Bill Lewis Debuts Unique Topwater Bait with Multiple Fish-Tempting Actions

If persistence is the cornerstone of performance, then Bill Lewis Outdoors has laid the foundation for amazing angling achievement with the new StutterStep. Introduced at ICAST, this ample-body topwater with a saddleback profile and a keeled belly, features a unique paddle tail that adds drag, as well as action.

All this combines for a big, bold presence and a killer namesake action that gives fish plenty of reason to bring the crazy. With slight rod twitches, the StutterStep sashays back and forth without making any forward progress.

How many times have we had a fish run out from cover, follow a bait down a grass line, or simply rise from a bed to boil with no committed strike? Now, anglers have a way to keep a topwater bait in one spot, while continuing the side-to-side saunter that simulates wounded or distracted prey and draws those sledge hammer strikes.

ll use the StutterStep action for bedding bass or fishing around docks, laydowns and structure like that,” said Bill Lewis pro-staffer Brian Latimer. “I can really aggravate a bass on a bed; and if I really feel like there’s a fish on a piece of structure, I can let that bait soak, agitate the fish and trick him into biting.”

When you want to cover water, the StutterStep offers two more distinct looks:

Wag-the-Tail: Something akin to the traditional topwater walk-the-dog action, this presentation makes good use of that prominent tail, which kicks back and forth as you impart those steady, short twitches.

“With just subtle bumps of the rod tip, you can really make that bait thrash,” Latimer said. “This is a good on blueback herring lakes, when you want to work topwater baits really fast over offshore structure.”

Wobble-Wake: Take your basic chuck-and-wind routine, dress it up with enticing body rolls, add a healthy dose of water-pushing and you have have the Wobble Wake. Ideal for slick conditions, this action is achieved with no rod movement, just steady reeling.

“This is a good retrieve to use when the fish are lethargic, like when it’s cold,” Latimer said. “If you see one following the bait, just slowly retrieve it and use the subtle little S wave type action to trick them into biting.”

One of the StutterStep’s coolest actions is the Turnaround-Twitch — a deal-closer you can add to the end of any other retrieve. Just stop the bait, give it hard twitch followed by a little slack and the bait turns 180 degrees.

Let’s set the scene here: You’re Wobble-Waking the Bill Lewis StutterStep over a shallow rock reef when a big brownie starts trailing the bait. You stop, snap the line and the bait spins around to look Mr. Smallmouth right in his glaring red eye.

Paint chipping time!

 

This 5-inch, 1-ounce bait casts well and allows you to make long presentations when the fish aren’t cool with company.

 

“This is a really versatile bait and it’s a profile the fish haven’t seen,” Latimer said. “It’s a wake bait, it’s a walking bait and it’s also sort of like a topwater swimbait. It has action on a straight retrieve, which is really unique for a topwater bait.”

 

The StutterStep retails at $13.99.