Countdown or Floating?

[billybass23]

I've just recently begun fishing rapalas and I love them! I have been using a size five countdown in silver and have done pretty good for some smaller browns. I was just wondering if all you guys that use rapalas in rivers prefer floating or countdown? I picked up some size sevens countdowns in gold and silver, but I was just wondering about the application of floating rapalas, thanks.
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[fishman]

Floating for the rivers, countdowns for most other applications.

You can work a f-7 on a creek, stream, river like no other lure in my oppinion. Getting them under bushes and around trees and rocks and such.

Try the gold, but you didn't hear it from me. Ha!
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[Flycasting]

That's exactly my thoughts. Floaters on the rivers and streams. []
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[HookJaw_Brimhall]

Couldn't have said it better myself.
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[cadresults]

Sorry, I guess I will be the "different" opinion. I have fished rapalas for many years and believe there is no better lure to fish a river. I always use the countdowns. On the deep holes, it is difficult to put
the lure on the bottom where the bigger fish hold (browns). Yes,
you do get a few more snags but more fish IMO.
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[Flycasting]

I think that could be the case on larger rivers, but for just about any river in Northern Utah, I would go with a floater every time. Yes, you can get it deeper, but you also can't fish the small riffles and runs without drapping bottom.

My .02 []
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[billybass23]

thanks for the input. like I've said I've only fished rapalas for a short time, and I don't plan on using any other lure on rivers at least in the near future, but that was all with countdowns. I've never fished floating ones and I was just wondering how you would fish them as opposed to a countdown. Do the fish rise up and take them off the surface or what? thanks again.
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[BrianID]

Both the floating and countdown rapalas a great lures. I keep a good supply of both of them in my tackle box. I mostly fish the countdown rapalas. The floating rapalas also work well but I like the extra weight of the countdowns that helps me cast farther and get down deeper. If I want to keep the rapala within a foot or two of the surface and long casts aren't required I'll use the floating rapalas. When you pause the floating rapala and it starts to rise toward the surface it will often get strikes but I usually prefer how the countdow pauses in the water column. I've been known to place split shot about 18" above floating rapalas or on downriggers so I can fish them in deeper water.

With all of that said, I fish with spinners more than rapalas. I bet in most situations I can outfish most rapala guys while I'm using a spinner.
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[cadresults]

I sure didn't give a very good explanation. I really like the previous "weight" arguement for the countdown. I agree with this. I fish
the countdown on all rivers large and small.

As with everything, not every one will agree. Buy a few of each
and give them a try. I like the Brown Trout, Rainbow, Silver, and
the brown and gold.

Best of luck.
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[cadresults]

Brian,

That sounds like a challenge[sly]. I believe you can usually catch a
few more fish with the spinners. But, I guarantee you will consistently catch bigger fish with the rapala.
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[Hellsangler69]

I use floaters on bigger rivers only before the sun hits the water . Countdowns from then on . I think the floaters have much better action but I like to fish upstream and a countdown is the way to go . I like to drag the snags with them . Can be costly . One of the reasons I switched to jigs years ago .
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[utwalleye]

I'm with cadresults, I've fished the upper, middle, lower provo for over 25 years and I used the cd-5 gold and black and the perch.
in my opinion the gold and black cd-5 is the best one for any river.
later chuck
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[jacksonlaker]

I almost never use floaters or countdowns but prefer husky jerks. Size 5 or 7, they have a better finish( more flash) and a rattle. They suspend and run deeper than floaters. A lot of companies besides Rapala make great small suspending baits. I would try a variety of baits and finishes.
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[BrianID]

cadresults,

I would agree that spinner fishermen on average catch smaller trout than rapala fishermen. I think this is mostly due to the fact that almost all spinner fishermen use small spinners to catch trout.
I use large spinners (#5 colorado blades) on a regular basis. These large spinners are very effective at selecting larger fish. I've caught a many 20"+ trout on smaller spinners (#1 & #2 colorado blades). The only problem with fishing a smaller spinner is that you will have to waste your time fighting and unhooking smaller fish. That is normally a problem that I like to have. [] I could dig up a few pictures of large trout caught on spinners if you would like.


I have found that rapalas tend to be a better brown trout lure and spinners tend to be a better rainbow lure. That is just a general rule though. I've caught many browns (including some larger ones) on spinners and many rainbows on rapalas.
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[cadresults]

Brian,

I also like the bigger spinners. My favorite is a #3 or #4 bluefox.
Gold is my favorite color.

My biggest brown of a spinner was around 5lbs on the little bear river
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[billybass23]

thanks again for all the input, I can't wait to get out and try them again. And again with the floaters, what is the best retrieve you've found? just lettting the current take them down stream and gathering the slack, or really rippen them through the holes? thanks again for all the help
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[utwalleye]

It's always best to cast a rapala upstream and reel twitch, reel twitch all the way back in. you will have to reel fast enough to keep the lure moving with the river. you really don't want to go faster then the river just the river's speed and then the twitch makes the rapala jerk from one side to the other. later chuck
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