thundersticks have VMC hooks which i believe is what rapala runs as well. apparently thundersticks have barbarian VMC and rapala has pyramid point VMC.

im huge on lures with rattles, especially up in the Q. schools of cisco apparently make that noise, and rattles for sure help in dingy water or when the sun isnt that bright or at night. 90% of my cranks have rattles and the rest rarely see the water.

In Fisherman had an article on cranks without rattles and they were really only used on lakes where fishing pressure is heavy and rattle lures are the main bait, so fish get turned off the lures with rattles. the fishing pressure up in the Q is minimal, so i dont view them as useful.

as for thundersticks specifically, ive used them and had some success, but i didnt really think i was getting the most out of my time in the water. i fish in north/central wisconsin and the Q and i prefer shad shaped lures. they outproduce minnow lures from my experience by a fairly healthy margin. they have a larger profile, so fish can see them more easily. they displace more water so fish feel them more easily. they have more surface area to project sound vibration, so fish hear them better.

on a more positive note, i have considered trying out storms deep jointed minnow stick. the body is a bit taller and the joint being closer to the tail makes me think this would be a really good bait.