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Bass-a-Thon 2009
Coverage Part 1 - Big Baits in L.A.
(continued)
P.B. Rat: Rats are
back! It seems that rats are back in fashion and a number of big bait
manufacturers are now getting back to designing and building rat baits with
advanced new materials. Cal’s been on a rat kick lately and was instantly drawn
to the P.B. Rat.
Rats are back and the P.B. Rat is
a nee entry into the category
This new Rat is the creation of Art Berry and Perry. The first thing we asked
was what P.B. stood for and Art told us it was short for “Personal Best.” The
P.B. Rat is unique in that it is obviously a wood lure which is unlike many of
the plastic molded and injected swimbaits.
The P.B. rat is made out of wood
While we love wood as a material for swimbaits we asked him about the swelling problems we have observed on many
wooden baits. In the past we have noticed that when wooden swimbaits are new
they swim perfectly but often when the paint cracks water is able to seep into
the wood and cause the bait to deform.
Instead of using paint to seal the
lure a special flexible automotive clear coat is used which seals the wood and
protects it from damage
This is where the P.B. Rat is designed to
stand apart. Unlike other baits the P.B. Rat is not painted to seal the bait,
instead a automotive “flexible” clear coat is used to create a more durable seal
and brings out the highlights of the actual wood itself. The clear coat also
really accentuates the lure’s unique wood grain finishes which look like wet
hair rather than a matte surface.
The P.B. Rat's coating gives it a
unique clacking sound as the joints come into contact with one another
Art then picked up the bait and rocked the joints back and forth to create a
loud clicking sound quite unlike anything we have ever observed in a rat bait.
This higher pitched click is generated from the proprietary finish.
Instead of paint the special clear
coat brings out the natural highlights of the wood to give the lure a unique
look
Overall the P.B. rat looks like a truly custom swimbait and is available now for a price of
100 dollars per lure. Were not sure if this bait will look better in the water
or a glass collector’s showcase but were eager to see just how fish respond to
the loud “click” which emanates from this topwater bait on retrieves.
The team at P.B. introduce their
creation at the show and it looks like a winner
Next Section: 22nd Century and Spro
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