If you have ever watched a mouse or small rat fall in and try to swim across a channel, you will know exactly why this style of mouse fishing lure exists. It is a 15.5cm ABS rat imitation with a broken joint body, built-in steel-ball rattle and a sharp black nickel treble hook. It is rated as “diving” with a floating depth of 0–0.5 m, which basically means it wakes and wobbles just under the surface – right in the danger zone for pike and big bass.
The product page keeps it simple: 15.5 g / 15.5 cm, ABS construction, colours in Grey, Blue, White, Green, Orange, Brown and Yellow, and one lure per pack. The joints give it that snaky, rat-like swim, while the internal steel ball adds both casting weight and a clack that travels through the water. The black nickel treble is built for strength, puncture and rust-resistance, so it can handle freshwater or the odd salty mission without falling apart.
Why This Lure Works
Rats and mice are not the main diet of bass or pike, but when one hits the drink, it is basically a floating energy bar. A long, struggling silhouette on or near the surface is a massive trigger. Articles on big wakebaits and rats from places like Wired2Fish and Field & Stream all lean on the same idea – big, noisy topwater or shallow-running baits draw out the better fish.
This mouse fishing lure ticks all the right boxes:
- Big profile, but not ridiculous: 15.5 cm is a proper meal, but still totally eatable for a decent largemouth or mid-size pike.
- Broken joint design: the segments make the lure twist and kick rather than just wobble, which looks exactly like a panicked rodent trying to make it to shore.
- Built-in steel ball: extra casting distance and a proper clack inside the body to call fish in.
- High-simulation body: rodent shape, tail profile and natural colours do the job when a fish actually gets a good look.
- Black nickel treble hook: sharp, strong and a bit more subtle visually than bright silver, which helps when fish are tracking it in clear water.
Big-bait anglers have been talking up rats and mice for years. You will find threads on r/bassfishing where people flat-out say their rat or mouse wakebait has been their best big-bass producer of the season. Wakebait breakdowns from Major League Fishing and tactical big-bait guides point out that a loud, rolling surface presence can pull giants that completely ignore “normal” lures.
How To Fish It
The good news is you do not need a PhD in swimbaits to fish this mouse fishing lure. You just need to commit to throwing it where the better fish actually live.
1. Slow wake along the surface
With a floating depth of 0–0.5 m, this thing is made to creep along the top, especially in low light. Cast it past your target, drop the rod tip and wind just fast enough that you can feel it thumping and see a gentle V-wake. Topwater fans and big-bait guys interviewed by Wired2Fish call this slow, steady crawl one of the highest percentage ways to fish a rat because it gives bass loads of time to line it up and absolutely smoke it.
- Targets: laydowns, overhanging trees, grass edges, riprap, dock walkways, the first metre or so off the bank.
- Rhythm: think “creep, creep, pause”. The pause is when a lot of bites happen.
2. Stop–start over cover
This is the “mouse in trouble” retrieve. Cast near cover, crank the mouse fishing lure a few turns so it starts kicking, then stop and let it sit in place. Give it a few short turns again, then another pause. Articles on wakebaits from Bassmaster talk about using these pauses to let following fish commit, and the same logic applies with a rat – you are teasing them into losing their temper.
3. Fast search in wind or chop
When there is a bit of breeze and the water has some texture, you can speed things up. Cast at 45° angles down a bank or across a point and wind it at a medium pace to cover water. The joints and rattle do enough that you do not have to overthink it. Field & Stream’s big-bait pieces mention that in slightly dirtier water or low visibility, speeding up can actually trigger more reaction strikes because the fish get less time to inspect the lure.
4. Night raids
Topwater rat articles from places like Bass Pro’s 1Source make a big deal of how good mouse and rat lures are at night for big fish. You are working on sound and feel more than sight, but that is exactly what the internal steel ball and big wake are designed for. Pick a bank with clear casting lanes, keep your rod angle consistent and just creep that rat along. When it loads up, do not swing on the splash – wait until you actually feel weight.
When To Use It
This mouse fishing lure is very much a “big-bite” tool. You can throw it all year, but certain windows are just prime:
- Late spring and summer: long evenings, warm water and plenty of baitfish and small mammals active along the bank. Big-bait articles in Field & Stream and Bassmaster both point to warm water and shallow bait as prime time for big surface and near-surface swimbaits.
- After rain and rising water: rising water can flush rodents out of burrows, and swimbait builders interviewed by sites like The Fisherman talk about rats being particularly good when banks are flooded.
- Low light: dawn, dusk, overcast and night are when bigger fish feel safe moving shallow to blast something noisy and obvious.
If you are just getting into bigger baits, treat this rat as your “fun” slot. You might not get as many bites as you do on finesse plastics, but the average size and the way they hit it will make up for that very quickly.
Does It Actually Catch Fish?
Short version: yes – people would not keep designing and buying mouse and rat baits if they did not. Rat and wakebait threads on r/bassfishing and swimbait forums are full of photos where the biggest fish of the trip came on a silly-looking rat while everyone else was dragging jigs.
Wired2Fish’s coverage of tournament pros using big wakebaits and rats highlights that they are not just “fun” lures – they are tools for pulling the right bites in pressure situations. When a six- or seven-pounder would rather eat a big topwater than a subtle bait, this style of mouse fishing lure becomes a serious equaliser.
On the pike side, anything that moves water, rattles and looks like a wounded meal near the surface is fair game. The ABS body and black nickel hook on this lure are specced to handle strong fish, and the high-simulation profile fits right in with the kind of prey pike ambush near reed beds, laydowns and steep banks.
Gear Pairing
You do not need an ultra-high-end swimbait rod for this mouse fishing lure, but it is big enough that proper gear makes life a lot easier.
- Rod: aim for a 7’–7’6″ medium-heavy or heavy rod with a fast or moderate-fast action. Big-bait guides and swimbait rod reviews on sites like Outdoor Life and others generally recommend stout rods for throwing larger baits and driving hooks home.
- Reel: a solid baitcaster in the 6.3:1–7.3:1 range is ideal. You want enough speed to pick up slack quickly when a fish blows up behind the lure.
- Line: 40–65 lb braid is the standard for many rat anglers because it floats well and has minimal stretch. If you prefer mono or copolymer for a bit more give, go 17–25 lb.
- Leader for pike: if you are throwing this around pike, add a short wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader. No point buying a fancy mouse fishing lure and then donating it on the first bite.
If you want to round out a “big-and-small” box, you can back this rat up with something more bite-sized from the shop, like the Outkit Metal Mini Spoon Spinner for when fish are following but not quite committing. And if you are still working through the basics of lure choice, the Best Bass Fishing Lures for Beginners guide on BassFishingTips.US is worth a read so you know where a big rat fits into the bigger picture.
Specs
- Name: Lure Bait Mouse
- Type: SWIMBAIT & JOINT BAIT (mouse fishing lure / rat swimbait)
- Length: 15.5 cm
- Weight: 15.5 g
- Material: ABS plastic
- Status: Diving
- Floating depth: 0–0.5 m (shallow-running / wake-style)
- Colours: Grey, Blue, White, Green, Orange, Brown, Yellow
- Hook: black nickel treble, high strength and rust resistance
- Rattle: built-in steel ball for sound and casting weight
- Features: high simulation, strong attraction, lifelike “broken joint” swimming action
- Quantity: 1 piece
- Model number: LS052
- Category: LURE
FAQ
Is this mouse fishing lure only for bass, or will pike eat it too?
Pike will absolutely eat this. The 15.5 cm profile, jointed body and rattle are all right in their wheelhouse, and the black nickel treble is specced to handle strong fish. Just run a short wire or heavy fluoro leader to avoid bite-offs.
Do I need a dedicated swimbait rod to throw it?
You do not strictly need a specialist swimbait rod, but a 7’–7’6″ medium-heavy or heavy casting rod is a lot more comfortable than a light bass rod. Think of the setups recommended in swimbait articles on Outdoor Life and similar sites – stout but still castable all day.
Will it still work if the fish are pressured and finicky?
Big, noisy baits like this can go either way under pressure – sometimes they are exactly what pulls the bigger fish, sometimes they are too much. If they are following but not committing, try changing colour, slower retrieves or swapping to a smaller bait like a spoon or paddletail and then come back to the rat when conditions change.
Is it topwater or subsurface?
On the product page it is listed as “diving” with a 0–0.5 m floating depth, so it is more of a shallow-running, wake-style bait than a pure floater. Fished slowly it will stay high and wake; when you speed it up, it tracks just under the surface.
Final Verdict
If you want to join the “big, dumb surface bites” club, this mouse fishing lure is a fun way in. It has the right length and weight to count as a proper meal, a jointed body that looks far too alive for something made of plastic, and a rattle that says, “Please come kill me” in bass and pike language. It is not the bait you throw when you are just after numbers – it is the one you throw when you fancy a proper wallop from something with shoulders.
Pair it with a sensible big-bait setup, aim it at your best bits of bank cover and commit to throwing it in the right windows – low light, rising water, warm evenings. When it finally disappears in a boil and your rod locks up, you will forget every blank cast that came before it.
Fish hit this like they’re making a point – tie it on, wind it home and hang on tight.
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