Rapala Scatter Raps can actually trigger more “followers” into biting on some days.

Mike Hehner has been trolling for brown trout for close to 20 years and over that time, his #1 bait has been a shallow running Shad Rap, with the “Purpledescent” color being one of his favorites. The Rapala Scatter Raps takes it a step forward with it’s unique lip. At a normal speed, it will quiver along and swim like a normal Shad Rap, but when you pick up the pace a little bit, it starts searching and knuckleballing back and forth.

It’s an exceptional tool for trolling because you can actually adjust the action of the bait by speeding up or slowing down the boat. Some days, the fish might want a fast-moving, erratic action, other days they might want it slow and stead. Heck, there might be days when they want a completely different bait. It’s important to always be experimenting with not only your lures and you speed, but color as well, as trout can be quite particular about what they are willing to bite.

This video was a short segment of a longer day on the water with James Lindner and Mike Hehner, targeting brown trout on Lake Superior. While some parts of the Great Lakes will grow brown trout to massive proportions, Lake Superior is a great place to catch a load of fish in that 5-8 pound range with an occasional mid-teens “kicker” mixed in.

Here’s what Mike had to say about their day on the water:

“Spring fishing is always fun. Where we live in the north country, we get cooped up in ice shacks for a good portion of the fishing season, so when we get a chance to stretch our legs, we do it! This was the first filming trip of the year for us, so just getting out on the water was nice.

“This time of year is traditionally good for getting into big browns. While the fish we caught today weren’t huge, it was still enjoyable getting on the water and fighting fish on light tackle. The action was fast and furious. We had several double-ups and some cohos and chinook salmon to boot.

“When it’s all said and done, we got a cooler full of good eating, caught fish all day long, and cleared out some cobwebs of a long winter.”