Every angler who’s been fishing longer than about five minutes knows Rat-L-Traps are deadly effective in impoundments and lakes for catching bass, stripers and more, but in the sweet-water marshes along the coast, where submerged aquatic vegetation thrives, fishermen often opt for lures that won’t come back with more grass than the average football field.

That’s true for Madisonville angler Jeff Bruhl and me as well. When we come across grass-choked drains or points, we instinctively reach for our Texas-rigs or something else that will come through the vegetation easily.

But that doesn’t mean Rat-L-Traps don’t have their place, even in areas with thick submerged aquatic vegetation. To hone our skills with the lures, Bruhl and I pushed deep into the marsh, and set up a little contest for ourselves.

We decided going in that each angler would earn five points for every legal fish caught on a Rat-L-Trap, three points for every legal fish caught on an Echo 1.75 crankbait, a Rat-L-Trap product, and a single point for every legal fish caught using any other lure.

Conditions were nearly perfect for the competition, with a light southwest wind at dawn that died to almost nothing shortly after sunrise. The tide was out, but had begun to come back in.

Although our first stop didn’t deliver much of anything, we stumbled on a stretch of shoreline that featured drains and points that held plenty of fish.

The competition was friendly but became intense, as Bruhl jumped out to an early lead before I came storming back. We caught fish using a variety of techniques, including throwing Rat-L-Traps, which put three different species in the boat.

For all the details, check out the video below.

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