Ep. 2: Cody Smith on Chasing the State Record Spotted Bay Bass

Guest: Cody Smith Hosts: Daniel Dahlin ([FISH]rx), El Charly, Luke Dean (Bait Slingers / Artemis Charters)

Spotted bay bass are one of those fish you can chase your whole life and still feel like you’re figuring them out. Cody Smith joined Episode 2, recorded live on December 27, 2022, deep in a personal pursuit — the California state record spottie. He’d already caught a five-seven. The record sits around six-three. In this episode he breaks down the winter bite, why big fish come from spots a boat can’t reach, and how he sets up for calico at the wall.

In This Episode

• Chasing the state record spotted bay bass — Cody’s personal best is five pounds seven. The California state record is six pounds twelve ounces (Matt Bergherm, Newport Bay, 1994). He’s seen fish held up on Instagram that looked bigger — a spinnerbait fish in particular that may have been pushing that range
• Winter vs. summer for big spotties — Cody’s experience: bigger individual fish in winter, more numbers of large fish once winter sets in. Not a hard rule but a pattern worth fishing
• Shore pounding vs. boat for spotties — both agree shore pounding consistently produces big fish because foot patrol can reach structure a boat simply can’t get to. Vice versa also true — there are boat-only spots that produce well
• Creature bait setup for calico at the wall — War Bait skirted head, Sudden Impact creature bait, natural colors (reds, browns, blacks to match crabs and crustaceans). 80 pound braid to 50–60 pound fluoro. The surge does most of the work
• Drop shot for halibut — white fluke, six to eight inches off the bottom, as light as you can get away with while maintaining bottom contact. Tried and true across tides
• Soft plastic jerkbait thinking — Daniel already working through how to get jerkbait action out of his slug, including double-rig experiments with varied weights for different sink rates. Freshwater jerkbait tactics as a template for saltwater application

Beyond the Rod & Reel on Spotted Bay Bass

The shore pounding conversation was the most useful thing in this episode. The question was simple: do bigger spotties come from the boat or from shore? The answer from both Cody and the hosts was the same — shore pounding gets you to places a boat can’t fish. Nooks, structure tucked against walls, spots that require you to be on foot and patient. The boat gives you range. Shore gives you access to a different kind of spot entirely.

Cody’s creature bait setup at the wall is worth noting too. He fishes heavy — 80 pound braid to 50–60 pound fluoro — not because calico need it but because you’re fishing close to the bottom near rock and the abrasion resistance buys you fish you’d otherwise lose. He’s not imparting action. The surge does that. His job is to keep the bait in the zone and not get broken off when a fish finds structure.

Watch the full episode on the Time On The Water YouTube channel. New episodes every Tuesday at 6 PM.

Note: This episode was originally recorded as part of Is This Mandatory, the show that became Time On The Water. Daniel was fishing and building baits under the name Dahlin Baits at the time — the brand is now [FISH]rx.