Smithwick devils horse

[basser27]

Is there any other prop bait on the market that comes close to this old reliable bait or is the smithwick still king?

[Herbert Lorenzo]

If there is ..I haven't found it .

[paulmandude]

Luhr Jensen woodchopper? 
edit: after searching, hard to find lure. Guess it’s not on the market anymore. 

[garroyo130]

Difficult to find but the offset sam and lil richard by Sams Custom lures have been good producers 

 

 

 

http://www.snagaway.com/sams/samslures.html

[Steelhead]

One of my all time favourite twin prop top water. Bass/orange belly is my #1 color. Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy is a close second in clear. As far as long slender pencil double props go, I have tried numerous. Quite a few years ago I picked up the Rapala X-Rap Prop and it hasn't caught a fish yet. The Bagley Bang-O-Lure Twin Spin I've wanted to try for years but it always seems to get bumped off the order. Cotton Cordell Crazy Shad is another excellent double prop bait but is shorter, fatter profile. There seem to be a resurgence in twin prop baits over the last few years. 

[Bluebasser86]

The Berkley Spin Rocket is my favorite double prop.

 

I want to like the River2Sea Lane Changer but it just doesn't have the commotion or sound with the plastic props.

[Smells like fish]

Read up on the Brians Bee prop bait and the ones that followed Black Label tease or the one Phil Hunt whittles out or the plastic Lucky Craft Kelly Jordan lure. Catches the living breathing feces out of them 

[Smells like fish]

@Bluebasser86 that Berkley Spin Bomb looks great and comes in great colors but I think it says it is plastic propped too. Have you had any time spent with one of them yet? 

@Steelhead the Bang-o comes in a orange belly/gold side/black back model that's right up your alley!

[basser27]

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The Berkley Spin Rocket is my favorite double prop.

 

I want to like the River2Sea Lane Changer but it just doesn't have the commotion or sound with the plastic props.

Thanks i just watched a video on the spin rocket. Seems solid

[Bluebasser86]

37 minutes ago, Smells like fish said:

@Bluebasser86 that Berkley Spin Bomb looks great and comes in great colors but I think it says it is plastic propped too. Have you had any time spent with one of them yet? 

@Steelhead the Bang-o comes in a orange belly/gold side/black back model that's right up your alley!

They are plastic but they're thin and make the right sound. Hard to describe but I want a prop bait to make that rip/zip when I twitch it and the Spin Bomb does that, the R2S does not. I've fished the Spin Bomb quite a bit. It's been a solid bait and I love that the Berkley baits come with good hardware, always a nice bonus.

[Steelhead]

5 hours ago, Smells like fish said:

@Bluebasser86 that Berkley Spin Bomb looks great and comes in great colors but I think it says it is plastic propped too. Have you had any time spent with one of them yet? 

@Steelhead the Bang-o comes in a orange belly/gold side/black back model that's right up your alley!

 

Right on. Thanks. It's hard to find top waters in a orange belly. I picked up the Berkley Spin Bomb a few weeks ago locally and have only used it once. I tend to fish prop baits earlier in the season as right now walking baits are hot. I'll give the Spin Bomb a go tomorrow morning. 

[Captain Phil]

The Smithwick Devil's horse is beyond a doubt the greatest top water bass bait ever made. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been won in tournaments on this lure. It will out fish all the frogs, poppers and buzz baits put together.  Most people don't fish this lure close enough to cover.  It works best when thrown deep into cover.  This requires precise castings skill and guts.  If you can't catch fish on this lure, you should consider taking up archery.  (joke)  ?

[Spankey]

Your lure has always worked well for me River Smallie fishing. But so has a Rapala Skitter Prop. Don’t want to say that it is better. But as effective. 

[river-rat]

I've been using a Smithwick Devil's Horse since I was a youngster (I'm 68 now). It's one of the best topwaters of all time as far as I'm concerned.

[JediAmoeba]

I have a few heddon wounded spooks that always did well.  The devils horse never produced well for me and I don't even think I have one anymore.

[Log Catcher]

I will take a Rebel Pop R or a walking bait over a Devils Horse any day. I have two of them and they have never gotten a sniff from a fish. I have never done any good on any prop bait.

[Captain Phil]

Smithwick did not invent the top water lure with spinners on both ends, they perfected it.  There are some adjustments and minor tweaks you can make to this lure that make it more effective.  First, change the hooks.  I remove the stock hooks and replace them with #6 Gamakatsu trebles.  If you change the back hook to a #4, the lure will sit in the water nose up changing the action.   Some people put split rings on the hooks.  I don't because it sometimes causes the hooks to tangle. I use 20 pound mono with this lure.  You can bend the blades slightly to make the lure stay in one place longer or retrieve faster.  My favorite color is chrome with an orange belly.  My second favorite is the old spotted ape color which is difficult to find these days. It's green with black spots on the belly.  All colors catch fish.

 

There is no way to fish these lures that will not work.  The way that works best for me is to throw the lure into pockets deep in cover and give it 2-3 hard jerks and let it sit for at least 10 seconds, then repeat the process.   While it's sitting, watch carefully as a bass often shows itself before it hits.  This lure makes big bass mad as heck.  I think it triggers a territory reflex in fish.  

[basser27]

2 hours ago, Log Catcher said:

I will take a Rebel Pop R or a walking bait over a Devils Horse any day. I have two of them and they have never gotten a sniff from a fish. I have never done any good on any prop bait.

I agree but the devils horse has its time and place, specifically the way captain Phil describes how to fish it

[Smells like fish]

Heddon called their version of the devil horse the dying quiver. When you throw that prop lure make it become a minnow or gill giving its dying quiver, we've all seen minnows and fish doing their dying kicks floating around on the surface. And a vid on YouTube suggested using a couple bobber stops in front of your front prop to keep the line outta the prop.

And if you don't regularly catch fish on a prop bait, use one that is 2" to 2.5"... You'll catch numbers though lots of small bass