Florida tournament anglers consider Charlie Orme of Ocala, Fla. a legend, and they know it’s going to be tough to win any time "Topwater Charlie" shows up at the boat ramp on tournament morning.
However, Orme contends that "the lure is the legend," because Orme only fishes with one type of lure – a Chrome/Black Back/Orange Belly Smithwick Devils Horse.
"I've got 300 to 400 trophies from tournaments that I've accumulated over the past 15 years or so," said Orme. "I can catch more fish on that one bait than others can with live bait."
Orme has won three American Bass Anglers (ABA) tournaments and has eight Top 3 finishes in 2006 alone. He also won five ABA events in 2005. In a recent tournament on Lake Toho in which Orme finished second because of a marginal Day 1 catch, he set an all-time ABA national record with his second-day catch of 33.24 pounds.
Orme backs the notion that the lure is the legend with his observations that other anglers he has taught to use the same techniques enjoy similar success in tournaments throughout central and north Florida.
The Devil's Horse is a classic, prop-equipped handcrafted wood lure. The unique buoyancy of wood, combined with two carefully balanced, surface-churning propellers, duplicates the unique commotion of fleeing shad to produce rod-busting strikes from surface feeding fish.
Orme has been a believer in the Smithwick Devil's Horse since a friend introduced him to it in 1957. A 25-year veteran of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Orme found the Devil's Horse consistently produced better quality fish than other offerings, and he's relied on the topwater bait ever since. He estimates his collection of Devil's Horses to be from 300 to 500 lures..
The 4 1/2-inch Devil's Horse was the first lure to be mass produced by Smithwick and is now available in 12 colors and two weights - 1/2 and 3/8 ounces. But Orme relies on only one color.
"The AF31OB is the only thing I fish with," Orme said. "It doesn't matter the conditions. I don't even pay any attention to conditions. Wind, rain, snow, whatever. It doesn't matter.
"Jack Smithwick knew what he was doing when he built it. The size of it, the shape of it and the way it tracks through the water – and that color's a killer. The chrome reflects the orange belly and a bass that gets close enough to it gets caught."
Orme sight fishes, but not by looking for beds or bedding bass.
"I look for movement," he said. "I'll see fish moving through the vegetation, grass and lily pads. I keep my eyes open, I swivel my head and I'm always looking for fish.
Orme's method has proven through the years that quality baits catch quality fish and he will continue to rely on the Smithwick Devil's Horse for future tournaments.
"If that lure didn't exist, I'd quit fishing," Orme said.