# Real Deal Lure Or Knock Off it can Make a Difference



## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

I have NO connection with Bill Lewis Lures, I am not trying to sell them. It was just that I hadn't seen where who made really made a difference in the lure. I am not talking about the durability of the lure I am talking about it's ability to catch fish only.

I have been whacking the stripers at LLD using a 1/2oz Bill Lewis Original Rattle Trap in chrome/blue back. The action starts shortly after dark.

Last night my son and I went and sure enough right after it got dark I started catching stripers almost every cast. And when a striper didn't get it a big white did.

I only had one Bill Lewis Rattle Trap so my son was using a Cotton Cordell copy of the Rattle Trap in the same 1/2oz chrome/blue back. He was catching nothing with it. I mean nothing not even whites.

Well after I caught a few striper and put a 21" and a 23" fish in the box we knew something was up. So we switched rods, we stayed in the same position in the boat and only changed rods.

He caught a 21" striper on the first cast with the Bill Lewis Rattle Trap. He then was also catching stripers and big whites almost every cast.
I was know using the Cotton Cordell look alike and got nothing no whites no stripers nothing.

After loading up we were talking about it and couldn't understand why as both baits are the same shape size and color. What gives right?

The rods were in the truck bed with the lures still tied on. I reached out and plucked the Bill Lewis one and it rattle of course, that what it does right? Well I thought Hmmmm, couldn't be could it? So I plucked the Cotton Cordell one and while it rattled it was nothing like the Bill Lewis version. It sounded weak like it was tiny BB's not load and rough at all.

I have always bought what ever is the best price when it comes to lures. But I will say this when it comes to a Rattle Trap I will now only buy the original Bill Lewis ones.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

I use rat l traps when I need a bigger bait but when I need a small bait I use a knock off that will out catch the little traps. The bigger traps are hard to beat. I don't think the cord els have as tight of a wobble when you retrieve it as the rat l traps. There is a reason rat l traps have been around a long time. They catch fish and lots of them.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Many times I have joked that I wish I was Bill Lewis. Is there any other specific make and model of lure that has caught as many fish as a Rat-L-Trap? No, I don't mean soft plastics, that is not make and model specific.


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## jacen (Mar 29, 2012)

I believe the Acrobat slab would give it a good race on Livingston


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

Whitebassfisher said:


> Many times I have joked that I wish I was Bill Lewis. Is there any other specific make and model of lure that has caught as many fish as a Rat-L-Trap? No, I don't mean soft plastics, that is not make and model specific.


Yeppers I have caught everything from 50 lb yellow fin tuna to Grinnell on Rattle Traps.


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## SetDaHook (Oct 21, 2010)

Had the exact same thing happen on Conroe years back. My BIL and nephew both had traps and I was throwing a Cordell Hot Spot, all from the same boat. They out-fished me 3 to 1. Made a believer out of me.


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## Beaux (Oct 11, 2012)

Sat night we were throwing the 3/8oz Rapala lipless in chrome/blue back and it was out fishing a rattle trap. It has a higher pitch than a rattle trap and I think that was key. 2 of us were throwing Rapalas, one a 1/20z rattle trap and the 4th was throwing a 1/2 Strike King Diamond Shad in white with a hammered finish. The biggest fish including several 3lb range cats were all caught on that one. It also has a higher pitch. The Rapalas caught the only striper we had. A good number of the 115 fish we took home were caught on the Rapalas. There are still several Original traps in my box though. Sometimes they just cant be beat.


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## hookset4 (Nov 8, 2004)

Not so sure which lure is the original and which one is the knockoff. I was using Cordell hot spots in 1969. Didn't see the rattletrap until well into the '70s. (I have always preferred the noisier rattletrap once it came on the scene.)

Did a little searching online and found the Hot Spot to date from 1958 and the Rattletrap to date from 1960 (with hints it was made informally a little earlier).

Cotton Cordell and Bill Lewis were BOTH very influential lure designers.

-hook


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

You may have a point hookset4. Best I could find on Google was Cotton Coredell Hot Spot that read "circa 1958-1980" and Bill Lewis Rattle Trap said "1960". So it's kinda hard to tell exactly when each was introduced.

I can say this the "Rattle Trap" has a much louder and lower frequency rattle to it than the "Hot Spot". And since lower frequency sound travels underwater better for longer distance I think that is what makes them the better choice, most especially at night.

Now all that of course is just my observation and opinion and probably not worth a cup of coffee.


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## whsalum (Mar 4, 2013)

I threw a Cotton Cordell Hot Spot in the 60's when Sam Rayburn was first impounded so I wouldn't call it a knock off. That being said I keep a silver/blue rattle trap on the deck of my boat at all times now. I think the fish react different at times according to how active the schools are . In the winter months I run docks close to the river with the H20 and catch tons of stripers.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

I just found what I think is why the Bill Lewis is called the "Original" rattle trap. It seems the Cotton Cordell was the first lipless crank bait but it did not "rattle". Bill Lewis incorporated a rattle chamber to the lipless crank bait design and called it the "Rat-L-Trap". So it does seem that while Bill Lewis did not invent the first lipless crank bait he did invent the first rattling version.

http://www.bassfan.com/news_article...emains-one-of-the-critical-baits#.VctXrJMo6po


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## whsalum (Mar 4, 2013)

You are probably spot on here, the original Hot Spot did not rattle


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## Bluiis (Aug 20, 2005)

*Anyone tried these?*

Has anyone tried these?


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

No I haven't tried any of the other versions but in he DoD experiment with rattles at different frequencies.


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