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Big Al and the Big Grub
By Jerry Puckett

May/June 1994

Some things just naturally go together: ball games and hot-dogs, little kids and puppies, and Big Al and Big Grubs. I'll never forget the day I dropped one of the prototype big grubs on the front deck of Al's Ranger. He was on it like a hen on a junebug. His immediate impression, "Man, this is a Bubba bait if I ever saw one. This, I like."

Sure enough, Big Al and the Big Grub were made for one another. And since that first moment, no amount of coercing on my part can convince him to call the bait anything but "Bubba". In fact, on stage recently, accepting the first place check and trophy at an ABA Team Tournament he was asked by the tournament director what bait he had used to secure the title. Robinson's reply, "We caught all our fish on a Yamamoto Bubba Bait." I can imagine those guys scratching their heads and trying to figure out what in tarnation he was talking about.

The first tournament Robinson fished using "Bubba" was last year's Vegas Open. He used the big grub to land the big fish of the contest which paid him cash plus a fully rigged Ranger boat. In that tournament he rigged the grub "Bacarrac" style and worked it soft jerkbait style. That presentation works but Robinson hasn't been content to leave it at that.

In addition to that shallow technique, Robinson has adapted all of his methods for the big bait. Here is Big Al's three-tiered approach in his words:

Shallow

After the Vegas Open I knew I was really on to something. During that tournament I was working shallow brush with a smoke-sparkle single-tail (19-10-135) rigged on a 5/0 Owner offset worm hook with a medium split-shot pinched on about a foot above the hook. I was casting right in the brush and twitching the grub like a Sluggo. The bad news was that in addition to the big bass of the tournament, I lost three other fish in the brush that would have won the whole show.

I was using plenty of line (Big Game 15 & 20) but I didn't have enough stick. Since then I've switched over exclusively to Yamamoto Grub Rods and I've found that a seven-foot number four action is absolutely perfect for what I'm doing. Now when they bite I have the rod power to turn them out of the bushes.

Another change I made was to get rid of the split-shot for the shallow work. Now, depending on the mood of the fish, I either twitch a grub like a jerkbait, swim it through the brush or just dead-stick the thing when I'm sight fishing. At times that dead-stick approach can be devastating. With no weight the grub makes a real soft entry as I cast it ahead of a sighted fish.

Curiosity seems to draw them in as the big grub flutters toward the bottom, but once they move up on it they just go down on it and eat it. This is where the Yamamoto attractant really comes in. If you're not using it you're goofing up. With the scent on the big salty grub I have total confidence that anything that bites gets stuck. Even when the breeze ripples the surface and I can't see the fish flare on the bait, I know that I have all the time I need – they aren't going to spit it out. I can just wait for the line to move, reel up the slack and bust 'em.

Even when jerking the grub or swimming it you don't want to be in too big a hurry to set up. Take the time to make sure that you've got the slack out and are in position to make a good pass on the fish and then let 'em have it. With the correct rod power, like a number four Yamamoto, and that big 5/0 hook you don't want to mess around once the fish is stuck. Get yourself into position, make a good pass, and then just put 'em in the boat.

Mid-Depth

Down to ten feet or so I'll go back to the split-shot rig, but not the finesse style. I'll crimp on a medium to large shot about a foot or two above the hook. For this rig I'm using a number three Grub Rod, twelve to fifteen-pound line, and working outside points and ledges that are relatively free of cover. If I need to work the grass or brush, I Texas-rig the grub with only a 1/8 or 3/16-ounce screw lock worm weight. As far as hooks are concerned I'll use the same 5/0 Owner straight shank worm hook when I Texas-rig with the screw lock.

Deep

The only change I make here is to put away the split-shot rig and go to a Carolina-rigged grub. I use the same bait and hook but go to a 1/2-ounce or larger worm weight above the Sampo swivel. I normally use about a two-foot leader. Anytime I can find deep brush, even down to 30 feet and deeper, I really like to use my mid-depth Texas-rig but go up to a 1/2-ounce screw lock. You bang that Bubba Grub around that deep brush line and the quality fish just can't seem to leave it alone.

One key to my team fishing success is that my partner, Danny Branscum, and I make it a point to check every deep breakline around any shallow cover that we may be working. The fastest way we've found to do that is to drag that big Carolina-rig through there at least once on every point. If we locate any brush on our electronics or by feel, we'll slow down and work it more thoroughly with the Texas-rig.

Well, there it is, Big Al's three-tiered approach for the "Bubba Baits" – top to bottom. After visiting with Big Al and fishing with him on more than one occasion, I can tell you he's a believer in this program. However, there were a few points that he went back to time after time. Here are his four success keys:

1. Clear water doesn't mean finesse fishing only. Give the big baits a try any time.

2. Make sure that your tackle is correctly balanced.

3. Use the scent.

4. Don't rush to hookset, trust the bait.

Big Al made a believer out of me, too. I guarantee you that I'm not going fishing without "Bubba".

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