MTL Rat'n Rat Review

 

Rat'N Rat:   Colors: 12     Length: 3" (w/o Tail)    Weight: 3/4oz   Pack Count: 1

Intro:

As we are all aware there is a bit of a mouse craze going on in the fishing industry. It may have been started by the Live target field mouse (2011 ICAST best of show) but if you want to see one done really well, check out the Rat N Rat by MTL, it's the cats meow! (bad joke)

Overall Rating: 8.2/10

Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price

Quality: 4.5/5

The Rat N rat is a very well built frog bait that seems to be fully loaded with all the bells and whistles. A soft tail nearly 2 inches in length puts the Rat N Rats total size at 5.9 inches. The tail is soft enough to dangle nicely in the water but strong enough to hold up to fish pulling on it (constantly).  In place of silicone strands the Rat N Rat is equipped with two Colorado blades for legs, which give off great motion, shine and vibration in the water. 

the Rat N Rat has a great "mouse" profile and comes in some crazy color options. Equipped with realistic 3D eyes you are going to have a hard time finding any other frog baits demanding so much attention (from angler and fish)

the belly of the Rat N Rat is lined with some lead along the long and leg area, it really reinforces the area in which the fish will strike and will extend the life of the bait

Castability: 4.0/5

I wavered back and forth on this rating, I was torn between 3.5 and 4.0 and finally opted to go with the 4.0. This is a fairly heavy bait and casts a mile. The weighted belly also ensures the Rat N Rat lands bell down and even more importantly ass down.  This is not a graceful bait and will land pretty loud and heavy, but many anglers will really appreciate it.

Presentation: 5.0/5

I love fishing with this mouse, it is a breeze a work, and swims, walks and hops with the best of them. The Rat N Rat's long body and big booty really help it to sway/walk in open water situations and the flashy blades just call fish in from all around.

If you like to fish heavier cover situations, the weighted belly of the Rat N Rat gives it great "sit", it holds tight to the cover and bangs around on the pads with authority. When paused over open holes in the pads/slop the tail dangles nicely down to really make sure the stalking largemouth knows it is still there.

With two blades for legs the one area of concern you will have is that you are going to spend some time cleaning them. I never got hung up in the slop due to the legs, but I was often pulling strands from them as well as the hooks (common) 

Hook-Up Ratio: 3.5/5

I had little to no issues with the hook-up ratio on the Rat N Rat, but as always I do have standards to follow and this mouse breaks some of the rules I hold dear, so I had to rate it accordingly.

Ive said it again and again, the more you have going on at the back end of the bait the more chances you have for the fish to miss or not get the meat of the bait. With two blades and a long tail coupled with a fairly fat ass, this bait has some parts that at times would have sent me running from the store.. that being said none of these issues have been a problem for me (thus far) and I believe it is due to the fact that the blades are placed lower then most,  almost on the belly of the bait and out of the way of the hooks themselves. The tail although long is soft and wont cause you any concern and it can easily be bunched or balled up

Availability: 3.0/5

This is the biggest problem with this bait.. it is hard to find, and unless you know where to look you probably have never seen it before. I caught my first glimpse while at a sportsman show and I quickly snapped one up. After my initial use I started to seek them out and found a few placed I could buy them on-line, so I bought more. 

Options & Price: 4.5/5

I would have to say the Rat N Rat is priced very well, and would be right in the sweet spot. When I can purchase a quality hollow body frog bait for under $10 it is a good day. I will state that if you find this frog locally, don't be surprised if you end up paying over $10

the Rat N Rat comes in 12 very cool colors. You would be hard pressed to find most of these colors in other bait lines, and you may have a hard time choosing just one. Personally I carry both the "Real Thing" and "Albino" colors. The Albino kinda looks like a zombie mouse, and creeps my wife out.

Where to Find:

In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.

Tackle Warehouse ($7.99)

Bass Tackle Depot ($7.99) 

Optimum Baits ($8.00)

If I was going to choose one of these companies to order from I would recommend buying from Optimum, they are are the only dealer listed that carries all 12 color options. Tackle Warehouse on the other hand carries less then half of the full color assortment (5)

Equipment:

The Rat N Rat is a heavy bait and needs to be handled with some heavy gear. The Dobyns 736c will get the job done and make sure any fish hook make it back to the boat. This frog works so easily you could almost throw it with w pool cue and still have success. Just watch your rod rating as you you wont want to go to light.

As with any hollow-body bait, this frog should be worked on 40lb-60lb braid line. My testing was completed with SunLine FX2 frog line