By Stan Fagerstrom
Produce Review Editor
October 29, 2010
Part One
You’ll look long and hard to find bass baits that do a better job of putting bass in the boat than those called Senkos. Day in and day out you can’t tie anything to the end of a line that does a better job.
Odds are if a bass angler knows the difference between a bass and a barracuda he’ll be inclined to agree with that statement. Darn few baits have carved the same kind of permanent spot on the angling scene as have those turned out by Gary Yamamoto and his capable crew.
But good as they are, might there be a way of sometimes making them even more effective? If you think what I have in mind is to smear a Senko with one or another of the many fish-attracting scents now available---guess again. Neither am I referring to perhaps dipping the tail end of the Senko you’re using into some chartreuse dye to add a bit of color.
While either of the two procedures I’ve just mentioned might have value, they’re not what I have in mind. Ever heard of a Smile Blade? If you’re an experienced walleye angler who follows what’s happening on the walleye professional tournament trail your answer will undoubtedly be affirmative. That’s because over the past decade or so Smile Blades have played an increasingly important role where professional walleye fishing and walleye angling in general is concerned.
So just what is a Smile Blade? It’s simply a smile shaped spinner blade fashioned of Mylar plastic. It’s designed with a hole in the center so it can be slid right onto line or leader to ride ahead of whatever lure is trailing along behind it.
I first heard about these blades some years ago. At the time I was doing some exhibition casting at an outdoor show in Eugene, Oregon. A fellow named Dr. Ron Stirtz showed me these new blades he had invented. Dr. Ron, he’s turned out to be a good friend, already knew how effective his spinner blades could be for freshwater species like walleyes and salmon. He was interested in having me try them for bass.
I did try Ron’s blades along with some plastic worms a few times. I managed to catch a few fish with the combination. But my results weren’t anything I could call spectacular and in all honesty I didn’t stick with it long enough to say I’d given the combo a fair trial. That was to happen a bit later.
Dr. Stirtz eventually sold his Smile Blade business to Mack’s Lure, a company now based in Wenatchee, Washington. Among other things, Mack’s Lure markets the world famous Wedding Ring spinner, a rig that’s probably put more fish in the boat for trout trollers than darn near anything.
I began doing some writing for this Evergreen State operation and in the process became acquainted with Bob Schmidt, the general manager of Mack’s Lure. Bob and I eventually were companions on a Mexican angling adventure that took us to Anglers Inn operations at both El Salto Lake and Lake Mateos.
I’ll never forget the first morning we were on the water together at Lake El Salto. Things started out at El Salto about as I had expected. In the early morning we had bass busting our surface lures in good shape. Things slowed down once the morning surface action was over and our Mexican guide fired up the outboard and headed for deeper water.
Once we eased up to where submerged trees stuck jagged fingers up out of the water, he muttered “Plastico” and indicated the direction he wanted us to cast. I rigged a 5-inch Senko Wacky Style and turned in my boat seat to see how Bob was doing. He had a hand full of those plastic Smile Blades and it was obvious he was planning to use one or another of them along with whatever plastic bait he selected.
“Looks like you’re fixin’ to use a Smile Blade,” I said.
“Yes I am,” he replied. Then he explained why. It turned out my friend Bob had been hearing from walleye anglers who complained because now and then they had too many bass banging their walleye baits.
“Stan,” Bob said, “one of the complaints we get from walleye pros now and then is that they catch too many bass when using our Smile Blades ahead of their baits while fishing tournaments. They don’t want, of course, to have to take time away from their search for walleye when a bass comes along. I just thought I’d see how a Smile Blade and a worm work for these Mexican bass.”
Using a Smile Blade ahead of a plastic worm didn’t come as a surprise to me. As I’ve mentioned, I had done the same thing a couple of years before. And while I didn’t set any records, I did get a couple of fish on a day when the fish were hard to come by. As it turned out, Bob rigged and fished his set up a bit differently than I had.
I cast my Wacky Rigged Senko up next to one of the submerged trees. I missed a fish as the lure dropped. About that time I heard Bob holler “Got him!” I turned to watch him battle a 3-pounder up close enough for the guide to slide his net under it. Part of the Swimming Senko he’d been using dangled from the big mug of that fish. And there just in front of it and sparkling in the morning sunlight was the blue colored Smile Blade Bob had slid onto his leader just ahead of his slip sinker.
I was to hear Bob holler “Got him!” again and again over the next few days at both El Salto and Lake Mateos. Remember now, I’m the guy who has been fishing for bass for half a century and then some. My friend Bob hadn’t been in a bass boat in years. But before that morning was over he not only put the most fish in the boat, but had the largest of the trip to go along with it. Every darn one of them, except for the fish we took off the top early on, came on his Smile Blade and the Swimming Senko he used along with it.
There’s more to the story. Watch for the details in my next column. Among other things I’ll tell you how we wound up using Smile Blades ahead of our Senkos in one particularly productive period to boat 19 bass out of 20 casts.
Smile Blades come in a variety of sizes and colors. If you want to get more details on these interesting fish attractors and check out available sizes and colors, you’ll find that information at www.mackslure.com. Who knows? They might be something you’d like to try long with your own Senkos next time you’re on the water.
(click here for part two)
