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Time to Put Down That Hammer!
I knew it was time to quit my bricking late yesterday when my timing went away, and I pounded a pointer finger into a small puddle of blood. Despite wearing gloves as always, and having my rhythm down for placing pavers … the edge of that finger just didn’t move fast enough. It’s funny when our body starts talking isn’t it? Sometimes we don’t listen until we’re…
17.25” Smallmouth | Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 8:10 AM | Monocacy River
I caught two huge fish, back-to-back. The adrenaline was pumping trying to land this one. I definitely almost lost it.
I haven’t been able to fish for quite a while, so I was really stoked to have a great day. Caught two really nice fish along with a bunch of small ones.
The water was clear and low, but overcast in the morning with light rain. I knew I had a chance to catch a few quality fish if I could find a pocket of them. Luckily I did. Super fun.
16” Smallmouth | Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 8:05 AM | Monocacy River
This fish was just shy of 16”, but it was so close I’m just going to say it was…
I haven’t been fishing in over a month. I’ve had to travel so much for work, and along with family things, I just haven’t been able to find time to get in the river. I forced myself to make time this weekend. It felt great to be back in the water catching fish.
I’ll create another post, but I caught a 17.25” fish two cast after this one. The water was pretty low, so I found a bunch of them stacked up in a deep hole. Caught a bunch of small ones and two huge toads in the same spot within 20 minutes. Was a lot of fun.
This is by far my favorite bait for large smallmouth in the Monocacy.
Yesterday I met a friendly young fisherman and his girlfriend (I assume). I was talking with him a little, and he asked if I sell any of the baits I make. I let him know that I don’t, but I’m happy to post how I make them.
I will add that he caught a 17”-18” smallmouth on a store bought glide bait, so not sure he really needs one of my spinnerbaits, lol.
Anyway, I would say I’ve caught 80% of my 17” plus fish on this bait. The other 20% were caught on variations, primarily one that swaps the smoke back/dorsal for black paired with a gold Colorado blade.
Save for a couple of randoms, I’ve caught all of my largest fish in stained to muddy water. With my level of expertise (no a lot), large fish are way too hard to catch in clear water. When conditions are right, I normally start with the black/gold patten in the early morning when the light is low then switch to the Bluntnose Minnow pattern as the light starts picking up mid-morning.
Photo Credit: Emilio Concari
I know this is debatable, but I believe smallmouth start preferring fish as prey as they getting larger whereas smaller ones focus on insects and crayfish (though I know tube fishermen who disagree and have the receipts to prove it, lol). I also believe large smallmouth are more likely to bite on colors and patterns they are familiar with. Bluntnose minnows are the most common prey in the sections of the Monocacy I fish. If I still fished the Potomac, maybe I’d think differently.
Skirt
Trailer: 483-10 Black Death @ 2 strands per side + 133-10 Silver Flash @ 3 strands at bottom
Back/dorsal: 246-10 Smoke Silver @ full tab
Belly: 133-10 Silver Flash @ three quarters tab
I thread tie my skirts using common fly tying tools. It’s just how I started and I like the control I get with it, but I’m sure you could achieve the same thing wire tying instead.
Components
3/16oz or 1/8oz compact frame (LPO Finesse C-spin, unpainted)
#3 Colorado polished nickel
4mm Fish Skull Living Eyes | Earth
#1 ball bearing swivel
Finish
For a while I struggled to get acrylic to stick to the led in a durable way. Regular primer didn’t work well, it would chip and flake off pretty easily with use. One day when I was picking up paint at Michael’s I started talking with a local artist, also there to grab some paint. She suggested I try chalk paint. It is by far the best base coat I’ve ever tried.
From there I mix deco paint to get the color I want for the belly and apply that with a brush to the entire head as a first coat. Then I use that as a base to mix in other paints to get the back/dorsal color I’m looking for. I just rub the accents on with my fingers. I think the irregularities make it look more natural.
There is a sequence to the finish coats. I first apply a coat of Sally Hansen glitter over the acrylic before adhering the eyes. Once I adhere the eyes, then I will top coat with clear Sally Hansen hard as nails. A top coat over the eyes helps keep them in place.
I let the finish coats cure for a week or more before using the bait. The nail polish has strong off gassing that lasts a while. For this reason and others, I recommend using an attractant. My preference is Berkeley Gulp Alive Minnow.
14” Smallmouth | Monocacy River | Saturday, July 26, 2025 at 8:57 AM
It was one of those days where you catch a fish every fourth or fifth cast…
The morning started very slow, but things really picked up around 7:30 when I switched baits and got to the section I wanted to fish.
I stopped counting around 20, but I caught over 30 fish. They were all small in the 8” - 10” range, except for this one. This was definitely the largest of the day.
It was so much fun. I’ve been waiting for a day like this. I’ve caught some quality smallmouth this year, but the action has been slow. No monsters today, but it was nice to consistently catch fish.
I made this clear/silver willow leaf spinnerbait a while ago for days when the water is hot and clear, but I never really used it. The conditions today were exactly right, so I tied it on and started catching immediately. It delivered over and over again. I will give it more love in the future. I’m going to make a version with solid black lateral and slightly darker dorsal to more closely mimic a bluntnose minnow. A closer mimic may make it better for larger fish.
