XCalibur XRK50 Trap Review by Bobby

XCalibur XRK50 Trap Review

Lipless crankbaits, also known as rattle traps or just traps, are in every serious bass fishermen arsenals all year long, but even more so during the prespawn. I can’t put my finger on what it is that makes this bait such a bass catching machine. Is it the tight wobble, it’s deflection when it hits cover or is ripped from the grass, or is it it’s vibrations that shakes your wrist off when it’s reeled back to the boat? Who knows for sure but there’s one thing for sure, the bites that it produces is no joke. Today I will dissect one trap that, with a little modification, will always have a place in my boat, the XCalibur XRK50.

Let’s start off with the paint job durability. I beat these traps off docks, lay down, rocks, you name it! They do wear but it’s after they take a lot of abuse. They come in several different cool It’s from crawfish imitators like Rayburn Red to shad colors like Foxy Shad and just about everything in between. The body design is a good shad profile. It has a nose down retrieve for great deflection off cover. My favorite thing about this trap is that it is a one knocker. What I like is that not every brand has a one knocker version of their trap. What this means to me is that the chance of everyone is throwing a one knocker slim to none. This gives me the upper hand because it’s something different to the fish. It gives me the confidence to get that one or two extra bites on tournament day which can be the difference between going home with a check or going home empty handed. I personally like a one knocker in almost everything. It’s just something different and I like that. Now to the one modification I make to the XRK50 is THROW THOSE VMC HOOKS AWAY! Some people love them but I personally think they’re trash. I’m a fan of Gamakatsu trebles. They’re tough and can be bent back into place if I spring one. My problem with the VMC hooks is that they’ll get sprung and when I bend them back into place they usually break off and I’m stuck with a two sided treble hook! If I make this one change, I’m in for a trouble free day.

Hope you get a chance to try the XCalibur XRK50 rattle trap. I know that it’s always close by when the fish are moving up. You can get yours at TackleWarehouse and most tackle distributors.

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