i carry a few rattlin raps on me at all times. i mainly stick to the crayfish colored ones, gold, brown, orange, red, yellow, green. i got started on them for one of the reasons you mentioned. when i first started with a baitcaster it was pretty tough to cast long distances. tie on a rattlin rap and you can cast a mile. they are good baits for covering water and are fairly versitile. you can fan cast them to find active fish and jig them or even fish them vertically. i got a clacklin rap (the rattlin rap with one giant ball bearing rattle) for my birthday that im pretty excited to try this spring. the thing weighs 5/8 of an oz, so i might need more line...