How to Make a Smile Blade Rig

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Make a Smile Blade Rig
by Patrick Lemire

Give the fish a smile... a smile blade.

As the Pythons used to say, "And now ... for something completely different." My major fishing experience has been in our offshore Gulf waters for over 43 years, and until I first saw the Smile Blade in a Cabela's catalog about a year ago, they were new to me. I could be wrong, but I feel that I'm not a cult of one by not having seen or heard anything about them being used in our saltwater fisheries. I know of them now, and I know they work.

The imovative Smile Blades' parent company, Mack's Lure (www.mackslure.com) is located on the Colombia River in Washington State; their location gives them an obvious interest in their fantastic salmon fishing. The Smile Blade just struck me as having applications in much of our saltwater fishing, offshore and inshore. They are made from flexible, clear mylar and come in various pattems of a light reflecting prism finish. An assortment of colors and sizes are available. (See the illustration for their shape. It's obvious as to why they are called "Smile" Blades).

Tune-ability is also one of their features; a wide blade angle yields a slow, wobbling and rolling motion. Bend it to a narrow angle for a faster spin and shake. The flash is a visual attraction and the vibration is a predator's lateral line sensor's signal that a meal is in the area. They provide maximtun flash throughout the water column either on the sink or the retrieve. Predators come from afar in clear water for the flash alone. Those I've used are of the dark blue scale finish and the silver sparkle finish.

I've rigged mine on 24" pieces of 60 lb. mono, using either a Daiichi D84Z 7/0 or Mustad 10827BLN 8/0 hook. Ahead of the mono's knot at the hook are three 4mm red beads. In front of them is the Smile Blade and a nose hooked Spanish sardine will finish it off. It's fished Carolina rigged, with an egg weight on the main line above the swivel to the leader. The egg weight is sized as the current dictates to present your Smile Blade rig in the predator's strike zone - their level in the water column. It's a matter of finding their level, the egg weight is your "adjustor".

Smile Blades can also be used with cable or solid wire leaders when fishing for kingfish or wahoo. Rigging up with a stinger hook would also get those short strikers of any species that seem to like the back half of a bait; this also applies to the monofilament leader..

On my last few trips offshore, I've taken red snapper, kingfish, bluefish and dolphin on a Smile Blade rig. Others that I'm sure will come soon are ling, wahoo grouper and tuna, to name a few.

When casting the Smile Blade rig, slow your line speed down a bit by thumbing the reel spool. This straightens out the entire rig and bait combination, making it land in the water without fouling on itself. Letting it crash in a "clump" may have you ending up with a fouled presentation that isn't very appealing to your target predator.

Once the sink has started, prepare for a strike; counting down will help you stop in the strike zone your next time down. On the sink or retrieve, I fish with my rod tip pointed at the line's entry point into the water. At the take, as the line comes tight, raise the rod tip sharply to load the rod, setting the hook. This is especially true when using a circle hook such as the D84Z, "J" hooks like the 10827BLN, although razor sharp, may require a harder hookset motion. This rig is basically a slow speed presentation. It's a matter of varying the speed and depth to find the fish.

Got a "follower"? Speed up your retrieve and you might tum it into a "striker", and a hookup. Slowing, then speeding up the retrieve may also generate a strike. The Smile Blade gives flash/vibration at slower retrieve speeds and with much less drag than metal spinner blades.

If your Smile Blade gets bent from a strike, straighten it up with your fingers, re-bait and cast it again. They are almost indestructible and an inexpensive addition to your tackle arsenal that really works.

Smile Blades would also seem to have applications where they could be used on many near and inshore species such as redfish, speckled trout, snook, flounder and pier cruising kingfish and ling.

Keep your eyes and ears open, there's always another way. Magazines with regional fishing coverage and tackle catalogs with freshwater items are good places to mine for ideas that can be applied to your particular type of saltwater fishing. There could be a Washington State salmon fisherman reading this issue of Gulf Coast Fisherman and fmding something he can apply to his fishery ... that's sort of what I did to find the Smile Blade.

Keep a smile on your face and use a Smile Blade just ahead of your baitfish - they will both help you come out ahead in the fishing game, whatever your game fish is.

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Search Gulf Coast Fisherman's Web Site Past articles, specific places or fish, etc.	Make a Smile Blade Rig by Patrick Lemire
	Give the fish a smile... a smile blade. As the Pythons used to say, "And now ... for something completely different." My major fishing experience has been in our offshore Gulf waters for over 43 years, and until I first saw the Smile Blade in a Cabela's catalog about a year ago, they were new to me. I could be wrong, but I feel that I'm not a cult of one by not having seen or heard anything about them being used in our saltwater fisheries. I know of them now, and I know they work.
The imovative Smile Blades' parent company, Mack's Lure (www.mackslure.com) is located on the Colombia River in Washington State; their location gives them an obvious interest in their fantastic salmon fishing. The Smile Blade just struck me as having applications in much of our saltwater fishing, offshore and inshore. They are made from flexible, clear mylar and come in various pattems of a light reflecting prism finish. An assortment of colors and sizes are available. (See the illustration for their shape. It's obvious as to why they are called "Smile" Blades). Tune-ability is also one of their features; a wide blade angle yields a slow, wobbling and rolling motion. Bend it to a narrow angle for a faster spin and shake. The flash is a visual attraction and the vibration is a predator's lateral line sensor's signal that a meal is in the area. They provide maximtun flash throughout the water column either on the sink or the retrieve. Predators come from afar in clear water for the flash alone. Those I've used are of the dark blue scale finish and the silver sparkle finish. I've rigged mine on 24" pieces of 60 lb. mono, using either a Daiichi D84Z 7/0 or Mustad 10827BLN 8/0 hook. Ahead of the mono's knot at the hook are three 4mm red beads. In front of them is the Smile Blade and a nose hooked Spanish sardine will finish it off. It's fished Carolina rigged, with an egg weight on the main line above the swivel to the leader. The egg weight is sized as the current dictates to present your Smile Blade rig in the predator's strike zone - their level in the water column. It's a matter of finding their level, the egg weight is your "adjustor". Smile Blades can also be used with cable or solid wire leaders when fishing for kingfish or wahoo. Rigging up with a stinger hook would also get those short strikers of any species that seem to like the back half of a bait; this also applies to the monofilament leader.. On my last few trips offshore, I've taken red snapper, kingfish, bluefish and dolphin on a Smile Blade rig. Others that I'm sure will come soon are ling, wahoo grouper and tuna, to name a few. When casting the Smile Blade rig, slow your line speed down a bit by thumbing the reel spool. This straightens out the entire rig and bait combination, making it land in the water without fouling on itself. Letting it crash in a "clump" may have you ending up with a fouled presentation that isn't very appealing to your target predator. Once the sink has started, prepare for a strike; counting down will help you stop in the strike zone your next time down. On the sink or retrieve, I fish with my rod tip pointed at the line's entry point into the water. At the take, as the line comes tight, raise the rod tip sharply to load the rod, setting the hook. This is especially true when using a circle hook such as the D84Z, "J" hooks like the 10827BLN, although razor sharp, may require a harder hookset motion. This rig is basically a slow speed presentation. It's a matter of varying the speed and depth to find the fish. Got a "follower"? Speed up your retrieve and you might tum it into a "striker", and a hookup. Slowing, then speeding up the retrieve may also generate a strike. The Smile Blade gives flash/vibration at slower retrieve speeds and with much less drag than metal spinner blades. If your Smile Blade gets bent from a strike, straighten it up with your fingers, re-bait and cast it again. They are almost indestructible and an inexpensive addition to your tackle arsenal that really works. Smile Blades would also seem to have applications where they could be used on many near and inshore species such as redfish, speckled trout, snook, flounder and pier cruising kingfish and ling. Keep your eyes and ears open, there's always another way. Magazines with regional fishing coverage and tackle catalogs with freshwater items are good places to mine for ideas that can be applied to your particular type of saltwater fishing. There could be a Washington State salmon fisherman reading this issue of Gulf Coast Fisherman and fmding something he can apply to his fishery ... that's sort of what I did to find the Smile Blade. Keep a smile on your face and use a Smile Blade just ahead of your baitfish - they will both help you come out ahead in the fishing game, whatever your game fish is. [ Articles \| Home ]