# Evergreen Combat Rat: the jointed rat wake bait that finally hooks fish > Specs, joint system, sounds and tackle for the Evergreen Combat Rat, a jointed surface rat measuring 27.3 cm with its tail for 65 g. - Source : https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/evergreen-combat-rat/ - Language : en-US - Updated : 2026-09-26 ## Spec sheet - Brand : Evergreen - Model : Combat Rat - Type : Jointed rat wake bait - Target species : Bass, Pike - Size : 14.7 cm / 5.8 in body, 27.3 cm / 10.75 in with the tail - Weight : 65 g / 2.3 oz (as listed) - Running depth : strictly surface, the bait ploughs the film - Retrieve speed : slow and steady, just fast enough for the tail to ripple behind the body - Action : jointed roll that pushes a big V-wake, with an internal knock and a squeak from the hinge - Rigging : heavy rod and 50-65 lb braid, wire leader whenever pike are possible, trebles on the factory belly hangers - Colors : chartreuse back over a white belly in low light, natural brown in clear water, black at night A surface rat is a lure that generates spectacular strikes and converts very few of them. The fish hits the silhouette, not the hooks, and half the blow-ups end in a boil with no contact. The Evergreen Combat Rat goes after that problem before any other: the maker leads with a hook hanger design meant to improve hook-up and landing ratios. That is the central argument, and it is also what justifies a price among the highest in the category. ## The numbers, and what they really imply The spec table gives three figures, and they have to be read together: a 5.8 in body, or 14.7 cm, 10.75 in overall with the tail, or 27.3 cm, for 2.3 oz, which converts to 65 g (1 oz = 28.35 g). Listed class: topwater. The gap between those two lengths is the single most useful number on the sheet. The hard body is only 14.7 cm: it carries the hooks and defines the zone where a fish has to strike to get pinned. The remaining 12.6 cm is a soft PVC tail with no hardware in it. A bass that attacks from behind bites nothing. That split alone explains why surface rats miss so many fish, and why hanger placement matters more than anything else on this type of bait. As for mass, 65 g is not something you throw on a do-it-all rod. Add a 12 cm tail that drags in flight and folds over on any poorly loaded cast, and it becomes obvious this is a specialist tool. ## A joint that makes noise, twice The description details two distinct sound sources, which is unusual on a surface bait. On one side, an internal stainless-steel weight that balances the body and produces a deep knock as the bait rolls. On the other, a dual-plated joint system that, besides adding mechanical durability, generates a squeak with every hinge movement. In practice those two signals do not travel the same way. The deep knock propagates through the water column and pulls from distance, typically on a big lake or in chop. The squeak is a surface noise, high and short, working over a far smaller radius — it is what triggers a fish that is already following. The two therefore operate at different ranges, which is why a jointed rat stays productive both for covering water and for precision work along a bank. > Fish banks at an angle, never straight at them. The Combat Rat then tracks along the stumps and roots for the whole length of the retrieve, and a fish holding under an overhang has time to come out, commit and strike. Cast square at the bank and the bait leaves the zone in three turns of the handle. ## The tail, the part you have to rig properly Evergreen insists on something most anglers treat casually: the soft PVC tail must be fitted straight, and there is a moulded index mark for exactly that. It is held by a wire bait keeper set in the body. This is not cosmetic. A tail fitted off-centre pushes the bait to one side, breaks the regularity of the wake and forces you to correct constantly with the rod. A straight tail, by contrast, lets the keel-shaped body hold its line — the description talks about a hull shape that stabilises the retrieve, and that is exactly what you feel: the bait runs true, with no sideways lurch, provided the tail is aligned. The PVC is claimed to withstand numerous fish catches. It still remains a wear part: check its alignment after every fish, and especially after every snag in vegetation. ### The tackle, non-negotiable A heavy 2.00 to 2.20 m rod rated to at least 80 g, with an action progressive enough to load on a 65 g cast without cracking. Braid in the 50 to 65 lb range: beyond strength, a thick diameter floats better and does not pull the bait's nose down. A heavy fluorocarbon leader for bass, wire the moment pike are possible — at this price the question does not arise. Keep the trebles on the factory hangers. Their placement is precisely what the maker claims to have improved, and moving them or adding a third upsets a body whose posture depends on a fixed internal weight. ### The classic mistake Retrieving too fast. A wake bait earns its keep through the wake it leaves behind, and that wake forms at slow speed, as soon as the body just begins to roll. Speed up to "make it work harder" and the tail stretches out behind and stops rippling, the roll flattens and the bait turns into a log that skates. The right rhythm is the one where you see two ripples peeling off in a V on each side of the body, no more. ## Colours by light - **Low light, stained water**: chartreuse back over a white belly, as in the photo. Chartreuse imitates nothing natural, but it gives the angler a permanent visual reference, which changes everything when you are steering the bait along a bank. - **Clear water, full daylight**: a natural brown or grey, which genuinely looks like a rodent that has fallen in and does not give the bait away to a fish that has time to inspect. - **Night fishing**: solid black, which reads as a silhouette against the sky. On top and after dark, outline matters, shade does not. The Combat Rat is not a search bait: you pull it out when fish are glued to a wooded bank, a weed mat or a stump and nothing subsurface can get in there. Next to a [Savage Gear 3D Rad Rat](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/savage-gear-3d-rad-rat/), it leans less on silhouette realism than on wake consistency and on the care given to the hardware. And over a genuinely closed lily pad mat, a hollow-body frog like the [Spro Bronzeye Frog](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/spro-bronzeye-frog/) stays the better tool — the Combat Rat needs a little open water for its tail to work. You still have to identify the right bank before you drop a rat on it, and that is what [CarnaFish](https://carnafish.com/en/) does from a simple photo of the spot, suggesting the zone, the depth and the type of presentation that match the day. To learn to read those edges with your own eyes, our [guide to reading a fishing spot](https://carnafish.com/en/blog/comment-lire-un-spot-de-peche/) lays out the basics. ## Key takeaways - A 14.7 cm armed body inside a 27.3 cm overall length at 65 g: the hooking zone is only half the silhouette. - Two distinct sounds: a deep knock that pulls from distance, a hinge squeak that triggers up close. - The tail fits straight, using the moulded index mark, or the bait veers and the wake falls apart. - Slow retrieve: two ripples peeling off in a V on each side of the body is the right speed. ## FAQ ### Why do I miss so many fish on a surface rat? Because the strike often targets the tail, which carries no hooks. On the Combat Rat the hard body is only 14.7 cm of a 27.3 cm total. Let the fish load for an extra half-second before setting, and set on the weight you feel in the rod, not on the noise. ### What rod do I need to cast 65 g? A heavy 2.00 to 2.20 m rod rated to at least 80 g, with an action progressive enough to load on the cast. Too stiff a blank cracks the lure out and folds the tail over on every delivery. ### Does the Combat Rat catch pike? Yes, a 27 cm surface rat sits squarely in pike territory in Europe, especially along wooded banks in late summer. In that case a wire leader is mandatory: the soft tail and the joint both part in a single bite. ### Should I change the stock hooks? No, and it is actively unwise to move them. The maker claims a hanger layout specifically designed to improve hook-up ratio, and the bait's posture depends on a fixed internal weight calculated around that hardware. ### Does the tail wear out quickly? The PVC is claimed to withstand numerous fish catches, but it is still the exposed part. The real risk is not breakage, it is misalignment: after each fish, check the tail sits straight on its index mark, or the bait will track sideways. ### Can it be fished in lily pads? In scattered vegetation, yes, by working the edge. In a closed mat, no: the soft tail catches and the belly trebles collect everything. A hollow-body frog remains the right tool for that ground. --- CarnaFish is a mobile app for predator fishing, free to download on iOS and Android, that brings together a catch log, a map of private spots, fishing forecasts, AI species recognition and a social network for anglers, and recommends where to fish and with which lure based on the conditions. To cite this content, mention “CarnaFish — carnafish.com” and link the source page.