Big hudds for big smallies?

[MikeOGNR]

Just recently purchased. A swimbait setup and am dedicating my time to it this year. I have 2 hudds a huddelston 8in golden shiner and a hudd 68 in perch color. Now I will mostly be targeting smaller ponds for big largemouth, but my question is anyone ever have any luck with catching big smallies on these things? I'm talking 4lbs or more I feel like it be the same principle. Because there areas few big smallmouth lakes and ponds near me in NH just looking to see anyone's input as to what you prefer for hudds targeting smallies or any big swimbait as to that matter. 

[Bluebasser86]

I've never caught a smallie on a Hudd but I've had them hit them before, just never had one hook up. I prefer big glides or topwaters for smallies. 

[Turkey sandwich]

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've never caught a smallie on a Hudd but I've had them hit them before, just never had one hook up. I prefer big glides or topwaters for smallies. 

 

I agree. There's something about big smallies blowing up Spooks, especially an early evening bite on a sunny day. A 3+lb smallmouth will have no hesitation smashing them clear out of the water.  I actually just ordered two Whopper Ploppers and a couple Gunfish and I'm very excited to see how well they perform compared to big Spooks and poppers. 

[Fishfisherson]

Shouldn't be an issue.I have got em on 9" suicks and 9" jakes 

[Dwight Hottle]

I caught my PB smallie on a rapala tail dancer shown in the picture next to a hudd 68 special for size comparison. A bigger smallie could eat the 6" hudd. Smallies are notorious for hitting musky baits but most of those caught are snagged when they slash at it as opposed to actually choking the bait into their mouths.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Crestliner2008]

Dwight is correct. I'm sure big smallies have been caught on big hudds and 9" Sluggos, but neither is a high percentage type presentation. And they require Xtra heavy gear to toss them. Smallies can be caught in greater numbers on any number of presentations out there that do not require football shoulders to toss. Eventually, you will tie up with a 6 lb. smallies with conventional gear. And the experience will probably be a much better. JMO.

[tkunk]

In spring and fall it's common to big schools of aggressive smallies.  Once you've found these schools, if you want to focus on catching the big ones, big swimbaits work really well.

[Will Wetline]

Fishing buddy Eric usually tosses big swimbaits at largemouth, but on his yearly trip to Quabbin Reservoir with me he thought he'd try to get a sizable smallie to eat a CL8BAIT Vole.

 

[Airman4754]

I've caught quite a few smallies over 4lbs in the last three years. I caught one on a spinnerbait while it was falling in open water, so that was a fluke.

 

The rest were on a 4.8" pearl Keitech. I couldn't get them to touch the 6" version. An S-waver 168 in Rainbow trout. They wouldn't touch Lite Trout, Perch, etc. or the 200. The last were Keitech Custom Leeches in I believe it's called Ice Fish. The bigger ones never hit the other colors, but tons of 2lb class smallies did.

 

The three over 5lbs were in a river on a tiny Panther Martin.

 

So in all of my years bigger has never amounted to better for brown fish.

[1simplemann]

On my home lake, I kill em' on a 4" pearl Deisel Minnow. But last summer I had multiple 4,5, and 6lb fish spit up cisco at the boat numerous times. 6,7,8" long at least  My PB smallie spit up an 8" cisco at the boat. If they'll eat a 8" cisco , I got think they'll eat a 6" Hudd if you have that size forage in your lake.

[Airman4754]

50 minutes ago, 1simplemann said:

On my home lake, I kill em' on a 4" pearl Deisel Minnow. But last summer I had multiple 4,5, and 6lb fish spit up cisco at the boat numerous times. 6,7,8" long at least  My PB smallie spit up an 8" cisco at the boat. If they'll eat a 8" cisco , I got think they'll eat a 6" Hudd if you have that size forage in your lake.

 

I separated a 12" smallie with a 9" perch stuck in its mouth floating on top the water last summer.

 

They do eat big stuff, but I'm not sure it's as common as largemouth.

[WRB]

Smallies will hit a 68 Hudd, hooking them consistantly you may need to modify the hook placement using Butch Brown's method of with a treble hook on top of the head.

Tom

[DubyaDee]

This smallie hit a 7 inch shallow raider while I was messing around on the doc before an afternoon run. They'll hit anything they want. 

 

I've got that same perch hudd 68 and haven't committed to throwing it yet. Good luck! 

[evilcatfish]

They'll hit hudds but as mentioned above your hookup ratio will not be great. That said, after Huddleston customer service went out the window I personally no longer fish them 

[everythingthatswims]

The waters I have fished for smallmouth have shad. As far as numbers, I would say most of my smallmouth have come on a light texas rigged senko or finesse worm, since I am typically fishing moving water.

 

But nearly all of my bigger (18" plus) smallies have come on a sizable moving bait. I caught a 19" on a swimjig, I've caught several 19" on a war eagle double willow spinnerbait, my recent 19" ate a squarebill.

 

My pb that weighed 4.2lbs but taped out at 23" ate a lite trout s-waver 168, they hammer that thing under the right conditions. I caught a 19" on it as well and several smaller fish.

[roadwarrior]

On 3/26/2017 at 10:30 PM, Mosster47 said:

So in all of my years bigger has never amounted to better for brown fish.

 

Smaller presentations result in more bites and for me, more smallies over 5 lbs.

 

[Montanaro]

Bait size is opposite for trophy LM and SM

 

Will SM hit a hudd...yes.  Will you hook them...no.

 

Your odds of catching a world class SM are much higher throwing a 1/16th hair jig than a 1.5 ounce swimbait

[WRB]

We sometimes discuss Fish Chris a California trophy bass anglers who at one time posted on this forum. Chris avatar bass was a smallmouth just under 9 lbs caught on a Matt lures hard gill swimbait, Smallmouth aren't known to eat bluegill, this big smallie did.

I caught a 5 lb smallie in Ontario fishing for musky using a 9" black Suick and caught a 37 lb musky on a 1/8 oz black hair jig, doesn't mean these lures are a high percent for either fish. Properly rigged 68 Hudd should work better than the 8" Hudd for smallies.

Tom

[Bluebasser86]

This smallmouth had an 8-9 inch crappie in it's gut with a few inches of it's tail still sticking out of it's gullet when I caught her.

Smallmouth can and do eat large baits, it's just a matter of getting a hook in one when it happens.

[KenP]

The hudds will work fine as long as they get hit from above. They are very aggressive i caught many NH smallies on the Sebile Magic Swimmer. Get yourself an MS Slammer for top water explosions. 

 

 

[ErikmonBillsfon]

I caught a nice one off a glide bait. i havent caught anything off hudds (havent thrown them enough) but I think a smallie would take a perch color hudd. 

i have more fun changing a retrieve of a glide bait too.

NOTE:  ive only caught 2 fish off a glide bait and in no way am i saying i know anything works "well"

[A-Jay]

I'm targeting Trophy Smallies all season long.  

I even manage to catch a few here & there.

 For me, the Huddleston Swimbait might be The Very Last Bait on a long list of other more effective presentations.

A-Jay

 

[salmotrutta]

I would try the S-Waver 168.3:16 Rising Son (6") Megabass Magdraft(6") or Osprey TT.If your goal is to smack some smallies on swimbaits you will catch them.Your numbers of fish probably won't be as high if you were using conventional gear.