When coastal fish are schooling near the surface, catch more by backing off them and heaving Rapala Long Cast X-Rap baits. “It’s imperative to get back enough where the fish will still be up and not aware that there’s a boat closing in on them,” says George Poveromo, host of George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing on NBC Sports Outdoors. “So X-Rap Long Casts are excellent – they cast a mile and have great action.”
Designed to deliver extreme casting distance in even the most demanding conditions, the X-Rap Long Cast and X-Rap Long Cast Shallow are built tough to handle attack by the aggressive saltwater predators they attract, both in-shore or off-shore, including lingfish, wahoo, grouper, snook, tarpon, cobia, blackfin tuna and yellowfin tuna.
“If the tarpon are feeding, or if there’s snook coming up, or anything that’s pushing bait and busting the surface – be it Jack Cravelles or what have you – that’s going to be an excellent lure to throw in there,” Poveromo says.
Another great use for Long Cast X-Raps, Poveromo says, is light-tackle fishing for bonita. “A lot of people like to go out and throw lures at bonita,” he says. “But if you get anywhere near them, that school goes down, or they race away from you.”
Blackfin and yellowfin tuna often react similarly. “When you get those schools up and at the surface in the Gulf, in those situations it’s going to take a long cast to get to them,” Poveromo says. “You can’t get too close to those tunas or they’ll go back down on you.”
The X-Rap Long Cast dives four to five feet, depending on line size and retrieval speed. The X-Rap Long Cast Shallow runs one to two feet below the surface. A fast, steady retrieve elicits a strong rolling and wobbling action with minimal resistance. Flicking your wrists on the retrieve creates Rapala’s heralded X-Rap Slashbait action. A pause on the retrieve results in a fall with a seductive flutter.
“You can start twitching and jigging it beneath the surface and get all the flashing from the sides working for you,” Poveromo says. “Or you can hold that rod tip high and try to skip it above the surface too, working it quickly back to the boat.”
The X-Rap Long Cast and X-Rap Long Cast Shallow are both available in sizes 12 and 14 and come in 12 color patterns: Albino Shiner, Bone Chartreuse, Blue Sardine, Fusilier, Glass Ghost, Gold Olive, Hot Olive, Moss Back Shiner, Olive Green, Red Belly, Red Ghost and Silver. 3D holographic eyes add lifelike detail, helping make these baits irresistible to gamefish.
The size 12 models measure 4 ¾ inches, weigh 1 ¼ ounces and come armed with two 3/0 VMC® Tin Finish 4X-Strong In-line Single Hooks. The size 14 models measure 5 ½ inches, weigh 1 7/8th ounces and sport two 5/0 VMC Tin Finish 4X-Strong In-line Single Hooks.
See Rapala® X-Rap® Long Cast Shallow
The post Long Cast X-Raps For Surfacing Coastal Fish appeared first on ODU Magazine-North America's #1 Digital Fishing Magazine.
