MINNETONKA, Minnesota — When the Bassmaster Classic was last held on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Mike Iaconelli led after Day 1 and Brandon Palaniuk finished runner-up. Returning to that waterbody with a new Rapala bait has both anglers envisioning a slightly different outcome.
“Last time we were there, a jerkbait played a huge role in my second-place finish,” says Palaniuk, a six-time Classic qualifier. “So going back with the Shadow Rap Shad in my arsenal – a bait I didn’t have before, and something the fish have never seen – could be a huge key factor in trying to win this thing.”
Iaconelli is optimistic also about his Classic chances with a Shadow Rap Shad.
“I haven’t been this excited about a brand-new bait for a long time,” says Ike, the 2003 Classic Champion and 17-time qualifier. “Hands down, it’s going to be a player this year.”
Iaconelli, Palaniuk and fellow Rapala pro Ott DeFoe all appreciate the Shadow Rap Shad advantage they’ll enjoy in the Classic, which will be contested March 4-6.
“Knowing that I’m one of the very few guys who’s got it this year is going to let me fish with confidence,” says DeFoe, a five-time Classic qualifier and the 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year. “Fishing something different will help me catch more and bigger bass. With the action it’s got, man I just totally expect this thing to be a big hit there at Grand Lake this year.”
Similar to the original Shadow Rap, released at last year’s Classic, the Shadow Rap Shad is taller in profile than its predecessor, but not as long. And, rather than slowly sinking on the pause — as an original Shadow Rap does — a Shadow Rap Shad slowly rises when stopped, slightly wobbling and perfectly mimicking an injured shad.
“That’s something no other bait out there does,” Iaconelli says. “It mimics the forage so perfectly that it is going to put tons of fish in the boat for you.”
A game-changing, all-season jerkbait, the Shadow Rap Shad triggers fish in three ways — on the kick, on the wobbling slow rise, and with a snap back to life. Featuring a shad-style body with textured scales, it comes in models that target two different depth ranges — 3-to-4 feet and 5-to-6 feet. The latter is called the Shadow Rap Shad Deep. Both measure 3-1/2 inches, weigh 3/8 of an ounce, and come armed with two sticky-sharp No. 6 VMC black-nickel, thin-wire, round-bend hooks.
“It’s a little bit wider than the original Shadow Rap, a little bit shorter, a little bit fatter and has a two-hook design rather than a three-hook design,” Palaniuk explains.
Both models of the new Shadow Rap Shad are available in all 14 original Shadow Rap color patterns, as well as 10 new patterns:
- Crush – Dark brown back, light brown “frosted” sides
- Elite Blue – Dark blue-gray back, light gray-white “frosted” sides, light orange belly
- Haymaker – Olive green back, light olive-white “frosted” sides, light orange gill plates
- Olive Drab – Dark olive back and head, light green-white “frosted” sides, light yellow gill plates
- Purple Haze – Dark purple back and head, light purple-white “frosted” sides, pink gill plates
- Gone – Dark purple back, light yellow sides, darker yellow/orange head
- Halloween – Black back, pewter sides, full orange belly
- Imposter – Light orange back and head, light yellow sides, white belly
- Molten Copper – Black back, dark copper sides and head, light copper belly
- Tropic Ice – Black back, metallic blue sides, metallic green head, light yellow gill plates
The original Shadow Rap color patterns are: Albino Shiner, Blue Back Herring, Blue Ghost, Bone, Bud, Carbon, Clown, Ghost, Ghost Shiner, Moss Back Shiner, Olive Green, Purpledescent, Silver and Yellow Perch.
The Rapala Shadow Rap Shad, and Shadow Rap Deep will be available at sporting goods retailers nationwide this spring. Look for them near the original Shadow Rap Series lures.
For more information visit www.Rapala.com or www.Facebook.com/RapalaUSA.
