i agree with you on big baits dont always catch bigger fish. most of my biggest fish have come on small baits. my little brother really sticks with smaller stuff. he doesnt have anything bigger than 3 inches in his tackle box.

looking at the rapala site for the specs, i use the "x rap shad shallow 08" and the "x rap deep 10(minnow body)" and the "x rap shad 08(big lip)"

my older brother runs mostly minnow profiles and swears by the "blue/silver" one. he is really big on the "match the hatch"

i prefer the deep shad body and find  "moss shiner" to be the most productive paint pattern. i prefer to match the colors of the hatch but do something to stand out

for smallies i use the "rap shallow shad 08". the thick lip keeps the rocks off the hooks and it doesnt snag up easy. for smallies i mainly use the dark purple back gold sided one, might be some limited time only paint because i cant find it when i look for it now