Rattlin' Success Story: Bill Lewis' Rat-L-Trap still producing big results decades down the road
One of freshwater fishing's most legendary success stories dates way back to the late 1960s, when a middle-aged luremaker named Bill Lewis was struggling to make a living off of his wares.
A military veteran with a list of failed business ventures in his past, Lewis would work long hours in his garage in Alexandria, La., to build up his inventory of lures. Then he would head out to various lakes to set up shop anywhere anglers gathered, so he could peddle the baits from the tailgate of his old Ford station wagon. Oftentimes, Lewis wound up selling his homemade spinnerbaits, plastic worms and other lures for prices below cost just to earn enough money to put gas in his car for the return trip home.
One day after a slow bit of fishing on Toledo Bend Reservoir, Lewis and a friend came across a flotilla of boats were motoring along the Sabine River channel. Interestingly, none of the men occupying the boats were fishing. They were watching in amazement as two anglers in a nearby boat reeled in big bass on nearly every cast into an adjacent wood line.
Moving in for a closer look, Lewis recognized one of the successful anglers as a guy who had bought a few lures from him the day before. He did the logical thing and asked the man what he was using for bait.
"That silly lookin' rattling bait you sold me -- got any more of them?" the angler said.
"Not today," Lewis replied, then sped off.
He didn't realize it at the time, but Lewis had just witnessed history in the making.
A second chapter was added later that day as he made the long drive back to Alexandria. It was raining outside and the windshield wipers on his clunker station wagon weren't working. The only way he could see to drive was to hold the steering wheel with his right hand and manually operate the windshield wiper with his left hand. The name "rattletrap" suddenly came to mind. "That's what I'll call it," he thought to himself.
The name stuck. And the lure kept right on catching fish. It eventually became so popular that Lewis had to hire help to build enough Rat-L-Traps to keep up with demand.
Lewis passed away in June 2005 at the age of 84, roughly 40 years after that memorable day on Toledo Bend. But his name continues to live on in a fishing lure and bait company that have since become legendary in both the fresh and saltwater fishing industries.
Of all the lures ever invented, the only ones that may have caught more fish than the Rat-L-Trap are the plastic worm or spinnerbait.
Opinions vary as to why the Rat-L-Trap is so deadly. Most will agree it has something to do with a combination of things -- its elongated shape, a tantalizing quiver and a built-in rattle chamber that creates an enticing racket as the bait speeds through the water column.
Another trait that makes it so effective is its user-friendly nature. Just about anyone, regardless of their fishing skill, can tie on a Rat-L-Trap and catch fish. That's why it is sometimes referred to as an "idiot bait" among the pros.
"A lot of pros wish the Rat-L-Trap had never been invented for that very reason," said Tommy Martin, a veteran pro from Hemphill. "When the conditions are right, just about anyone is apt to catch a big sack on it."
The Rat-L-Trap will work during any season. It can be very effective during late winter and early spring, when bass are patrolling shallow and midrange depths ahead of the spawn.
Conditions are perfect for fishing it on select lakes across Texas right now. And it shows.
The Bass Champs tournament circuit hosted its 2008 eastern division season opener earlier this month on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The top 20 teams weighed in five-bass limits of 20 pounds or more. The top three teams, including tournament winners Dusty Birchfield and Christopher Ponder, reported that Rat-L-Traps played a key role in their success. Birchfield and Ponder weighed in 29.04 pounds to earn the $25,000 first prize.
On Lake Fork, the bass have been eating Rat-L-Traps for weeks. Fishing guide Gary Paris has reported some excellent outings of late, including a one-day haul of 59 bass.
"That was a phenomenal day," Paris said. "A good day is usually around 20-25 fish, and there will usually be an 8-pounder in the bunch, especially once we get into February. You'll catch lots of fish in the 3- to 7-pound range on Rat-L-Traps this time of year, but you can also catch some big ones on it."
Just ask 15-year-old Tyler Goetzman of Willis. Goetzman was fishing at Lake Conroe on Jan. 13 when a monster largemouth grabbed a Rat-L-Trap he was working in about 6 feet of water.
Goetzman's bass measured 24 inches in length and 20.25 inches in girth. At 13.06 pounds, it is the heaviest bass reported around the state so far this year.
While the fish is not the largest bass ever caught in Texas, it is the heaviest Texas bass ever caught by a junior angler from public waters. It will rank as a new junior angler state record in the public water category.
Goetzman's bass also is the first entry of the season in the 2007-08 Bud ShareLunker program. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department program accepts Texas-caught bass weighing 13 pounds or more for spawning and genetics research purposes. The Conroe bass is the 442nd bass entered in the 21-year-old program.
It's not the first ShareLunker to be caught on a Rat-L-Trap. And it won't be the last.
The TPWD release announcing Goetzman's catch did not reveal any particulars, but I would be willing to bet the lure he was using had a crawfish or shad hue to it. My guess is he was retrieving it around submerged hydrilla.
Martin liked those bets.
"The Rat-L-Trap is tailor-made for fishing around submerged vegetation," he said. "It casts extremely well, and it is designed in a manner that it can be kept in the strike zone with very little effort. About all you've got to do is cast the bait, then retrieve it at a quick enough pace that it ticks the top of the grass occasionally. If you do that during the pre-spawn, you can't help but catch bass."
Like other families of lures, the 'Traps come in assorted colors and sizes. Chrome, red, orange and brown work extremely well during early spring, as do chartreuse baits.
"You can't go wrong with those basic colors," Martin said. "They'll catch bass in lakes all over Texas."
Martin chooses his springtime color scheme in accordance with water clarity. The bait tends to work best in relatively clear water.
"If I am faced with fishing off-color water and the 'Trap is the only lure they'll hit, I usually go with the chrome/blue-back or chartruese over the reds and browns. The chrome will be most effective when the sun is shining, whereas the chartreuse is the best choice under overcast skies. In clear water, some sort of crawfish pattern can be tough to beat."
The Rat-L-Trap comes in assorted sizes ranging from 1/8 ounce to 1 ounce. Lures in the 1/2- and 3/4-ounce sizes are the most popular for fishing around grassbeds that are submerged 2-4 feet beneath the surface. The deeper the grass, the heavier the bait you should use.
"The main key with the Rat-L-Trap right now is to keep it in contact with the grass," Paris said. "Some days you have to burn it real fast to get bites. Other days you might have use a yo-yo retrieve. It all depends on the mood of the fish."
When the bass are on a Rat-L-Trap, you will know it pretty quick. You can take that to the bank.
Bill Lewis did. He name is legendary because of it.
• Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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