Sometimes, you see a fishing lure that just screams, “As seen on TV.” Well, long before that marketing line was popular, there was the Vibra-Bat. It was heavily marketed in sporting magazines and newspapers around the country as the next new thing in fishing lures in the 1960s and ‘70s. Given the long run of ads and the amount I find in old tackle boxes, I can only assume the ads must have worked.

In fact, as I started out collecting fishing lures long ago, I tried to get my two young sons involved in the hobby as well. The Vibra-Bat did the trick and hooked my oldest son so well that he still collects these lures to this day! (The photos in this article are just a small sample from his personal collection.)

The Vibra-Bat was first introduced by the Carroll-Walton Engineering Company out of Chicago, Ill., in early 1961. Upon introduction, it was simply called “The Bat.” Later that same year, its rights were acquired by Harrison Industries, a tackle company that built a strong brand using an unorthodox approach at the time: Buying the U.S. rights or outright purchase of unique lures in the market. From there, they applied an aggressive marketing campaign and distribution system to their new product. Cecil Hoge, the head of Harrison Industries, is credited with observing the vibration qualities the bait had upon retrieval through the water. Hence, they renamed the bait the Vibra-Bat.

Vibra-Bat

Harrison Industries started heavy marketing for the Vibra-Bat almost immediately. One doesn’t have to search long in old newspaper or magazine archives to find old advertisements for the lure. They are easy to spot and often accompanied by the “artist’s conception” pictured. The ads claim such things as “Caught! 120 FISH in 1 Hour!” “Vibrates up to 200 times a minute!” and their main headline. “Weird New Sonic Lure Caught Fish Like Crazy!”

There is one little nugget in an early ad around 1963 that I really found interesting. They have a picture of Lyman Walton, “co-inventor of the amazing Vibra-Bat lure.” (Lyman Walton and Tom Jones are listed as co-inventors on the patent.) They use this simple, stoic picture of Mr. Walton throughout the years in their ads, but early on they add a line to it. It states, “Meet Lyman Walton—a direct descendant of Isaak Walton.” Now, I don’t know if that is true or not, and they spell Isaak wrong in about half of the ads, but they quit running it after about a year.

I just find it humorous. As a consumer and fisherman, I’m not sure that would matter to me one bit on my decision to buy a fishing lure. Someone in their marketing department at the time thought so, though.

The Vibra-Bat really is quite a unique lure. It is shaped like a tiny bat and has multiple line tie position holes. You can attach a snap swivel in any of them to vary the running depth. The smaller, 1/4-ounce bait has two holes, and the larger, 1/2-ounce bait has three. It comes with a trailing double hook designed to fold over the rib section of the bait underneath when not in use to protect the hook and “yourself.” I have tried to fish these ever-so-briefly and I can tell you they do vibrate quite a bit. I’ll also say on light to medium tackle, they cast a mile!

Most Vibra-Bat lures are unmarked post 1967 or so. Before that, the earliest versions would have the words “Baby Bat,” “PATENT PEND” or “MADE IN THE U.S.A.” on them.

The Vibra-Bat was produced up until 1974 and is considered one of Harrison Industries most successful lures.

Colors, sizes and packaging

The Vibra-Bat was originally introduced in only nickel-plated color and 1/4- and 1/2-ounce sizes. Harrison Industries kept the two sizes but expanded the colors to add black, orange and yellow. In 1964, brass was added to the color lineup. Note that the brass color is actually a nickel finish bait with a yellow-tinted, clear lacquer applied over the top. These baits tend to wear easily, making brass a more difficult color to find.

To my knowledge, there are not any genuine, custom-color Vibra-Bats.

The Vibra-Bat originally came in a square, clear plastic box with a small paper insert/instructions on the bait. Many over the years came in simple mailers from mail-in advertising responses. A lot of these came with no branding information at all. Beginning in 1964, they were marketed on cards that were very colorful and eye catching. Two different variations of these cards were developed over the years and have become quite collectible. As you can see from the photo, they make great display pieces.

Collector’s value

A Vibra-Bat in its correct matching box with paperwork or on a card can sell in the $20 to $30 range in excellent condition. More commonly, these are found loose in tackle boxes. In excellent condition loose, they sell for around $5 each.