Vibration Baits

Vibration baits at Charlie's Fishing: lipless crankbaits, blade baits and vibration lures for perch, zander and asp

Vibration baits are compact, heavy hard lures without a diving lip. Their flat body and nose-mounted line tie make them shake hard as soon as you move them, and because they sink, you can count them down and fish them at any depth you like. That makes them the lures for cold water, for deep schools of perch and zander, and for asp in current, where a long cast and a strong signal beat a subtle softbait. This page covers the three types we stock: lipless crankbaits such as the Nays LPR and the Rapala Rippin Rap, blade baits and spintails such as the Rapala Rippin Blade, BlueBlue Shalldus 14 and Rapala Rippin' Spin, and the Japanese vibration lures from BlueBlue and the Fiiish Power Tail Evo. Below you find what each one does, how to fish the sink and lift retrieve, and which model to tie on for which situation.

Lipless crankbaits: Nays LPR, LPR Silent and Rapala Rippin Rap

A lipless crankbait has a plastic body with the line tie on its back, so it swims with a tight, fast wobble on a steady retrieve and vibrates on every lift of the rod. The Nays LPR is our all-rounder: it comes in 55 (5.5 cm, 9.9 g) and 75 (7.5 cm, 20.6 g), is lead-free and carries BKK Spear 21-SS trebles in size 8 and 4. Its low water resistance lets you fish it deep without fighting the rod, it starts swimming at a very slow retrieve and stays stable when you speed up, and the rattle version pulls fish in from a distance in coloured water. The Nays LPR Silent is the same lure without the rattle, the choice for clear water and pressured perch and zander that have seen a lot of noise. The Rapala Rippin Rap (6 cm, 14 g) has a tall, skinny body with a loud BB rattle and a hard vibrating action; cast it, rip it off the bottom and let it fall again, or swim it steadily along a drop-off. It comes with VMC black nickel hooks. Fish all three on braid with a fluorocarbon leader for perch and zander, and on a wire or titanium trace where pike are around. See Lines and Leaders, and compare with the lipped models in Crankbaits & Twitchbaits.

Blade baits and spintails: Rippin Blade, Shalldus 14 and Rippin' Spin

A blade bait is a thin metal body with a weighted belly. It falls fast, vibrates the moment you lift it and casts further than anything of its size, which is why it is the classic lure for perch and zander holding deep in winter. The Rapala Rippin Blade (7 cm, 16 g) is a cross between a blade bait and the Rippin Rap: a metal frame with a plastic body, a tungsten belly weight and three line tie holes to change the action. It falls upright, vibrates hard even at slow speed and gives a tight side-to-side action when jigged vertically, so it is the one for big water, deep schools and fishing from a boat. The BlueBlue Shalldus 14 (6 cm, 14 g) is a blade vibration lure for shallower water: it keeps a tight, high-frequency vibration at slow speed and adds flash from a willow leaf blade on its tail, and we fish it with a steady retrieve or short lifts just under the surface or in mid-water along canals, rivers and harbour walls. The Rapala Rippin' Spin is a metal spintail with the Rippin profile and a spinner blade on a swivel at the tail: 3 cm and 9 g with a single no. 10 belly hook for perch, 4 cm and 16 g with a single no. 6 for windy days, running water and bigger zander and asp. The blade keeps turning as the lure drops, so it stays alive on the fall, and the single hook snags far less than a treble on a hard bottom. More metal lures in Metal Jigs and Spoons.

Japanese vibration lures from BlueBlue: Narage 50 and Narage 65

BlueBlue's Narage is a vibration lure with a small lip. The lip and the head take water pressure together, so the lure swims horizontally, keeps the line under tension and stays comfortable to fish on a light rod, even when it is running close to the bottom. The BlueBlue Narage 65 (6.5 cm, 18 g, two trebles) casts a long way and sinks deep; its flat body with a high centre of gravity makes it lose balance on the pause and sink slowly lying on its side, exactly the moment a following fish takes. The BlueBlue Narage 50 (5 cm, about 12 g) is the compact version. It falls in a spiral so the line does not tangle on the drop, sinks fast to the deeper layers, and works both cast along structure, drop-offs and current lines and fished vertically from a boat. Both are at home in clear and coloured water, in rivers and harbours, and the Narage is also one of the lures we reach for on the coast; read BlueBlue Fishing Japan: four lures we tested in Dutch waters and see BlueBlue Fishing, Seabass Hardbaits and Seabass.

Fiiish Power Tail Evo: compact vibration lures for perch, trout and asp

The Power Tail Evo from the French brand Fiiish is a dense, streamlined vibration lure with a free-moving tail that gives it a tight, high-frequency vibration on the retrieve and a stable action even at slow speed. It is built for covering water with long casts and for jigging, and it keeps its presence in deeper water and faster current, which is why it triggers perch, trout and asp so well. The Fiiish Power Tail Evo 30 (3 cm, 2.5 g) is the ultralight size for stream trout and small perch on a light rod. The Fiiish Power Tail Evo 40 (4 cm, 5 g) is the all-round perch size for canals, harbours and lakes. The Fiiish Power Tail Evo 50 (5 cm, 8 g) casts furthest and gets down fastest, the one for rivers and for asp chasing baitfish in the current. See Fiiish, Trout and Asp.

How to fish a vibration bait: sink and lift, cold water, deep schools and current

The basic retrieve is sink and lift. Cast out, let the lure sink on a slightly slack line and count the seconds until it touches down, so you learn the depth. Then lift the rod tip from about nine to eleven o'clock, feel the lure vibrate, and lower it again so the lure falls back on a semi-tight line. Most takes come on the fall, often as a tick or sudden weight, so watch the braid and strike at anything odd. A steady retrieve works too: cast, count the lure down to the depth you want and wind it back just fast enough to feel it vibrate, with a short pause every few metres. In cold water, from late autumn to early spring, slow everything down: shorter lifts, longer pauses and a heavier lure so you keep bottom contact. Perch and zander then sit in deep schools on drop-offs, in harbours and in the deepest channels, and a Rippin Blade, Narage 65 or LPR 75 dropped straight down from a boat and jigged with small lifts is one of the best ways to reach them. In rivers, asp hunt in the current along groynes, weirs and sandbanks; cast a Rippin' Spin 16 g or Power Tail Evo 50 across and slightly upstream, let it swing down on a tight line and speed up the retrieve when it reaches the seam. For more on reading rivers and deep zander, see River Fishing: 9 lures we always bring for perch, zander and pike and Zander fishing for beginners.

Which vibration bait for which situation

• Perch schools deep in autumn and winter: Rippin' Spin 9 g, Power Tail Evo 40 or LPR 55 on the sink and lift.
• Zander on drop-offs and in harbours: LPR 75, Rippin Rap or Narage 65 counted down and fished close to the bottom.
• Vertical fishing from a boat over deep schools: Rippin Blade, Narage 50 or LPR 75.
• Asp in current: Rippin' Spin 16 g, Power Tail Evo 50 or Narage 65 cast across the flow and retrieved fast.
• Clear, pressured water: LPR Silent, Narage 50 or Power Tail Evo 40 without rattle.
• Coloured water and low light: Nays LPR with rattle or Rippin Rap.
• Shallow canals, rivers and harbour walls: Shalldus 14 or Power Tail Evo 40 on a steady retrieve.
• Stream trout and ultralight: Power Tail Evo 30. See also Perch, Zander, Asp, Pike and Hardbaits.

Why buy vibration baits at Charlie's Fishing

We stock vibration baits from Nays, Rapala, BlueBlue Fishing and Fiiish, chosen because they cast far, vibrate hard and keep working at the slow speeds that cold water asks for. Everything ships from our stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery across Europe, and we are happy to help you pick the right size, weight and hook for your water. Softbaits for the same perch and zander spots are in Zander and Perch Softbaits, and bladed lures with a skirt are in Chatterbaits & Spinnerbaits.

What is the difference between a lipless crankbait and a blade bait?

A lipless crankbait has a hollow or solid plastic body, often with a rattle, and swims with a tight wobble on a steady retrieve. A blade bait is a thin metal body with a weighted belly: it sinks faster, casts further and vibrates harder on the lift, but has no swimming action of its own. Use the lipless crankbait to search water at a set depth, and the blade bait for deep, cold water and vertical fishing.

Which vibration bait is best for perch and zander in winter?

In winter perch and zander hold deep and move little, so choose a lure that reaches them quickly and keeps vibrating at slow speed: a Rapala Rippin Blade or BlueBlue Narage 65 for depth, a Nays LPR 75 for a bigger profile, or a Rippin' Spin 9 g and Power Tail Evo 40 for perch. Fish short lifts with long pauses and expect the take on the fall.

Do vibration baits work for asp?

Yes. Asp hunt small baitfish in current and react to speed, flash and vibration, so a heavy, compact lure you can cast a long way and retrieve fast is ideal. The Rapala Rippin' Spin 16 g, the Fiiish Power Tail Evo 50 and the BlueBlue Narage 65 are our first choices; cast across the current and speed up the retrieve as the lure swings into the seam.