Don't know if you guys have seen this one. TW has a handful in right now:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpageSWMJRAGO-JRCR.html?from=calfish

http://av.warehousesports.com/tac/ProductImages/JRCR-BB.JPG

These things are pretty off the wall, but they look fishy under water and I've heard people catching some fish on them in the past year or so.

that thing is crazy looking..but if it works ,you cant complain :-) :)

I read an article in Bass West (I think) where Mike Long talked about his swimbaits. He said he prefers a bass pattern most of the time. He said he just mentioned to Jerry that he would like to have a diving rat...now we know what he's fishing :+

well that took about 4 seconds for the bass colored ones to get sold lol. Did you guys see the new version of the Monster Jack and the small Mikey bait? This stuff is all kind of small for my taste but probably solid for you tournament guys out there.

What am I 'missing' here? Why "baitfish colors" for 'rats'?

Dan

Why not :+

Seriously, I think that baitfish colors will work on any lure, if presented correctly. The bass are used to seeing and chasing other 'bass' as forage. I think a rat with bass colors will just help the lure adapt to the fishes environment.

Especially with a big lure like this. I think the bass are just attacking it as a meal. They don't know the difference between a bass and a rat?

I make crawdads in baitfish colors. I fish them when the bass are feeding heavily on baitfish, but I want to fish slower and closer to the bottom. Bass don't have the ability to rationalize like we do, determining that rats aren't green. At least no rats that I've seen :o

Thanks Jake. I ordered one in the Tennessee Shad color.

Dan

Dan when you think about it that does not really look like a rat, so I doubt it matters. The strikes you get on it are probably more of a reaction from the clacking and action. If you ask me I think it is more eel like that rat like?

Let me know how you like it. I've been wanting to order 1 forever, I just haven't done it yet. I fish the Bettencourt 'Rodent'. Different rat for a different reaction.

I'm sure the Rago Rat is great, I've heard lots of good things about it. But I've also heard some not so good things. Well I shouldn't say not good, I've never heard anything negative. I think it's more people who fish the big trout imitations, then fish the rat and expect the same results from the rat. When they don't get the same results, they just don't acknowledge it as being a good bait?

I always like to hear peoples opinions on baits. Good or bad, it's just an opinion. Maybe because I make baits and I use that feedback to try and make them better :-)

I have one of the normal rago rats is grey and have had about 5 blowups on it but have never been able to stick that 2/0 in the fish... but you can bet ill be throwing it this spring looking for that nice one...

I have a black rago rat (the orginal not the diver) that I fish out on the Delta. I have had two blowups on it and have hooked one sublegal sized bass on it. The action is great and I am sure if I threw it more I would get more fish.

I have the regular Rat in all of the colors and have done really well with them, especialy the brown and the tan. We caught many fish on them in the five to seven pound range this past year. I have found with what i would describe as a SLOW erratic retreive, where the bait will dive and with a very brief pause just before it reaches the surface get it going slowly again(continued throughout the retrieve). That retrieve has been what has produced most all my Rat fish throughout the year and they really crush it. We even got bit on it this past spring in forty degree water.
Good Luck, Bill Q.

Hi Guys,

Ok, i got one in the bass color and it appears to be running to the right, any ideas on how to tune these baits, they don't have the regular cankbait eyelet, they appear to have a shank coming out of the bait so my worry is that if i try bending it with the plier i might ruin the action. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mine will be here tomorrow but I won't be fishing it before the weekend.

Dan

Juan, tell me how you want to tune it. Is it not running straight for you? Let me know what you want to do, and I'll check with Jerry when he gets back in town later this week.

Hi Steve,

When i crank the bait, it runs to the right instead of going straight, how do i adjust it so that it runs straight. The eyelet that it has appears to be running of a metal shank that comes out of the bait and is embeded in the plastic lip, my fear is that if use my pliers to bend the eyelet in the opposite direction that it might break the plastic lip or ruin the bait's action.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

We've got a few of them in the shop waiting to be finished up. I'll take a look at one and see how it might be tweaked a bit to tune it. Does it have a split ring on it? I'll also talk to Jerry about it when he gets back later in the week. He's out testing some new swimbaits.

Steve,

Thanks for the quick reply. The bait does come with a split ring.

Thanks again.

Jaun, re: tuning, should be same procedure as you use for any other crankbait. Tweak right to go left, vice versa.

>Jaun, re: tuning, should be same procedure as you use for any
>other crankbait. Tweak right to go left, vice versa.

Steve: I have one too and I would disagree with you. Not in the "procedure" but because the tweaking of the 'eye' on this bait will probably crack the lip. It's a different design from 'normal' cr/baits. I havn't thrown mine yet but I would not tweak mine if it favors one side over the other......until someone else tries it sucessfully.

Dan

Steve,

I agree with Lightninrod, the bait is not setup like your normal crankbait and i too am concerned that if I bend the eyelet the lip will break. Any other suggestions.

I've heard with crankbaits you can get the same tuning effect by shaving one side of the bill with a file. I would test it with an old crankbait though as I've never really tried it.

ROTFLMAO!!!
I don't wanna hear anything more about my crazy color patterns on crankbaits. :o x( :+

Excellent craftsmanship however. Very nice looking bait. I wouldn't mind having one to display under my driftwood and glass coffee table.

Bass fishermen are soooo fickle.

Chris

Hey Steve any new thoughts from Jerry on how to tune these baits, i am eager to start fishing mine, let us know.

Lightingrod have your heard anything?

Thanks.

No, I havn't heard anything other than what's in this thread. I have thrown mine just a few times and it runs 'true' so far.

Dan

Lightinrod: Lucky you!

Steve K: Help! I am going out tomorrow and I would like to throw this bait. Let me know if you found out anything.

Thanks.