Museum Archive: Vintage Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap, 1/2oz fishing spoon #11004

Orange-bellied profiles on lipless crankbaits often hint at crawfish imitations, but this 1/2oz (14g) Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap leans into a detailed trout-inspired pattern. Measuring 3" (7.5cm), the lure features a cream-colored flank adorned with vibrant red spots and dark, sketch-style gill and scale markings. The dark, glittered back provides a sharp contrast to the bright orange underside, making it a high-visibility choice for stained or clear water. Identified by product code 11004, this specimen is in 5/5 condition, showing no signs of use. A hallmark of the Bill Lewis design is the internal sound chamber, which contains extra-loud rattles engineered to be heard through a boat’s hull during a retrieve. The hardware consists of two original treble hooks, with the line tie located on the dorsal ridge to maintain its tight wobbling action when cast or jigged vertically near deep wintering holes.