The Heddon Tiny Torpedo? Many of you may think the Torpedo is an old relic. After all look at it - the paint job is not very realistic and the propeller? Does it really work? If you are reaching past the Tiny Torpedo to grab something else more realistic looking and expensive -you should stop and tie on this lure. The Torpedo is an absolute awesome river lure and I think smallmouth actually hate it. They hate it so much they can't resist it!
I first used the Tiny Torpedo on the Sugar Creek in Indiana. Spending mosy of my spring breaks with my Uncle Joe, we flung Tiny Torpedos for hours and hours. This lure, or "plug" to my Uncle Joe was our "go to" lure when we spin fished for smallies. (When we fly fished the Cockatoush was our baby - more on the Cockatoush in future blog posts.)Last week my son caught the largest river smallmouth I have ever seen on a chrome Torpedo. The funny this is I had almost a dozen TT's in my tackle box! My good friend Dick Gross sent the boys a few chrome Torpedo's for their birthday, so I thought "What the heck, for old times sake I'll give them a try!" I'm not sure where the other TT's came from, maybe the fish Gods beamed them to my tackle box? For years I ignored this lure because I thought it was an antique, I couldn't have been more wrong. It is easy to cast and see in the water and the propeller really creates a ruckus that drives fish mad.
Here are some ringing endorsements for the Tiny Torpedo:
"Here's my favorite surface plug for smallmouth bass in the spring, when the fish are shallow and surface-aware. A 1/8-ounce Teeny Torpedo in a bullfrog pattern fishes well on light spinning gear with 6- or 8-pound-test, which perfectly matches tackle to quarry. The single-propeller tail makes just enough fuss when twitched to get the fish's attention. Big smallies often take this lure with a gentle sip." The 50 Greatest Lures of All Time - Field and Stream Magazine
Tim Holschlag writes: "The Tiny Torpedo is an old time lure that I think gets overlooked. It's a good search bait, but you can also keep it near structure longer and work it slow. I think it has a different acoustical signal the fish aren't used to. You can also change the sound by bending the prop blades toward or slightly away from the hook. I don't think color means much for topwater lures. I like the natural perch pattern because I can see it well in the water." Secrets of the Trophy Hunters - Field and Stream Magazine March 2011
Yes it's an antique. Yes it'old. Yes the paint job doesn't look like the modern day holistic perfect bait paint job. So what? It catches fish. Both smallmouth and largemouth, and northern pike. Over and over and over. But to do so, one must keep it in the water.
ReplyDelete"Fish won't hit it because they have seen so many." Oh, B.S.! A fishes brain is the size of a BB. They are no smarter today than they were 40 years ago. And that is about how long I have been using a Tiny Torpedo. And for two weeks this summer the bass in the UP of Michigan were smacking it just like they did every other year.
It is my "go to surface bait."
Love 'em!!! Just keep chunking it. Lakes or rivers, it will produce!
Uncle Dick