Early in the 20th century, Henry Dills of Garrett, Ind., wanted something that would dive beneath the surface to go to the fish more than simply sitting on top waiting for bass to smash it. Dills inserted a “stair-step” metal lip into the nose of a 3.5-inch-long wooden plug. The lip gave the bait side-to-side action like a struggling baitfish while the wooden body provided buoyancy. Dills added two places to tie line so anglers could run the bait at different depths. In 1916, Dills partnered with George Schulthess and Carl Heinzerling to market the new bait as a Creek...

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