Ep. 28: Cody Smith Returns — Fast-Wind Retrieve & Bladed Baits in Winter

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

Cody Smith came back on Episode 28, recorded live on January 23, 2024, for his second appearance on Time on the Water about a year after Episode 2. The fast-wind retrieve he and Daniel had been developing was now a proven method — and this episode goes deeper on when and why it works, bladed bait applications in winter murky water, and reading tide movement for pylon presentations.

In This Episode

• Fast-wind retrieve confirmed — Cody and Tracy went back-to-back on the two biggest fish Daniel had seen pulled in a single session. The retrieve: wind it as fast as you can, don’t stop. The fish are chasing. Slowing down kills the bite
• Bladed baits in winter murky water — Cody’s winter go-to when water clarity drops: spinner bait or ChatterBait over a slow retrieve. The blade creating noise and vibration in conditions where a swimbait gets ignored
• Slow-pitching pylons on high tide — when tide is really high, fish move in closer to structure. Cody slow-pitches the bladed jig straight down pylons — three pops max, let it fall, move to the next one. The vertical presentation in this specific scenario outperforming a lateral cast
• Incoming vs. outgoing tide presentations — Cody’s framework: on incoming tides fish push inward and hold tighter to structure. He fishes the inward side first, then moves to open water edges as the tide peaks and fish start following bait out
• Winter murky water color selection — in dirty water conditions, Cody’s going dark and high-contrast rather than natural. The fish need to find the bait by noise and vibration first; color becomes secondary but contrast helps when they get close
• Structure-first thinking — new fishing locations means finding more structure, not just more water. Cody talks about discovering spots that opened up due to temporarily flooded areas and how the fish used those spots differently than established permanent structure

Beyond the Rod & Reel on Fast-Wind Retrieve

The fast-wind follow-up was satisfying because of how specific it got. In Ep. 2, Cody mentioned it as a technique that works. By Ep. 28, Daniel and Luke had both been running it and confirming results. When Cody and Tracy went back-to-back on the biggest fish of the session, it wasn’t luck — it was a validated approach. The lesson: when something works once, test it deliberately until you understand why.

The pylon slow-pitch on high tide is a technique refinement worth noting. Most people fish pylons with lateral casts. Cody goes vertical when the tide is high enough to bring fish tight to structure. The fish are stacked above the base of the pylon, not alongside it. The presentation changes because the fish’s position changes.

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