This topwater bait’s unique two-tone sound attracts bass
Talk about creating an artificial lure that truly rings a “dinner bell” for bass and other gamefish.
The chef, er, world-class pro bass angler, behind the new topwater bait from revered Rapala was none other than Jacob Wheeler of Birchwood, Tenn., with some help from his friend and well-known pro bass fisherman Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tenn. With Wheeler masterminding the development over the span of about two years, Rapala introduced the ClapTail 110 at ICAST 2025 last July in Orlando, Fla.
The ClapTail 110 is a cross between a Whopper Plopper-style topwater lure and a buzz bait with a clacker on it. The topwater’s stainless steel prop taps the stainless steel blade on each revolution, making a distinctive two-tone sound like no other. Buzz baits and other artificial lures have clackers and “stuff like that,” DeFoe pointed out.
Like DeFoe said, Wheeler realized there basically wasn’t anything like that anywhere in the Plopper category. The pro decided to do something about it.
“That was his thought,” DeFoe said. “He wanted something with additional sound, more unique than anything else.”
Just the same, he said, “It’s hard to make something a little different anymore.”
The development
Wheeler went to work on his project, even invited DeFoe over for his input a few years ago.
“We kind of messed with it that day,” he said, noting they combined their vast bass fishing knowledge and design history to come up with how to make the sound.
“A more ‘tinky’ kind of sound is what we had in mind,” he said.
They tried beads, springs and blades before settling on a likely winner. Then Wheeler took their ideas to Rapala, which has a great engineering team, to perfect the sound in the first and most critical step. They worked together on a few early prototypes, and there were others to follow before the finished product was unveiled at ICAST in July 2025 in Florida.
The ⅞-ounce, ⅜-inch long Rapala ClapTail 110 has captured the attention of bass and bass anglers alike. How popular is the new artificial lure? In late February, Bass Pro Shops announced “Rapala ClapTail is almost out of stock! These are selling out fast.”
DeFoe has hooked and boated bass on it, of course.
“Yeah, I’ve fished with it a good bit to this point,” he said. “The sound that it has is very unique. There’s really not anything out there that sounds like that.”
Flexibility
This lure is versatile. If while fishing you suddenly don’t want the “tinging” of the metal blade against the metal prop, you can remove the top blade by slightly bending the eyelet on the back, according to DeFoe.
“You can open the eyelet up and take the blade off it if you want. That’s the other fact about it, it is a versatile bait,” he said, noting silencing the “ting” makes for a more subtle retrieve, a soft but steady plop or, if you will, a tantalizing gurgle.
Rapala ClapTail 110s are armed with two No. 3 Hybrid Treble Hooks. A redeeming feature includes a built-in belly swivel for a hook that reduces the chance of fish gaining leverage to get unbuttoned. Also, built on the heavy side with a balancing weight inside, the tail end sits low in the water, but when the retrieve starts, the weight creates additional resistance making the prop turn faster, thus causing the clapping sound.
For more information on the Rapala ClapTail 110, go to www.rapala.com or call (952) 933-7060.
The post “Rapala ClapTail 110” first appeared on LouisianaSportsman.com.
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