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Rago Baits - Rat and Mouse

Author: Rob Belloni

History/Overview: The Rago rat was debuted after many years of secrecy in the fall of 2002. The original baits were wood, but the production baits now are synthetic. The baits are very light and buoyant and use a Crème worm for the tail section. The rat measures 8" total lenth (4 and ¼" for the body) and come stock with a VMC hook. The Rago Mouse came out in late 2003. The mouse is 6 and ¾" total length.

Pros: Now here is a lure with some ACTION. The rat and mouse have a wild surface action because as the bill causes the head of the bait to jolt back and forth, the tail section follows the action of the head but at the same time, the worm in the tail is so long that it can't keep up and it starts just shooting back and forth, even on a medium/slow retrieve. You can burn the rat and make it dive a few inches under the surface with a wild action, or you can creep it on top, giving it the most subtle slow speed action. Throw in a few twitches and pops, and it just quivers on the surface. Overall the rat and mouse just have phenomenal action on top.

The next thing we need to talk about is unique presentation. These baits are still relatively new on the market and odds are that the fish in your area have not seen anything like this before. It just doesn't look like anything that existed on the market 5 years ago. That uniqueness can be big advantage.

The rat has two hinges and overall has very solid construction. You're going to go through some tails when fish bite only at the tail, but overall this is a bait you can legitimately catch 100 bass on. It's a topwater bait that you are probably never going to lose,, and at around $30 to $40 each, that's not a bad buy at all.

As far as hooking and landing the fish goes, the rat is a solid performer. It has only one hook but the body of the bait is relatively small. Anything over about 2 and a half pounds shouldn't have a problem eating the rat. The bait is also very light, which allows fish to suck it in easily.

Cons: There's really not much bad to say about the rat. Replacing the tails on the water can be somewhat of a pain because you have to glue them in. But functionally that's about it. For me personally, I have not done that well on the rat, but I know first hand that a whole lot of tournament money has been won on this bait and I have no doubt that despite limited production on the lure, it will continue to grow in popularity around the country.

If the rat in the pic above looks a little beat on the paint, it's because it was one of the original wood baits that was just quickly painted up for Jerry to fish with. The production baits look like the mouse pictured above and the paint is just fine.

Average Rating out of 7 voters
Craig Ratte( Hudson, NH) Mar 23, 2007
Rago Rat
The Rago Rat is my go to swimbait here on the East Coast, Although I have not yet caught a monster on it I have stuck many fish with it. I have had an excellent bite to hook up ratio even with smaller fish hitting it. The surface action of this bait is awesome and I'm sure it will continue to be my favorite swimbait!
Erik Feb 11, 2006
The rat
I have had probably 7 or 8 hits on the rat and not a single one has stuck. Even with a 2/0 gammy on there they just haven't stuck and I am not sure why.

That being said even with the limited water time this lure has seen it definately gets hit. It is only a matter of time until I get one on it.

The Rat has a great action on top, underwater is not possible on mine as it likes to roll if reeled under water. The paint has also chipped a little on mine but that is only a minor annoyance.

Overall I LOVE this bait. I just wish I could get a few of the strikes to hook up.

Nico( Mountain View, CA) Dec 20, 2005
Something different
This is a great little bait. Lots of action, and a killer profile. I've been out a few times during the middle of the day when I wasn't expecting much interest by the bass but the rat seemed to get them excited. On other occasions however the conditions seemed perfect for the rat and the bass wouldn't go near it. Why they like the bait at one time/place and ignore it at another is a bit of a mystery to me, but regardless it's definitely a worthwhile addition to anyones collection.
Jul 25, 2005
just picked up one today.the owner of the shop showed me a good trick for the tail problem.take the original tail out and glue a type of spring used for plastic worms.makes for simple changes on the water.i just wish i could remember the name of the springs.
Jeremy Jul 03, 2005
Rago Rat
This is an awesome bait. It gets bit for sure, and it gets the attention of BIG fish. It's versatile in that rats (chipmunks, squirrels etc) can be found at any lake period so pretty much any lake this bait can produce. The cons would be hook up ratio. I've lost more big fish on this bait, than actually caught, which hurts. Definitely replace the stock hook and hope for the best. Also realism, when a fish gets real close in super clear water, it can look un-natural and turn the fish away. Another con is the tails break pretty easily, although you can glue one back on pretty easily. Overall, this is a super duper bait you need in your tacklebox.
Ray Becker Jun 16, 2005
Tons of action
This bait has more action than just about anything I have fished. It makes a lot of noise and moves a lot of water. It is deadly at night with a slow waking retreive. I highly recomend this bait.
Magmaster Jun 15, 2005
Rago Rat
Definately worth the money and I believe it's the best bait that Jerry has ever made. I know some tournaments have been won on this and I'm sure a few good kickers came on it too.

Pros- The bait swims really well out of the box and has a nice wake to it. A slow roll gets the job done. I add a split ring to the line tie to give it just a little more freedom to move. The bait is really tough and is easy to tune again if you knock it out of alignment. I've thrown this bait in Texas and California with good success. Colors are good, I personally like the tan and brown.

Cons- Need to change the hook out and add a split ring. The hook up ratio is decent but due to the shape of the bait it makes it difficlt sometimes for the fish to get a hold of the hook. Also make sure you get some spare tails too for thwe short bites. I drilled mine out and use a tooth pick to hold the tails in and haven't had ny come loose yet.

I use a Calcutta 812 or 815 XFA depending on where I'm fishing. If there is a lack of submerged trees and anything where you would need to pull them from cover I would use the 815. Open water I use the 812. The 812 has a soft tip and alows the fish to take the bait down with ease. I also use a CTE300 with 25# Izorline XXX.

The bait is definatley worth the money and will catch you fish, day or night. Try throwing it after or during the rain when all the rodents get washed out of there homes!!!
 
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