TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib – Sinking Lipless Jerkbait for Pike, Bass and Walleye

If you like your hardbaits loud, heavy and impossible for predators to ignore, the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib is right up your street. It is a 9cm, 21g slow-sinking rattling lipless jerkbait built to get down fast, kick out serious vibration and call in pike, bass, walleye and perch even when they are sulking. That extra weight means long casts from the bank, fast sink rates on deep structure and proper “yo-yo” control the way the blade bait and lipless crank gurus are always banging on about.

Why This Lure Works

TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib at a glance

Under the paint, the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib is a very sensible bit of kit. The body is a shad-shaped lipless crankbait style made from tough ABS plastic, packed with internal rattles and ballast. It measures about 9cm long and weighs 21g (roughly 0.74oz), which puts it squarely in the half-ounce “reaction bait” class that a lot of pros lean on for lipless crankbait work. The manufacturer lists it as an artificial bait jerkbait and vib lure, with a slow-sinking, negative-buoyancy attitude that lets it head straight for the bottom and stay there until you tell it otherwise. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

That combination – compact shad body, no bill, heavy weight and internal rattles – is exactly what makes classic lipless crankbaits so deadly. Guides and tackle writers on sites like Wired2Fish talk about how lipless lures shine because they vibrate hard, sink quickly and can be fished at pretty much any depth. The TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib follows that formula: chuck it out, let it sink to the level you want, and then bring it back with a retrieve that makes sense for the mood of the fish.

The lure carries two high-carbon treble hooks on the belly and tail, hung off decent split rings. That “belly and tail” hook layout is what most lipless crank fans look for, as it keeps the lure balanced and gives you a good chance of pinning short strikers that just slash at the body. The seller notes that it is aimed at everything from muskie and pike through to bass, yellow perch, walleye, roach and trout, which gives you a fair idea of how broadly it has been used. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

You also get multiple colour options – usually a mix of natural shad and perch looks plus brighter patterns for dirty water. That mirrors the colour logic in most lipless crankbait guides: chrome or shad in clear water, something with chartreuse or orange when the water goes murky. With that palette, you can match small baitfish in clear reservoirs, or go loud when you are ripping it through stained river channels and wind-blown bays.

How To Fish It

Basic retrieve with the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib

The TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib is built to be idiot-proof. If you do nothing fancy and just cast and wind, it will still catch fish. The internal rattles and flat sides kick out a strong buzz and thump on a steady retrieve, very similar to how a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap or Strike King Red Eye Shad behaves when you just wind it back. Lipless crank fans on r/bassfishing talk about this as their confidence move – just ticking it along above grass, letting the vibration and noise do the work.

For that simple mode, cast it out, let it count down to the depth you want (one second per foot is a decent rough rule), then start a medium-paced retrieve. Keep the rod tip low, feel it thumping, and adjust speed until it feels like it is just brushing the tops of grass or contour changes rather than ploughing through them.

Yo-yo retrieve and bottom hopping

Where the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib really shines is the yo-yo style retrieve. Because it is 21g and slow-sinking, you can use it almost like a metal blade bait. Chuck it long, let it sink to the bottom, then lift the rod to pull it up a metre or so and let it flutter back down on a semi-slack line. That “lift, flutter, drop” rhythm is exactly what blade bait pros describe in winter vib articles on BassResource and Ike’s blog – the bait shoots up, flashes, rattles and then drops nose-first, looking like a dying baitfish sinking out.

This works brilliantly on winter smallmouth and deep largemouth, as well as on walleye and pike parked on ledges and humps. When you feel that tell-tale “tick” or sudden weight on the drop, just lean into the rod and wind; lipless lures nearly always hook them on that first turn of the handle.

Ripping through grass and dragging flats

Lipless crankbait articles from Bassmaster and Wired2Fish all say the same thing: one of the best ways to fish a heavy rattling lipless is to run it through submerged grass and then rip it free when it bogs down. The TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib is perfect for that. Fire it over a grass flat, keep it just in contact with the tops, and when it snags, snap the rod sharply to break it out. That little burst of speed and vibration when it busts free is often when a bass or pike absolutely smashes it.

On more open flats or hard-bottom points, you can simply slow-roll it along the bottom, occasionally lifting it to make it hop and clatter. The eBay listing even jokes that the maximum diving depth is “the bottom” and notes that it “sinks upright”, which is exactly what you want when you are dragging or yo-yoing a bait over shell, rock and mud. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Bank and boat versatility

Because it is a solid 21g, the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib is a gift for bank anglers and kayak fishos. You can bomb it across big points and bays, or straight down a break line from a small boat without needing super-fine braid to hit distance. Fish it on straight retrieve when you are searching, then switch to yo-yo and ripping once you have found grass or contour changes.

When To Use It

The short answer: whenever you need a reaction bite. The longer answer is that the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib fits into the same seasonal window as most lipless crankbaits and blade baits, which is basically “all year, with some standout periods”.

Winter and cold fronts
Cold-water guides on Bassmaster and in vib blade blogs by Mike Iaconelli explain how heavy vibrating lures shine in winter because they give you vibration, flash, finish and depth control in one package. The TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib does exactly that. You can yo-yo it in 4–8 metres of water, fish it on steep breaks, or slowly drag it through winter grass clumps – each lift and drop rings the dinner bell for lethargic bass and walleye.

Prespawn and autumn
Prespawn and autumn might be the true glory months. Lipless crankbait tutorials on Wired2Fish talk about burning rattling baits across grass flats for prespawn bass, then slowing them down as fish get fussy. The TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib is right in the weight range for this game: heavy enough to launch across a flat, yet compact enough not to scare pressured fish. In autumn, when baitfish ball up and roam windy points, ripping this lure through them is a brilliant way to locate and trigger schools.

Anytime you need to cover water fast
One of the biggest selling points of lipless crankbaits is how quickly you can cover water. Anglers on r/bassfishing and BassResource are forever calling them “year-round confidence baits” because you can fish them shallow, mid or deep just by changing sink time and retrieve speed. The TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib gives you that same versatility; it just comes in a budget-friendly shell.

Freshwater and light saltwater
The spec sheet lists it for river, lake, reservoir pond, ocean beach, ocean boat and ocean rock fishing, which basically means it is happy anywhere there are predators eating small baitfish. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12} In practice, that means you can throw it at bass, pike and perch on your local lake on Saturday, and then at schoolie stripers or inshore species on holiday – as long as you rinse it after salt and keep an eye on the hooks.

Does It Actually Catch Fish?

On AliExpress (via Alitools) this exact TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib has racked up around 2000 orders and over 500 reviews with an average rating around 4.8 out of 5, which is not bad going for a cheap rattler. One of the early reviews even calls it “amazing quality lure for a bargain price” and notes that the action is “up there with the higher brands.” :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13} That is exactly what you want to hear when you are buying something you actually plan to throw into rock and timber instead of babying.

Ebay listings for the same lure describe it as a sinking wobbler with negative buoyancy and “the bottom” as its maximum depth – which is a polite way of saying “it sinks like a stone until you stop it.” :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14} Combine that with the aggressive rattle and you have a lure that absolutely fits the pattern described in lipless articles from Bassmaster and Wired2Fish: cover water, bang along grass and bottom, and let vibration and noise trigger fish that are otherwise in a foul mood.

Is it going to out-fish a premium branded lipless crank eight days out of seven? Of course not, mate. But at this price, you can carry multiple colours of the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib, throw them in nasty places where bites happen, and not cry if you donate one to a stump. Fished properly, with the right line and retrieve, it will absolutely hold its own as a workhorse reaction bait.

Gear Pairing

Lipless crankbait pros on Bassmaster talk a lot about line choice and rod action making or breaking this style of lure. For the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib, think “medium to heavy-ish reaction setup” rather than finesse noodle.

• Rod: A 7’–7’3″ medium or medium-heavy rod is ideal. In open water and grass, a medium with a slightly softer tip helps keep fish pinned on trebles. Around heavy cover or pike, a medium-heavy gives you the grunt to pull fish out of trouble.
• Reel: For baitcasting, a 6.4:1–7.3:1 reel is perfect – exactly what lipless guides recommend for ticking grass and yo-yoing without overworking the lure. If you are on spinning gear, a 3000 size with a smooth drag will do the trick.
• Line: Follow the lipless advice: 12–17lb fluorocarbon for most bass work, or 20–30lb braid with a fluoro leader if you want more feel in grass. Step up leaders or add a short wire trace if you are throwing at pike or muskie teeth.
• Internal combos: Use the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib as your rattling, horizontal search bait and then follow up with something like the Metal Mini VIB Fishing Lure when you want a smaller metal blade profile, or the Walk Fish VIB Lure when you want a different vibration signature but the same “heavy metal” winter vibe.

Specs

• Product name: TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib Fishing Lure
• Brand: TREHOOK
• Category: Lure – lipless jerkbait and vib style hardbait
• Length: 9cm (approx. 3.5 inch)
• Weight: 21g (approx. 0.74oz)
• Buoyancy: Slow-sinking, negative (sinks to the bottom)
• Body material: Super ABS plastic hard body
• Action: Strong vibration and rattle on straight retrieve, fluttering fall on the drop
• Hooks: 2 high-carbon treble hooks
• Colours: 6 colours available (typically shad and perch type patterns plus brighter options)
• Positions: Rated for river, lake, reservoir pond, stream, ocean beach, ocean boat and ocean rock fishing
• Target species: Muskie, bass, yellow perch, walleye, pike, roach, trout and other predators eating small baitfish
• Pack quantity: 1 lure

FAQ

Final Verdict

If you want a heavy rattling lipless bait that will happily chew through grass, rocks and winter water without wrecking your wallet, the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib is a cracking shout. It has all the right specs – 9cm shad body, 21g slow-sinking weight, loud rattles, good hooks and multi-species credentials – wrapped up in a shape and style that lipless crank nerds already trust.

Use it as your cold-front rescue bait, your prespawn grass ripper or your “cover a mile of water quickly” search tool. Match your colours to the water, set it up on sensible reaction tackle and nick a few tricks from the lipless guides on Bassmaster, Wired2Fish and BassResource. Do that, and this little chunk of noisy plastic will absolutely earn a permanent spot in your box.

Clip on the TREHOOK 21g 9cm Rattlin Vib, send it over the grass and let the rattles do the talking while you get ready for that savage thump.