Do bass eat rats?
Yes, bass are predators and they will eat just about anything that goes by them. For example, they have been known to feed on, crawfish, turtles, ducklings, snakes, lizards, bats and yes, even mice and rats.
For that reason, in this post, we are going to talk about some of the top rat fishing lures that money can buy so you can go out and catch more bass.
When to throw a rat?
There are two times that you can capitalize on the rat bite. The summer and at night. Let’s briefly talk a little bit more about each one.
Summer. Summertime is a great time to throw a rat lure for bass. Both rats and mice are more active during these months and thus there is a greater chance they will be swimming in the water.
Capitalize on this opportunity and you might catch yourself some lunkers.
Where to throw it? Basically, you want to throw a rat lure just about anywhere you would throw a topwater lure. For example, along the shore, shade lines, grass lines, or near cover, just to name a few.
Nighttime. Another great time to throw a rat lure that oftentimes gets overlooked is at night.
Yes, but how can bass tell if it a rat or not if they can’t even see it? Exactly. They can’t see it, but they can definitely feel it.
Big rat lures are great options to throw at night because they are big, bulky and they make a ton of commotion on the surface.
Remember, bass at night can’t rely on their sight for food, they need to feel their prey moving in the water.
So, the next time you are fishing at night, give them something to feel with a big bulky rat.
You may also enjoy reading: Best Lures For Bass Fishing At Night – My Top Picks
Best Rat Fishing Lures For Bass
SPRO BBZ Rat Swimbait
Features:
- Body Length: 3.25 inches
- With tail length: 6.25 inches
- Weight: 1/2 ounce
- Single Jointed Topwater Lure
- Available in 6 different colors
The first lure we are going to take a closer look at is the Spro BBZ Rat.
The Spro Rat is made with a hard plastic that has been injected with foam ensuring that it floats.
It features a square bill lip which keeps the front part of the bait just below the surface of the water giving it that nice wake that bass can both feel and see.
In addition, the square bill is designed to help prevent your lure from getting hung up as it protects the hooks as it bumps into cover.
It is also equipped with a lifelike tail that is available in two different colors depending on which model you buy. It usually comes a light-colored tail and a dark-colored tail.
Thes tails can easily be changed out with little to no effort at all.
In fact, they were designed so that they can be removed completely and you can add a plastic worm in its place. Some anglers prefer adding a plastic tail that gives off more action or a thumping tail for more vibration in the water.
Another important note about the tail is this rat lure was designed so that the hooks will never catch the tail. I like this detail because you never have to worry about wasting a cast because the lure got hung up on itself.
The Spro Rat is available in a number of different sizes. The one that I would recommend for bass fishing would be the 3.25 inch which weighs 1/2 ounce or the 4 inch that weighs 1 ounce.
There is a larger model measuring 5.25 inches. It is geared toward musky fishing, but you could also have success when bass fishing at night.
This rat, has great action that can be used in a number of different ways to entice a bite.
One of my favorites is with a twitch of the rod you can make it walk in which it thrashes isn’t head back and forth. This action perfectly imitates a struggling rodent on the water and will without a doubt draw some attention.
Lastly, not only does it move like a rat, but it looks like a rat. Spro has put so much effort into making this thing look just like a rodent.
In fact, they even have a hole where you can add monofilament line to add whiskers if you want to make it even more lifelike.
Available in 6 different colors.
LiveTarget Hollow Body Mouse
Features:
- Length: 2.75 inches
- 100% weedless
- Easy to walk
We all have seen the damage a topwater hollow body frog can do, but can a topwater mouse also catch bass?
The answer is yes!
Check out LiveTarget’s Hollowbody Mouse. If you aren’t familiar with hollow body lures, they are made with soft plastic material and they usually have one or two hooks located on the back.
When the fish bites down on the plastic, it exposed the hooks and the fish is hooked.
Because of this designed is it 100% weedless and can be fished in very heavy cover.
A feature that I like about this particular mouse is that it can be walked and gives off a good amount of action.
It is 2.75 inches and it features both a tail and skirt material. I like topwater lures with this skirt material because when the lure stops this material tends to keep moving. That drives bass crazy!
Lastly, it is available in 6 realistic designs.
Savage Gear 3D Rat
Features:
- Realistic design
- Top hook ring available
- Mesh Joint
- Available lengths: 20 centimeters or 30 centimeters
- Weights: 32 or 90 grams
- 2 actions
One thing that Savage Gear does well is they know how to make a realistic-looking bait.
That is also true with their take on a rat fishing lure, the ever-popular Savage Gear 3D Rad Rat.
It is made with a hard plastic body that has very realistic features such as soft ears, feet, and tail. It even includes whiskers.
Besides the look of the Rad Rat, I also like how it can be fished. To do just that, it features two different tie points one is located in the mouth and the other is located just above the bill.
By using the tie point in the mouth it is going to dive down a few feet. On the other hand, when you tie off on the bill, it can be fished much like a wake bait.
One thing that limits most wake baits is that they can’t be fished around heavy cover. Sure the lip protects the hooks to some degree, but to fish lily pads or grass areas, can be very difficult or even impossible.
That leads us to another feature on this rat.
A top ring hook option located on its back. By removing the bottom hooks and putting a single hook on top you can now fish this hard to reach areas.
Keep in mind that this feature is only available on the bigger option.
Lunkerhunt Yappa Rat
Features:
- Length: 2 3/4 inches
- Weight: 3/4 ounces
- 100% weedless
- Soft bill
Another mouse lure worth looking at is Lunkerhunt’s Yappa Rat.
This lure has the same characteristics as a hollow-body frog. It has two hooks located on the back with that soft plastic that compresses easily. That way when a largemouth comes up and hammers it, you can hook him quite easily.
So far, you might be thinking that the Yappa Rat is basically just a hollow-body frog in a mouse pattern. And that is where the Yappa is unique.
The guys over a lunker hunt decided to do something a little different with this particular bait.
As you can see from the picture, the Yappa Rat features a soft plastic bill.
As this lure is being brought through the water, the bill helps give the lure a slight back and forth movement that leaves a nice wake on the surface of the water.
To enhance the lure movements, even more, you can snap it on a slackline. That will give it a wide swinging motion.
HiFish Mouse Swimbait
Features:
- Length: 3.5 inches
- Weight:.7 ounces
- Jointed Topwater
Next on our list is the HiFish Topwater Rat.
The Hifish Rat is equipped with a square bill that is going to give it that wake bait action and it will also help the hooks to make it over cover without getting hooked up.
One of the best features that I like about this bait is hands down the finish.
With a nice finish as well as 3d eyes and ears, the Hifish looks just like a real rodent. Couple that with some sick action on the water and it has everything you need to entice a big bite.
Now many anglers, might argue and say when fishing topwater the paint job isn’t really that important. After all, the bass only see the bottom part of the lure that is in the water. Which is a solid argument? But the truth is we don’t know exactly how much of the lure a fish can see.
In addition, because this bait has a square bill, the head is going to be underwater. For that reason, you are going to want to have something that looks realistic.
Final Thoughts…
Yes, bass love munching on both rats and mice. So, the next time you are looking to try something new, tie on a rat lure. You won’t be disappointed.
Now it is your turn. Please share with us what you think are the best rat fishing lures for bass fishing in the comments below.
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