2Faced Baits Waking Rat Mouse Product Review #2facedbaits #2facedbaitswakingrat #ratswimbait

Swimbait Review

Rat Rumble : 2 Faced Baits's Waking Rat

Date:	12/21/21
Tackle Type:	Lure
Manufacturer:	2Faced Baits
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 7.50 - GOOD

Introduction: Steven Loewen out of the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay Region has been in the business of making baits since the middle of 2018. Through his company, 2Faced Baits, Loewen offers a variety of big bodied, two and three piece, billed baits that wake and crank giving anglers the tools they need when searching for those bigger bites. Loewen and I connected through social media amidst the early fervor of TackleTour's 2021 Rat Rumble where he enthusiastically expressed interest in throwing his baits into the battle. Here now is our look at the 2Faced Baits Waking Rat.

2Faced Baits Waking Rat Specifications
Type	Waking or Crankdown
Length	10.75"
Weight	3.6oz
Depth	...
Material	Resin
No. Pieces	Two
Joint Style	Shallow V with Pin & Screw Eye Hinge
Bill Angle	60d
Variants	A smaller 8.25" mouse is also available but a slightly different bait
Hooks	2x 1/0
MSRP	$89 (mouse is $75)

Introducing the Waking Rat by 2Faced Baits

Impressions & Craftsmanship: Yes, you caught that right in the intro when I referred to baits, as in plural. Loewen submitted two baits, his Waking Rat and Waking Mouse and while the two are slightly different from one another, they are similar enough to where I can primarily talk about one, and simply point out some of the differences in the other. The Waking Rat, for starters, is the star of this article. It came to us with a nose to butt measurement of five and a half inches (5.5"), but an overall nose to tip of the tail measurement of ten and three quarters inches (10.75").

Note the clever approach to delineating this bait's eyes and ears - literally shaped into the bait instead of out or glued in

Both the Waking Rat and Mouse (4" body) are two piece baits with slightly untraditional profiles - namely the noses are pointing down more line a crawling rodent sniffing around for something to eat rather than a swimming one trying to keep its nose up so it can breathe. The bodies of both baits are more tall than round, and Loewen makes good use of sculpting techniques to articulate the ears and eyes, both of which indent into the body of the lure, rather than stick out. The eyes are very cleverly executed with concave half circles that are painted black to resemble those beady eyes of a rat or mouse. There's nothing to fall out or lose here, yet the effect is very realistic.

Also available is the smaller, Waking Mouse

Ready to Rumble: For the Waking Rat's RatRumble trials, I chose my Leviathan Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy rod matched with a 2016 Shimano Antares DC. This reel was offered in two retrieve ratios, and the one I have features a 5.6:1, perfect for wake baits. For line, my infatuation with hollow braid continues so I spooled the Antares DC with 50lb Seaguar Threadlock and installed a top shot of Gold Label Leader in 25lb test.

The Waking Rat features a V-style joint with a pin and screw eye connection

Neither the Waking Rat or Waking Mouse come with a split ring, but even if they did, I would have ended up taking that ring off and using a snap for my connection. I do not tie direct to the line tie with any of my big baits out of precaution. The finish on those screw eyes are not polished, so I do not trust they are free of micro-spurs or other imperfections that might compromise the integrity of my fishing line. Using a snap helps guard against this potential outcome.

Our bait leans a little to the right on rest but is fine once its moving

Dexterity: The Waking Rat is super easy to throw. Though its overall length is about ten and three quarters of an inch (10.75"), the bait's body is rather compact at only five and a half inches (5.5"). That's a nice, manageable size on a rod as capable as Leviathan's Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy. Once the Waking Rat splashes down, it sits at the surface of the water with only the tip of its ears and back exposed to air. My Waking Rat specifically, tends to lean toward its right when at rest.

A look at the bait's hardware

The use of a soft plastic worm as the tail is quite common with rat baits

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