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My Trip With Gary: One-Ton 101
By Ted Morton

The Professor was on time, the student was present and waiting to follow the Professor's every move. The classroom was the early summer clear water of Lake Powell. The demonstration platform was Professor Yamamoto's 19-ft. Champion, pushed by a 200 horsepower Yamaha. The 3 o'clock bell rang as everyone took their places and the Professor advanced the throttle, causing a rapid change in scenery. Just over an hour later, the class was called to order on the San Juan arm of the lake, specifically, the Great Bend area.

Professor Yamamoto dropped the 65-pound thrust trolling motor and moved the boat parallel to the shoreline, about 20 yards from the water's edge. He ranged the trolling motor's variable speed control between 25 and 50 percent. Pitching or casting underhanded with a rod of his design (a 7-ft. Yamamoto Grub Rod in action #4) paired with a Daiwa Procaster Model PT33H (7:1 retrieve) loaded with 15-pound test line, Yamamoto methodically worked down the bank.

Tied to the Professor's line was his famous Owner hooked, one-ounce football-headed, five-inch single-tail grubs paired with his exclusive double skirt. The grub of the day was a smoke sparkle (135) with a clear sparkle skirt (031). As he moved the boat steadily along, Professor Yamamoto began to cast to within five feet of the bank and at a 45-degree angle to the shoreline. From where the grub entered the water, factoring in the speed of the boat, he just had time for about three good pumps of the rod before the lure was under the boat at a depth of about 30 feet. In that short time the bait covered almost everything from the surface down to 30 feet. Of course, this depends on the shoreline itself and the speed of the boat. This retrieve speed sounds rather fast but the lure was in constant contact with the slope of the bottom as it banged its way toward 30 feet.

I quizzed the Professor about lighter heads versus heavy heads with respect to getting hung up. He simply replied, "You're going to get hung up regardless. Personally, I feel like the heavier head works itself free better than the lighter head." I asked if there was any concern on his part that a lighter head would be in the strike zone a tad longer. He replied, "The fish that bite this lure are in an aggressive mode and will literally follow the bait until intercepted, particularly if you're using the Yamamoto scent."

There were four parts to his "one-ton" method that the Professor continued to return to, stressing each one (I was pretty sure all four would appear on the final exam.).

One, always use Yamamoto scent. Two, use a tackle combo comparable to his #4 Grub Rod with a 7:1 retrieve reel. Three, allow the fish to "eat" the bait before setting the hook - there is no hurry. Four, if you get bit and lose the fish, let the grub settle back to the bottom before beginning the retrieve again (chances are that the fish will be there).

I made an effort to firmly memorize each point; this was one course that I wanted to ace. Just a passing grade wasn't good enough. After a brief equipment check and an explanation of what he was looking for (shoreline-wise), the final exam began. It was to be a grueling hour and a half in duration, non-stop. The Professor could have made it real tough on the student, but his patience and his eagerness to teach the method paid off.

The Professor was a magician with that one-ton. I had never seen anyone cast in a more precise manner, thoroughly covering every foot of ledge and slope without ever once letting off on the trolling motor. I'm telling you that if you're not using this method, you're leaving a lot of fish under the boat. I think the difference is easily a 100% improvement in catch rate per hour.

In that hour and a half, Professor Yamamoto and his student proceeded to boat and release 38 bass ranging in size from one to three pounds, both largemouth and smallmouth. Every fish came on the one-ton jig and we never changed colors. Smoke sparkle (18-20-135) grub and clear sparkle (11-20-031) double skirt were the trick.

With the exam complete, we proceeded back to Wahweap Marina as the sun fell behind the vertical cliffs of the San Juan Arm. The ride was smooth and peaceful but there was no opportunity to talk to the Professor.

Grades weren't handed out and I never did find out what I scored on the final; but I will tell you that what I learned has improved my tournament catch ratio ten-fold. I am now a firm believer in the "one-ton". I'll always have a couple of extras if you happen to bump into me and want to give it a try. Or, better yet, next tournament, introduce yourself to one the guys on the Yamamoto Pro Staff and let them demonstrate the "one-ton".

I'm sorry you didn't have the opportunity to attend the class when I did. But keep your eyes open, opportunities like this don't come by very often. You don't want to miss a chance. Thanks, Gary.

Ed. Note - I had the opportunity to get my old friend Ted Morton together with Gary for an afternoon outing. When I learned Gary had turned Insider Morton onto the "one-ton" I suggested that he write an article about the experience. Like Professor Yamamoto, the scenery also changes quickly when Morton advances the throttle in his office, a fan-jet powered corporate jet that he flies for Giant Industries, Inc.

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