RatRumble : The Waking Dead – Illude’s Zombie Rat (continued)

Price and Availability: The Zombie Rat retails for $137 dollars, which is an amazing price for this handmade bait, and is made available to anglers through periodic drops on the Illude Baits website. While it is challenging to catch these drops it isn’t impossible, and I was able to purchase one bait (the Chocolate Milk pattern in this review) via this method.

Bait Detail: A feature and dimension breakdown of the Illude Lunker Fighters Zombie Rat Double as detailed by our Swimbait SkunkWerx division

Illude has also collaborated with other manufacturers like Bad News Bass for limited edition colorways, but with the huge demand these baits also sold out in seconds. I know, because I tried unsuccessfully to purchase one in the last drop.

The Illude Bad News Bass (BNB) collab looked slick and bore the teal colors of the local San Jose Sharks hockey team (Image from Bad News Bass)

The fact is that demand for Illude and Lunker Fighter Series baits is still far greater than the supply. Most anglers will procure the Zombie through purchases, or trades, in the aftermarket. It is here where the Zombie can go for significantly more, and up to double the retail price. It all boils down to demand, and while it is unfortunate that there are flippers simply looking to make a profit on custom lures it is also refreshing that there are some anglers out there who actively help others by helping them obtain their first Illude via trades, or sales, at reasonable prices. There are some great people, and camaraderie, in the custom bait community which brings me to the luremaker himself.

Lendl has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the nicest, most genuine, builders in the industry. Any anglers that experience an issue, or damage a bait, and have reached out to Illude via Instragram have had their issues resolved quickly. As an example, users that had issues with the swim action of the early Gas Rats received free swaps to the new-style coffin lip. Lendl goes above and beyond to listen to feedback from anglers, and though he already has a well-earned spot as one of the very best custom builders out there he has remained incredibly humble through it all. Lendl is acutely aware that anglers want more of his baits and is committed to building more lures while still delivering the same handmade quality, refinement, and artistry that makes his lures so sought-after.

Each Zombie is numbered and comes with an card of authenticity highlighting the date of the swim test and batch number

Creating more Lunker Fighter lures like the Zombie has vastly increased the number of Illude baits available and Lendl never stops pursuing different designs and exploring new materials and techniques. Just in the last year he has debuted the Diesel Lizard XL, Grenade Gill, and Zombie Gerbil and he has more in the works. I asked Lendl if there was anything he would like to expand upon regarding the resin used in the Lunker Fighters line, or anything else he would like to share with our readers to which he replied:

“Thank you for the opportunity. It’s always a continual learning process for us especially when we work with resin, wood and soft plastics. We’ve done extensive research and tested out all sorts of materials, treatments and finishes and sometimes processes work for one but not for the others; this really challenges us to find what works best for each material. It does keep us relevant and in the market for what’s new as far as sourcing and perfecting the process of working with various materials like solvents, polycarbonate, finishes and raw materials, etc. We’re grateful for all of the love and support everyone’s given us these past 7 years. We’re very hopeful for what God has prepared for us as we continue to find ways to develop new product,” said Lendl. “I want to thank everyone for allowing us to serve this awesome community of ours; for letting us freely create. We hope to bring more to table in the following years especially in numbers. We know there’s a lot of people who’ve been waiting very patiently. Thank you so much for your support. Much love from our family to yours.”

Though the Illude Lunker Fighters Zombie Rat has a similar profile to the Rad Rat it is an exceptional bait in its own right

Conclusion: I am fortunate enough to own both the Rad Rat and Rad Triple Double, and both baits are not only amazing fish catchers but what I would consider collectible “grail class” rats. When I first started fishing the Zombie rats, I fell into the trap of continually comparing these baits with the wood versions of which they are based, but the fact is that they are not only quite different due to their resin construction and offer anglers a unique wake-bait experience.

The Zombie Rats are exceptional baits in their own right and take the proven design of the original wooden Rad Rats to create a rat style wakebait that is deadly effective at all speeds. Fished slowly as a topwater bait, with the rod tip up, the Zombie rats will yield a lower pitch knock, slow it down further and it can walk or twitch to splash water to draw attention. Retrieve the bait a briskly and it will happily wake right below the surface daring fish to strike. The resin body and painted finish are extremely durable, and like the undead monster for which it is named, the Zombie will absorb explosive strike after strike and remain just as deadly.

The best thing about the Zombie is how durable and versatile it is. Fish it on top in still water and draw fish in with the knock, or crank it down and get fish to chase

One of the great things about our Rat Rumble is the ability to compare so many different baits side by side, and what we are seeing is that there are a lot of good options out there, and each bait showcases some unique designs, actions, and fish catching abilities. In the world of custom rat swimbaits, the Illude Zombie is a top-tier option.

The Lunker Fighters Zombie Rat is a great example of just how good a resin based rat can be, and another highly desirable award winning bait from Illude 

While the limited nature of these baits makes them even more desirable to collectors the fact is that they are deadly fish catchers. Like both other Illude baits that I’ve written about, the Rad Rat and Pistol Gill, the Zombie is a very fun, very refined, fishable work of art. If you are lucky enough to procure a Zombie, I’d encourage you to quickly put it to work. Blowups on the Lunker Fighter Zombie are infectious, and simply put this is another great example of a quality swimbait from Illude. These baits have the juice and straight up get bit. This rodent is custom-made to rumble, and hookpoint scars, rash marks, and fish bites only add to the character of this undead rat.
 

Looking for the Illude Zombie Rat? Be on the lookout for periodic drops from the manufacturer's website