lure size

Question
I just bought a rapala x-rap it is a little over 3and a half in. long. I am a little worried that it is to big. i've bought previous lures about the same size ,I like to bass fish(largemouth). i fish on lake pepin in minn. on the mississippi river should i worry about not catching fish with this size of lure. we'll the largemouths go for a lure that size? thanks!

Answer
Hey, sorry it took a little while for me to get to this.  I've been away from my email for a few days.  
The Rapala x-rap is a solid lure as far as I know.  I don't own any, but I do own a pretty good collection of similar lures made by Yo-Zuri.  Their basically the modern version of the classic jerkbait.  Instead of just wobbling, they dart sharply when the rod is jerked.  The Yo-Zuri's that I fish produce extremely well for both largemouth and smallmouth and they're all about the same size.  

Largemouth typically aren't shy about large lures if they're fished properly.  I've caught a lot of bass, and quite a few over 5lbs on large jerk and stick baits.  The x-rap is more or less a medium sized jerkbait.  It should produce for you pretty well.  That's typically the size of my go-to jerkbaits.   

The new jerbaits are actually really easy to fish effectively.  The floating versions are extremely ideal when you can see bass feeding near the surface, whether in schools or individually.  Simply work them near structure or cover, match your retrieve to their level of activity and pay attention to details.  The suspending versions are great when maybe fish are a little slower, or are holding up deeper.  They allow you to get down a couple of feet and simply suspend at a relatively constant depth.  The same idea more or less holds up in terms of retrieve. Be careful though, especially if you're fishing above submerged cover, if you allow the lure to run too deep, there's a good chance it's getting snagged.  Simply pay attention to depth and you should be ok.  The third version of the stickbait is the sinking or "countdown" model.  As the name implies, they slowly sink down to a specific depth, determined by how long you allow them to sink before reeling.  It's a good idea to pay attention to depth and "countdown" the seconds to the desired depth...  It seems a little tricky, but it's not hard to get used to.

Don't worry too much about size with jerkbaits, unless you're buying monsters.  They produce well and they're easy to fish.  I think you're going to like yours so long as you match the color and be patient and allow yourself to build confidence in it.  I hope I've helped you out.  If you have any more questions, or need anything, be sure to let me know, I'd be glad to do my best.  Thanks for asking.

Good luck!
Chris