Ready to Rumble: To ensure Narrow Gate's rat bait had every opportunity to walk those dark alleyways and play victim to a few bass with bad intentions, I matched it up with a rod donated by Evergreen International through Daiwa USA for our Rat Rumble, the Combat Stick RCSC-78XH Wakebait. This seven foot, eight inch (7'-8") stick comes with a lure rating of up to four ounces (4oz) and as its nickname suggests, was built for just such an occasion. I paired it with my Ultimate Enthusiast Award winning Conquest DC, but in the 200 size, not 100. I figured if I couldn't hit that squirrel in my front yard with the 101HG, I might as well sling an actual rodent-like bait with the 201HG.

The top end, distressed rat retails for $80

Early in the season, I had my Conquest 201HG spooled with 50lb Seaguar Threadlock with a top shot of 25lb AbrazX as the leader. When it came time to put my Narrow Gate Baits Rats through the paces, I swapped the leader out with 25lb Seaguar Gold Label Fluorocarbon. The change had nothing to do with the bait. It was simply time to move to another leader material in my continuing quest to sample options and discover the pluses and minuses with different product.

Different joint configurations are also available on order. Here is the flat joint

This is the V-Cut option

Dexterity: Narrow Gate's rat bait weighs in at only two and a half ounces (2.5oz). If you're not accustomed to throwing big baits, this may seem like a lot to you, but for those who are, this bait handles like a light weight. The difference is similar in comparison to a balsa wood and hard plastic crankbait of the same size. What the Narrow Gate's rat has over a balsa wood crank, however, is it is infinitely easier to cast, and with the combo outlined above, I could send this rat some pretty good distances.

At rest, the bait mostly sits on top though there's some inconsistency in the level at which each section of the bait floats

On splashdown, the Narrow Gate Rat isn't the most refined or consistent with the way it floats on top of the water. Of the three baits I have, two float relatively neutral on top while the third's head sits just a tiny bit submerged. It almost looks as if the bait is taking a peak under the surface looking for a convenient morsel or two to eat. Clicking my reel over all three have a consistent swim with a prototypical, snaky action. The one bait that likes to peak beneath the surface swims perfectly fine and in the same manner as the others.

Another option available at the time of order is bill width. This narrow bill is a tad easier to fish because it creates less resistance

There are, however, tiny differences in the quality of each bait's swim depending on the lip and joint configurations you choose. Both joint variants have a nice, snaky action, but the V-joint's swim has a little more kick in the tail. Similarly, the wider lip variant of this rat has a wider wake than the narrow lip variant. Mind you, the differences are slight, but they are there. My preference was the variant with the V-cut joint and the wider lip. With wake baits, I want as much disturbance on the surface a bait can create. This particular configuration of the Narrow Gate Rat has the swim and sound I like in a topwater rat with enough rear end action to get the tail snaking consistently.

However, the wider bill creates a more, prototypical action on top

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