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Four for Florida for 'Ya
By Russ Bassdozer

December 12, 2003

Disagreement exists on how many subspecies of bass there actually are, ten or possibly more. But one cousin in the Micropterus clan shines above the rest. The Florida largemouth bass is the world's fastest growing, longest-lived and largest bass. Some say it is also the most difficult bass to catch. Yet in 2001, Dean Rojas broke the BASS world record for 108.12 pounds during a four-day central Florida Lake Toho tournament.

Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits offers four baits for you to challenge the bass in Florida's 7,710 lakes and numerous ponds, reservoirs, rivers, streams and canals.

First, the 5-inch 3/8-oz Senko (9-series). BASS and FLW pro Bernie Schultz suggests, "Whenever in doubt in Florida's shallow vegetated waters, use a june bug color 213 Senko. You can't beat it. I would have three rods rigged and ready with that Senko," says Bernie:

1. When it is not windy, fish it weightless around reeds or weed mats. Once you know fish are there, slow down, stay in the area and fish slowly.

2. When the wind comes up, use 1/4 to 3/8 oz sinkers and pitch the Senkos to isolated reed stands, individual weed clumps and stand-alone cover which some fish will tend to use as feeding stations in the wind.

3. If it is very windy, move up accordingly in sinker size - up to 1 oz to get through thick weed mats where fish can be hunkered down below the mats in the wind.

The second is the 6.5-inch 3/8-oz Kahuna Kut Tail (7X-series). The hefty Kahuna is at its best in grass says Gary Yamamoto. Swim it weightless slowly over submerged weed tops or Carolina rig it behind a noodle-thin 1/8 to 1/4 oz Mojo sinker that slips through grass without fouling as badly as other sinker types.

Third, relatively unknown, yet deadly is the 4-inch 1/2-oz Fat Ika (92F-series). Aquatic vegetation in Florida is a two-sided sword, says trophy bass guide, Captain TJ Fagan of Vero Beach. Bass love it, but plants like water hyacinths whose roots hang 1-2 feet below the surface, the wind can pile them up so thick in spots that it is almost impossible to present a bait far back under there where the trophy bass lurk. A live shiner will swim under the canopy. The Fat Ika will swim back under there too, smiles TJ. If a floating canopy hangs out over fifteen feet of water, the Ika will glide an equal number of feet back under the canopy, reveals TJ. The trick is to rig it weightless with the skirt to front so that the tentacles face you. Pitch it at the weed edge or into any hole you can hit. Feed it slack line and it will glide away from you back under the weeds at a ratio of about 1 foot backward distance to 1 foot of depth.

The fourth Yamamoto soft bait and the one to use if there is surface-oriented feeding, says Bernie Schultz, is the 8-inch 1/2-oz grub (10-series). Swim it either weightless or use a small weight if there's some breeze. Buzz the big grub across the surface, and also swim it subsurface at a steady pace. Use it over peppergrass, eelgrass or across scattered reeds," says Bernie Schultz.

Team Yamamoto's Inside Line writer Paul Crawford from Orlando agrees wholeheartedly with Bernie. "You can pull a weightless 10-series grub along just under the surface similar to a spinnerbait in shallow weedy water. Retrieve the grub fast with your rod tip raised. You can add a 1/8 oz sinker to your rig just to keep it in the water, moving even faster. Fish just blast them. When the fish hits or you see the fish roll, stop reeling, drop the rod tip, and give a 3 count before setting the hook, then slam him hard. It can be more fun than the law allows," chuckles Paul Crawford.

That's four for Florida for 'ya.

Related Story
Florida Finesse Worms
By Paul Crawford

Paul tells you all about how to use our 8" worms in shallow, grass-choked waters in Florida - or anywhere for that matter!

There's little doubt. The plastic worm remains responsible for catching more bass in Florida than every other bait we have put together. A trip to any tackle retailer will show you walls full of worms of all colors, all sizes, all shapes. Why then would I get excited to tell you about yet another worm in addition to the hundreds already marketed here in sunny Florida? The answer is I'm not. You can try the tactics below with any worms you want. Just keep in mind I'm an old guy who's seen and used them all!

The Yamamoto worms were built to excel at the demanding finesse tactics that have become the mainstay of Western anglers in their crystal clear, large and relatively weedless impoundments. Using these Yamamoto worms in Florida’s gin clear water with its highly-pressured fish was a natural proving ground for a Southern introduction.

Most of the time, clear water out West calls for small baits like the 4” or 6” size, but in Florida (and many Eastern lakes), you have the endless vegetation to deal with. Small baits do catch big fish at times, but big baits like Yamamoto's largest 8" inch worm size are often easier for fish to find among the vegetation. These worms feature my favorite tail design for most of the year, the curl tail. When matched with a 3/16 oz sinker (give or take an 1/8 oz for depth and conditions) on a Texas Rig, the curl tail gets you unmatched action on the drop.

What's a juke? To get the best action in deeper vegetation, you need to use a big juke out of the weeds. I always reel down to about 10 o’clock and “feel” for a fish before making the juke by moving the worm just a touch. If you do it gently, then the fish will just feel the worm move naturally in its mouth and you’ll probably feel that familiar tap-tap-tap back at you in reply. If you don’t have one on already, pop the worm up out of the grass, with a quick, sharp juke. Watching it under water, the worm may jump up 3’ or 4’ over the weeds when fished deep. As soon as you’ve finished the jerk, drop the rod tip back to the 11 o’clock position to give some slack to the line. You want the weight to pull the worm almost vertically down. When done properly, that curl tail works like a shad trying to tow a ski boat as is falls. The 3/16 oz. sinker is light enough that it doesn’t necessarily smash all the way to the bottom, but may bury 3” to 5” into the tops of the weeds. Guess what that leaves waving in the weed tops?

Most of the bites seem to come on the fall. In heavy weeds like hydrilla fields or eel grass stands, I’ll keep the worm moving a lot, only letting it set for about 5 seconds. As the vegetation becomes sparse and spread out, I’ll give a long-distance fish a few more seconds to make the trip and might wait 15 or 20 seconds between jukes.

For shallow water flats like on Okeechobee, it’s time for me to switch to a very light Carolina rig. I rarely use over 1/4 oz. here, and that same 3/16 oz isn’t a bad choice. I’m looking for something light that comes through the weeds cleanly and will lie on top of the weed balls. A 24” leader below a small swivel with a 4/0 offset worm hook completes the rig. This is a pulling presentation instead of a juke. Again, I’m always after that tail action and swimming a foot or two over the bottom is the place to get it. A long rod helps as you just lightly pop the sinker off the bottom and use a slow rod sweep to swim the worm over the cover. Try to use about the same speed swimming horizontal that the worm will fall vertically on that 3/16 oz. Texas Rig. If you feel the tap, drop back the rod tip just a second then cross his eyes. Never be bashful with a Carolina Rig hook set.

The two colors you see here are some of my favorites. The black/red flake (051) is particularly good for fishing darker water, either tannic stained or especially for clear water at night. The 180's tail’s vibration will draw some hidden monsters out of the weeds for a look. The flakes give it a sparkle good enough for a nibble. The signature salt in Yamamoto’s lures will have him hanging on. The rest is up to you.

NOTE: Not responsible for dislocated shoulders and sprained wrists caused by big fish on over-tightened drags.

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