The dual plated joint is more than a clever way to add additional sound to the Combat Rat, it enables the bait to deliver a unique action that is more free than a traditional single connection but also one that is more controlled. This enables the rat to deliver that quality sound and action while still giving the rat a very predictable action when straight retrieved or more aggressively worked. Another side effect is that the plates allow the back section to have plenty of give to keep fish pinned, working in unison with the rotating hook hangers, versus a standard singe ring style connection that allows much more rotation, and at times too much, making it more difficult to control fish after hookup. The design is clever  and works well.

The Combat Rat calls fish up of all sizes. Who says big baits don't catch small fish.

Zander, our Editor-in-chief, has fished the Combat Rat quite a bit over the last few months targeting bass in a range of different lakes to see how fish would respond to it in different conditions. He loved the Combat Rat's ease of actuation, considering it one of the easiest rats to successfully fish, and one of the most effective when simply retrieving with no additional rod inputs. This is due to this rat's ability to displace water and call up fish with the embedded loud knocker. This also doesn't mean that the rat cannot be walked either, and when mixing in pauses, reel bumps, and rod twitches this rat is easy to bring to life.

That is better! The Combat is loud and splashes hard making it a great choice for heavily stained water, and works even when fishing in chocolate milk conditions

The Combat Rat is so loud and easy to generate a fish attracting wake that it is also one of the most effective dirty water and night fishing rats that Zander has ever fished. Where some solid resin and wood rats are too subtle for heavily stained water conditions the Combat Rat does a good job calling up fish with multiple triggers.

Here you can see the keel like shape of the rear section

Design/Ergonomics: When they do, hook up ratios with the Combat Rat are pretty good as are landing ratios. The bait comes with the afore mentioned, swiveling hook hangars that make it more difficult for the fish to gain leverage and shake the bait. That's the good. If there is a bad it's in the tail fastening strategy Evergreen International deploys on the Combat Rat. Bait keepers work well with jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and similar lures, but for whatever reason, it does not work on the Combat Rat. The tails come off too easily on just about every bite and battle. This was also Zander's biggest ding on this bait, a simple screw type holder would have made this rat would have been so much more reliable. 

Evergreen International's Combat Rat is available right now for a cool $54.99

In the current build tithe best strategy to save your tails would probably be to add a dab of super glue or similar into the hole before pushing that tail into the bait. Either way, the bait comes with two spare tails, so be sure to pack them in your bag with the bait and I'd suggest having some off brand backups just in case too.

This rat is easy to fish and great for a wide range of conditions, and it is reasonably priced too

Price & Application: There's a motto in sports, "the best ability is availability." That certainly holds true when the enthusiast bug inside is craving a new bait. For all the tumult surrounding mass produced product in the big bait world, I want to be able and go to a store or surf online, find what I want, and buy it. Don't get me wrong, I'll endure some of the waiting and anticipation of drops for certain baits and makers, but overall, if I have to try too hard to get a product, I'm going to move on - not to mention if that product is overpriced. Evergreen International's Combat Rat is available right now for a cool $54.99, and guess what, bass destroy this thing.

Conclusion: Normally, when I see a new product online, I read through the product description, analyze the specifications, and go through a handful of other checklist items during that paralysis while inventory slowly diminishes. When I found the Combat Rat online, it was an immediate click, buy, and wait because it wasn't even in stock yet.

That's what happens when I have confidence in a brand. When the bait finally arrived, I couldn't wait to get it out on the water and though it took a bit for conditions to be right, that anticipation merely added to my joy on that first bite. The Combat Rat is now stocked and ready for deployment, so if you're looking for an affordable, accessible, waking rat with a little JDM appeal, this bait is it.