Impressions:
There is just
something awesome
about rat swimbaits,
maybe it is the way
they come to life on
the surface, or
perhaps it is the
ability to clearly
witness the
explosive strikes
that they often
incite. I've been
fishing rat
swimbaits for years
but for a long time
it was never a
"go-to" technique
for me on an regular
basis. I'd often
have a mass produced
two piece rat on
board my boat but
always seemed more
comfortable turning
to a walking bait,
magnum sized pencil
style bait, poppers,
and frogs for days
where I felt the
topwater bite was an
option.
The Illude Rad Rat
is a 2oz. wake style
swimbait
That all started to
change as the
swimbait scene
matured and a number
of really good
custom-built rats
started appearing on
the market. I
started fishing this
class of lures more
often and catching
quality fish on
baits like the
original one-piece
Rago rats, MS
Slammers, the 22nd
Century Nezzuma Rat,
and more recently
the original wooden
PB Rat back in 2009.
I started to really
appreciate the
uniqueness of these
baits, especially
the ones hand carved
out of wood. The
more swimbaits I
fished the more I
started to be
obsessed with the
action and unique
sound that each bait
made, and how and
when to use single
and dual jointed
rats in different
applications where a
swimming versus
knocking rats was
what the fish seemed
to want.
The Rad Rat is hand
carved from Alaskan
Cedar and makes use
of a variety of lip
materials, a clear
Lexan for the Day
Shift, and carbon
fiber for the Night
Shift
That was also when I
started going on
more frequent "night
missions," which is
fishing late into
the night, or before
sunrise, and
targeting bass. The
lakes that I had
access to at the
time were not able
to fished from a
boat after dark, so
I would resort to
hiking the shoreline
while wearing a
headlamp and
slinging swimbaits
in the dark, hoping
for that one big
bite. While I fished
a lot of subsurface
swimbaits it was the
topwater baits, like
jointed rats, that I
started to gravitate
more towards as they
were perfect for
fishing at night
with their ability
to stay on the
surface, draw more
attention by
emitting vibration
and sound, and just
the fact that I was
less likely to lose
a prized bait to an
underwater snag.
I have a lot of fond
memories, and even a
few scars, from
climbing over rocks
and hiking through
the brush to get to
my favorite fishing
spots on those night
missions, and I owe
a lot of the best
fish I caught to
those early rat
wake-style
swimbaits.
A look at the rear
section of the Rad
Rat, notice the
embedded tail that
connects via a
spring wire that is
recessed in the butt
section
Over the years I
started collecting
more custom made
rats and came across
the Illude Rad Rat
while on a routine
stop at Coyote Bait
and Tackle, a local
tackle shop that I
have enjoyed
visiting since I
started bass fishing
decades ago. They
had a single Illude
Rad Rat Day Shift in
their case and one
look at that cute
rodent bait and I
knew I had to take
it home.
Notice the thick
hardware
construction and
wide articulation of
the joint, this
makes the wide
waking action and
loud audible knock
possible
The Illude Rad Rat
is one of the
coolest, and most
refined, rats
available on the
market. It is so
clean looking that I
fell into the very
trap that I warn
other anglers
about... I left it
in the package and
didn't even fish it
for over a year! One
day when I left my
regular box of
wakebaits in my
other boat and
didn't have a rat
available I freed
the Rad Rat from the
clear retail box
that it came
in and finally tied
it on.
I've been fishing
the Rad for years
now, and it only
took one trip for me
to realize what a
special bait it is
