Rapala has always made a splash when largemouth bass tournaments kick off for the year, one writer who reviewed the Shadow Rap said.

The company will probably do that again, with the introduction of this lure, the reviewer wrote.

The new jerk bait, now arriving at stores, might help win the competitions.

Shadow Rap is built to mimic a dying baitfish unlike any other plug.

The “shadow” in the name is because the lure is “living in the shadow world between life and death,” a press release from Bassmaster Classic, the tournament, said.

The lure delivers an erratic action, including quickly darting side to side.

When the retrieve is stopped, the lure slowly falls, “fading away."

The lure can almost dart side-to-side more than it swims forward.

Watch a video to see the action.

When the lure is twitched hard, it almost spins 180 degrees, because of the side-to-side motion.

On the fall, it almost looks like it shimmers, like the lure is barely alive.

"What makes this particular bait unique, is it does what I call the death quiver," Randall Tharp, pro bass angler, says in the video. "And any lure that does the death quiver is definitely going to get you more bites."

Two models are available: the 4-1/4-inch Shadow Rap that runs 2 to 4 feet deep, and the 4-3/4-inch Shadow Rap Deep that swims 4 to 8 feet deep.

A larger bill on the Rap Deep makes it swim deeper.

Both models feature flat sides and a metallic finish with textured scales, and come in a variety of colors.

To see the colors and details, visit the Rapala Shadow Rap webpage.