Rage Tail Shad by Strike King – Great Bass Bait
Just about a year ago, Strike King introduced the Rage Tail series of soft plastic baits at ICAST 2007. The buzz was on about this new design for sure and now I understand why. The “Rage Tail” design is not your average curly tail, floppy legs or paddles found on most baits these days but rather, a commotion just waiting to happen on the water. The exclusive “Rage” series tail displaces more water than any competitors product for sure. The introduction of a Rage Tail Shad, Rage Tail Craw, Rage Tail Toad and Rage Tail Chunk is a great addition to the Strike King line of products.
Now, almost a year later, my wife and I decided it was time to give the Rage Tail Shad a try. We saw a fishing show about them months ago and they sure caught fish on the show. It sure didn’t take long before fish were exploding on this bait for us but, like most topwater baits, explosions and hookups are two completely different things. It was really enjoyable for me to watch my wife get a taste of a topwater bite which seemed to come easy with the Rage Shad. She explained to me that the Rage Tail Shad had her three favorite qualities wrapped up in one bait, and I quote.
The Rage Tail Shad can be fished weightless. It is very affordable to purchase and most importantly is, this bait is a very durable soft plastic bait capable of catching multiple fish. Mrs.Matstone
In the last three days fishing the Rage Tail Shad, we have had countless fish blow up on it making each day an exciting day at the lake. We caught fish each day we fished with it in various weather conditions. Mrs. M fished the same Rage Shad for two days before a fish decided to eat half of the tail and force her to change it. These baits hold up really well for a soft plastic bait but, this is not your average soft plastic bait either.
The Rage Tail Shad gets my two thumbs up since fishing. I’m now looking forward to trying the others in the “Rage” series of baits. The Rage Tail Chunk should be a great jig trailer and I have no doubts it will displace more water and be a great addition to my tackle arsenal. The Rage Tail Craw should be a great bait to T/Rig and work across the bottom or flip into heavy cover. As for the Rage Tail Toad, I know this frog will make the commotion I look for when frog fishing in slop or lily pads.
You can read more about this great bait at RageTail.com. Rage Tail also has a very informative message board to ask questions or add feedback which can be found here: http://www.ragetail.com/ragetalk/index.php?board=1.0
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It is a hot end of July here in MIchigan. On Sunday it was 85 and I went out at 3:00. By all accounts a bad time, mid day, hot dead of summer-still better than staying Home. I fish gravel pits off the Grand River with max depths of 15 feet and lots of 2 to 6 feet of water. The weeds are up and the water is in the 80’s I have never thrown the Strike King Toad with the Rage tails before today. I fish frome shore and cast as I walk the bank. The first cast was past some stick-ups 60 feet fromthe bank. A steady retrieve into the brush was smashed by a 19 inch 4 pounder. Wow-did that just happen !! 2nd cast ten feet left produced another 3 pounder ! This spot was at drop off to 8 feet or so of water. Was this a fluke ? Next spot a steep bank with 10 feet of water no brush except on the bank. I cast out to the middle of the small cove several times. on the 4th cast a nice bass came up from the deep slowly and rushed it. I got him too, another 17 inch 3 pounder. I fish 30 pound braid (not normally recomended for top water)Now I amonto something ! I went back to the first spot I caught the 19 incher. This time as the bait came out of the stick ups another Bass launched himself out of the water from 3 feet away and crashed the bait from the air! UNREAL !! A twin to the 19 incher from earlier. This bait is no joke. I went on to get a total of ten bass in under 1 hour. Dead of summer middle of the day….was I dreaming ? This is a pattern I’m going to remember. I wonder what would happen just before dark !!! Great Frog Bait, I’m going to Gander Mountain to buy some more ! Make sure you break the tails loose because they are moulded with attatchments out of the package. These are awsome !
Rage Toad and Shad are no joke…. The durability of these plastics are unbelievable along with the action and noise they produce. There is a knack to top water fishing, it take patients, time and know how…By no meens am I a topwater fisherman,,,,,,,,,,,,Until now! Do your self a favor and drop a $5.00 spot on a pack of these lures, You wont be disappointed
The Rage Tail Shad sounds pretty useful, especially because it’s so versatile. Just curious, where do you do most of your fishing? Also, any idea if Strike King has some new products coming down the pike this year that are even better?
Cheers!
Crawfish,
We are located in PA and spend most of our time fishing ponds, lakes and rivers.
As for new Strike King baits being released this year, I do know that they plan to release a few more additions to the Rage Tail line of plastics and based upon last years release, I can only expect more great things from Rage Tail line. Every one of the Rage line of plastics has stepped it up a notch in the soft plastic world. Keep your eyes open, ICAST 2009 will be the unveiling of the new products.
I have not tried the Rage Tail Shad yet. But I have had great success with the Space Monkey already this year.
I’m located in Branson, Missouri and I spend the majority of my time fishing on Table Rock Lake. And I’ve caught the most fish with the bama bug.
You have a great site and I’m glad I found it!
Thanks!
the strike king gear is difficult to find near where i live, i’ve used some their crank baits but none of the soft plastics – will look into the rage tail.
thanks
I’m not the least bit surprised. My experience with the Rage Toad has been similar, although I can’t say I’ve caught many fish. I missed out on a lot of the topwater bite earlier in the year and now the water temps are in the mid to upper 80s. It’s an all around tough lake. Anyway, the Rage Toad does cause more of a commotion than say the Zoom Horny Toad or the Stanley Ribbit. I’ve discovered one minor flaw in the durability of the lure in the feet, but otherwise they last longer than other plastic toads. They do cost more than others and the Shad costs about the same. Not exactly inexpensive, so I’ll have to disagree on that point. I posted my impressions of the Rage Toad on my blog. I’ll have to give the Rage Shad a try later on this year.