Does Rattles in lures work?

[liketrolling]

To rattle or not to rattle, that is the question. What’s your answer?

Some anglers swear by the mountains, moon, and stars that sound vibrations from a lure trigger fish into attacking. Others claim the sound from the rattle on a lure doesn’t make any difference, and can even scare off fish. Science on the subject proves that fish react to sound, but not always the way an angler desires.

Experts believe that injured bait fish send out sound vibrations in the water. Predatory fish are able to interpret this sound as a distress signal from injured bait.

There’s no doubt that sound travels through water and effects the way fish behave. Without definite proof, it does seem plausible that fish inspect sound out of curiosity.

THE OPINION THAT LURE RATTLES ARE WORTHLESS
THE BELIEF THAT ALL LURES NEED RATTLES
KNOWING WHEN AND WHEN NOT TO USE A RATTLE
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[Tin-Can]

Depends on the lure, the targeted fish, the water being fished, and probably a hundred other variables. From just my own experience here in Utah only, I carry a good selection of Rat-L-Traps, lipped cranks with and without rattles, and lip-less cranks with no rattles in various selections of sizes and colors.
And of course, many times I don't seem to have or be trolling what the fishy choice of the day is. Anyone that tells you a specific lure, of a specific color and type, trolled in just one specific way will ALWAYS catch fish, is either lying to ya or has never fished some of the places here in Utah. Like maybe Willard Bay []
Whatever you decide to try, best of luck [fishon]
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[TopH2O]

I have used crankbaits with rattles at Lake Powell with good results. Crayfish, a primary food source for bass and walleye at Lake Powell, actually make a rattling sound when then move backwards quickly to escape a predator. I found some jigs with rattles also work well on the large perch at Cascade up in Idaho and it may be for the same reasons or simply that the sound draws the fish's attention to your presentation.

Mike
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[k2muskie]

FWIW yes baits with rattles work. Species depending as I see it. We’ve put big fish on ice and in boat with baits that have rattles bee bees etc even baits with no rattles but lure action has hooks slapping body of bait. Experiment and keep a log on what you’re using you will be surprised
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[fishnate]

Nobody can say definitively what exactly triggered a fish to strike a certain lure - hunger, aggression, reaction, curiousity color, flash, sound, taste, etc. can all be factors. One thing I know for certain is that rattling lures don't not work (yes I said that correctly, rattling lures catch lots of species of fish). Rattles are a tool for certain situations, silence is a tool for other situations. I won't go on the water without some in my boxes.
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[Anglinarcher]

Many years ago a test pond was set up back east and a magazine writer tested lures with rattles and without.

For the early part of the test, the rattle baits caught more bass hands down. But, after the fish had been caught several times, and released, the rattle less versions outfished the rattle baits.

Do rattles work? Yes, but on pressured fish it might just be a problem.

Do silent baits work? Yes, and some, like the Muskie guys in MN, think the biggest fish come from the most silent baits.

Like fishnate suggested, having both is a good idea.

[fishnate]

Research has indicated that fish (or virtually any organism) can be conditioned to avoid certain things that produce negative stimulus. Pressure is not equal across the board. Basically if a certain crankbait with rattles conditions fish to avoid it and similar lures, that doesn't necessarily mean that rattling jigs, jerkbaits or even crankbaits with different rattles (such as a single knocker rather than multiple BB's) will cause the same aversion. Fish aren't intelligent creatures, they don't reason, they simply react to a stimulus. They tend to forget if the negative stimulus is removed or replaced by a different one. So don't throw out any lures that doesn't catch fish right now, they just might be the hot ticket in 3 or 4 years down the road. []

I've also found that it can be a daily thing. As conditions change, the fishes moods change and what seemed to be a negative bait one day can be hot the next. Like last spring a friend was catching bass left and right on topwater, but the next day we couldn't buy a sniff on top and they seemed to only want a Senko fished deep and slow. How many of us have been there? Put a bunch of tools in your box and work through them until you figure out what the fish want to try that day.
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