|
My Favorite Topwater Custom
Swimbait - The Illude Rad Rat (continued)
Retailing for $125
dollars the Illude
Rad Rat is on the
more expensive side
when it comes to all
rats, but really not
that expensive when
it comes to custom
swimbait rats. Over
the last few seasons
it has absolutely
outfished every
other two piece rat
in my arsenal. When
it comes to two
piece rats the
Illude Rad Rat ranks
number one for me,
with the Johnny Rat
a close second, and
when considering
three piece rats I
recommend the PB
Rat, though I
haven't had the
opportunity to fish
Illude's own Triple
Double.
The biggest
challenge with baits
like the Illude Rat
is often not the
price of entry but
just being able to
get one. Like other
manufacturers Illude
tries to keep up
with demand and
supports shops like
Coyote Bait and
Tackle and end-users
directly on custom
builds. The one
thing I really
respect about
Illude, and a number
of other custom
builders, is that
they simply will not
sacrifice quality to
meet demand. Each
bait still has that
custom look, feel,
and signature action
and sound.
Illude does have a
number of other
baits that I'm
starting to fish,
like the Pistol Gill
and Flash Decoy, but
I doubt any will
come to the affinity
I now feel for the
Rad Rat. I'll
definitely give the
Illude Gas Rat a
shot, the company's
similarly styled
resin two piece rat,
but there is just
something so magical
about hand carved
wooden swimbaits
like the Rad.
Just this past
weekend I broke my
go-to swimbait rod
for fishing the Rad
Rat, a Megabass
Destroyer Onager, by
stupidly high
sticking while boat
flipping a rat
fish... rookie level
mistake
I've now caught over
a hundred fish on
that original white
Rad Rat, and even
though I now have
two the baits, the
Rad Rats are so
precious within my
arsenal that I
routinely check my
knots and the
integrity of my
line. Just this past
weekend when I was
fishing with the
white Rad Rat on one
of my personal go-to
swimbait rod, the
Megabass Destroyer
Onager, when I was
boat flipping a fish
I got a little too
excited and high
stuck the rod and
BAM, I snapped the
entire tip section
off the rod! I was
heartbroken at
breaking one of my
favorite rods with a
rookie mistake, but
I was also
immediately relieved
that I had not lost
the Rad Rat in the
process.
As painful as it was
to break a rod like
the Megabass
Destroyer Onager
I'll be able to
purchase another
one, while that 100+
fish Rad Rat is
something I cannot
just order a
replacement for.
Though I was in
shock at breaking
one of my favorite
rods I was also
immediately relieved
I did not lose the
Rad Rat in the
process
When it comes to
rods the Illude Rad
Rat is a relatively
easy swimbait to
cast, weighing just
over 2oz., and yet I
still prefer to fish
it with a dedicated
swimbait rod that
rates medium-heavy
to heavy action, and
has a generous lure
rating. The reason
is that I like the
ability to swing
fast, and hard, and
keep those treble
hooks pinned. I've
also had numerous
big fish dive right
into the weeds after
getting stuck so
having a rod that is
powerful enough to
muscle them out of
the vegetation will
not only help you
land that fish, but
also get your
valuable swimbait
back safely.
The Illude Rad Rat
has rekindled my
love for night
missions and caused
me to burn through a
lot of headlamp
batteries in the
process
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Illude
Rad
Rat
(Day
Shift) Swimbait
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
Mass
produced
swimbaits
have the
best
consistency
but that
doesn't
necessarily
make
them the
"best"
baits.
Illude
delivers
the kind
of
precision
you see
from a
production
bait
with the
craftsmanship
and
artistry
you want
in a
custom
build.
The Rad
Rat is a
functional
work of
art |
9.5 |
|
Performance |
This
lure
absolutely
blew my
mind the
first
time I
finally
fished
it and
has
continued
to be
one of
my top
producing
swimbaits,
day or
night,
seasons
later.
It
constantly
outfishes
other
topwater
baits
and has
held up
surprisingly
well
over
time |
9 |
|
Price |
Retailing
for $125
dollars
the Rad
Rat is
not
cheap
but
certainly
worth
the
money
when it
comes to
the
quality
and
workmanship
that
goes
into
each and
every
bait.
The
biggest
challenge
with
procuring
one is
not the
cost but
the
availability |
8 |
|
Features |
A well
built
big bait
that has
an
excellent
joint
design
that
maximizes
the
knocking
clack
that the
Alaskan
cedar
wood
body is
capable
of
generating.
Anglers
wanting
a more
subtle
action
can use
the
company's
crash
pads to
insulate
the
joint
but I
personally
love the
clack
and the
bait's
ability
to draw
attention
in open
water,
and at
night |
9 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Surprisingly
easy to
fish due
to low
overall
weight
and I
can
easily
cast
this all
day but
still
recommend
a
dedicated
swimbait
rod
capable
of
sucking
up those
violent
strikes
and
putting
pressure
on fish
to turn
them or
dig them
out of
the
weeds
while
keeping
them
pinned.
The
finish
and tail
on this
rat also
hold up
better
than
many
competing
baits |
9.5 |
|
Application |
This is
an
exceptional
bait for
topwater
bass
fishing
and I am
sure
that it
can be
used for
stripers
as well,
though I
haven't
been
willing
to risk
losing
one of
my only
two Rad
Rats to
a giant
striper...yet.
Though I
have
caught a
few fish
cranking
the bait
aggressively
underwater
the
overwhelming
majority
of the
fish
I've
landed
with
this
bait are
when
fishing
slowly
on the
water's
surface.
The Rad
Rat is
also
extremely
effective
for
night
fishing
as well,
and that
waking
action,
and loud
knock
draws
the
attention
from
bass
from
afar |
9.5 |
|
Total
Score
|
9.08 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus |
Minus
|
|
+
Exceptional
design and build quality. Everything you would expect from a small run
custom lure shop |
-
Cost
isn't the only issue, it is a challenge to find one, as demand is far greater
than supply |
|
+
This
lure not only looks beautiful but it performs equally as well. It
generates strikes and delivers big fish |
-
Once you
are lucky enough to get a Rad Rat you are likely going to want more!
|
|
+ Easy
to fish all day and can be worked well as both a cover and search bait |
|
|
+
Very
effective
during
the
day or night (would recommend the Day Shift model if you can only get one) |
|
|
+ Very
durable, from the finish to the embedded tail design, this is one rat
that isn't afraid to get hit hard! |
|
Conclusion: Thinking back I feel very lucky
that I was able to stumble upon my first Illude Rad Rat, and also feel silly
for letting it idle in the package as a collectors piece for so long, all those
years ago. A swimbait as good as the Rad Rat absolutely must be fished! The Rad
Rat has been a game changer for me in terms of honing not only my topwater
fishing game, but improving my night fishing success as well.
There are a lot of
great custom bait
makers out there,
and a lot of good
rat swimbaits to
pick from, and on
the short list the
Illude Rad Rat is
one of the very
best, and my current
favorite.
There are a lot of
good custom made
two-piece rodent
swimbaits out there
but the Illude Rad
Rat is truly one of
the best. Like the
name states... it
really is RAD!
There are a few
times where a bait
really becomes more
than just a proven
performer, but
rather a fishable
work of art, and
that is what the
Illude Rad Rat is
for me. If you are
ready to make the
leap from a mass
produced rat to a
custom wooden one it
is worth the
investment, and wait
time, to get one of
these elusive Illude
Rad Rats. After just
one epic blowup you
won't be able to
refrain from smiling
and appreciate just
how beautifully this
lure is built, and
how well it
performs. If rat
fishing is your game
the Rad Rat is one
of those grail-class
rodent baits that
needs to be in your
swimbait arsenal!
Looking for the Illude Rad Rat?
Try
Coyote Bait and Tackle and
Illude directly for
custom builds
|
