Lure Review – The Mini Hammer-Trap

This small profile lipless crankbait from Bill Lewis Lures can be irresistible to bass

Yes, it’s true, good things do come in small packages.

That tantalizing mix of sounds emitting from a Hammer-Trap moving through the water can be heard in a new miniaturized version recently added to the Rat-L-Trap family by Bill Lewis Lures. The Mini Hammer-Trap made its debut at the 2024 ICAST event in Orlando, Florida, much to the delight of Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss.

Mosley first got his hands on the new Mini Hammer-Trap after 2024 ICAST. He also still has some of the later prototypes. The Mini-Hammer Trap is definitely going to be part of his arsenal of artificial lures for Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments that begin Feb. 20-23 at St. Johns River in Florida and end Aug. 21-24 on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin.

“I can tell by the design, the way it runs in my swimming pool, it’s going to be one of my favorites for lures I use in Elite tournaments,” Mosley said. “Absolutely. I’m one of the guys who likes downsizing baits.

“I’ve made Top 10s in the Elite Series throwing a ¼-ounce Rat-L-Trap. The Mini Hammer-Trap series is going to be no different,” said the 36-year-old all-around outdoorsman who has 16 Top 10 finishes, including a win in June 2023 at the Folds of Honor Bassmaster Elite on the Sabine River in eastern Texas.

Don’t let the 3/16-ounce weight or small profile fool you. It packs a punch with its size, its looks, its sound and its armament – two Mustad Triple Grip Hooks. Mosley emphasized Bill Lewis Lures “always puts good hooks on baits, good quality hooks. You don’t have to worry.”

Unique sound

The Mini Hammer-Trap’s predecessor, the Hammer-Trap, was in the making for two years, then introduced in January 2024. Its sound is different from the original Rat-L-Trap because designers wanted treble as well as base, a high pitch and a low pitch. That’s why there’s a knock in the nose, a knock in the belly and a knock all along the top of the lipless crankbait, as GSM Outdoors brand manager Wes Higgins described the tri-tone sound chamber last year.

“We want high pitch,” said Higgins, who has been with Bill Lewis Lures since July 2004. “That’s what pulls them out of the grass beds … But the low pitch is what they feel with their lateral line and that seals the deal for getting those bites.”

The Mini Hammer-Trap and Hammer-Trap get their distinctive name from the wide head described by Higgins as “more of a diving plane on that head. That’s what gives it its hammering action.”

About the tones coming from the Mini Hammer-Trap, Mosley said, “it’s got a different sound than that of a regular Rat-L-Trap … a knock instead of a rattle.”

His Mini Hammer Trap color of choice is chrome/blue. It’s always been No.1.

“To me, it works anywhere, everywhere,” he said.

A close second is Rayburn Red.

“That’s my go-to, you know, when it gets into the colder months,” he said. “It’s hard to bet against red.”

Fishing newbies

While baitcasting reels normally are used to cast and retrieve ¼-ounce Rat-L-Traps, anglers who prefer using spinning rods can tie on Mini Hammer-Traps. They are also great for kids and somebody just starting out fishing.

“It’s a great bait for somebody to learn, who’s just getting into fishing,” Mosley said. “It’s a great way to get kids fishing. It’s a great pond bait, a great numbers bait.”

As for size of the line to use, Mosley typically chooses 12-pound test fluorocarbon line.

“It’s one of those deals you have to play with it to get comfortable,” he said. “I would tell people to start out with 12-pound fluorocarbon to get casting down.”

Mosley said an angler can always bump up to 15- or 17-pound test on water bodies that give up giant bass.

For more information about the Mini Hammer Trap and other Bill Lewis Lures products, go to www.rat-l-trap.com or call (877) 269-8490.

The post “Lure Review – The Mini Hammer-Trap” first appeared on LouisianaSportsman.com.