Rattletraps are one of my favorite bass lures. My in-laws are down in Florida, and when we go down in the fall, there's nothing like getting on the lakes at daybreak and chasing schooling bass with rattletraps. I've had days where I've caught them by the dozens all day long.
I think the most important thing is to not let the fish jump if you can help it. Rattletraps have a lot of weight, and that makes them easy to throw. There's just a lot there for the fish to sling around in an attempt to work the hooks loose.
For a while, I think Bill Lewis Lures even manufactured a rattletrap where the line went all the way through the bait and tied onto the hook below, so that a jumping fish would just sling the heavy bait up the line without throwing the hook. I haven't seen those in a long time though - I guess they didn't sell well.
You can put bigger treble hooks on them, but it seems to slow down the vibration so they don't rattle as well. I think the best thing is to just keep the hooks extra sharp and put the rod tip in the water to force the bass's head down whenever you feel him heading toward the surface to jump.
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