For as long as I can remember I have always had a Smithwick Lures Devil’s Horse in my tackle box. I liked them because they were simple, classic looking and just flat out caught fish. Who doesn’t love to see Bass hit a top water lure, right? The Devil’s Horse was once a heavier sinking lure that still had the shape, props and treble hooks that the modern day one has but according to Smithwick they started making a floating model due to the growing spinning and spincast reel market. With only that minor change the Devil’s Horse of today remains the same as the day of their inception in 1949.
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| Devil's Horse Bass |
Honestly, the only shortcoming of the lure I experience is the treble hooks. The size, make and way they are fastened to the bait I feel limit an angler’s hookup rate. For that reason I modify all my Devil’s Horses to sport a split ring and sharper, larger trebles. Not only does the larger and sharper hook grab a few more bass but by adding the split ring it doesn’t allow a Bass to use the lure to torque on the lure and possibly shake it free.
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| Devil's Horse before upgrade |
For the adjustment you can go as crazy as you want or stay somewhat simple in your hook selection. I grab a pair of split ring pliers, Owner split rings and either VMC or Owner trebles to get the job done. I buy in bulk to keep the hook cost down a little and plus I use the extras to replace dull or rusty hooks on my saltwater MirroOLures or Skitterwalks. You can add a longer treble on the back end to help with short strikes or keep them all constant as I do. I am using #4 all around on both size baits and its pretty self-explanatory from here on out. The one thing I do recommend is cutting the stock hooks off (use eye protection please) because screwing the clasps in and out of a wooden bait could weaken the connection, plus it taken more time to do so. Then just throw on a split ring and the new treble and get after ‘em.
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| Devil's Horse after upgrade |
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