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10" Topwater Grub
By Russ Bassdozer
Jan. 29, 2002
The Bass Tubs of Oklahoma are expert instructors who do bass tank seminars at outdoor sports shows for Gary Yamamoto, educating hundreds of thousands of bass anglers on how best to use the world's finest Gary Yamamoto soft plastic baits. When not doing tank shows, these fellows are hot on the trail of any tournament they can find, big or small, in the Southeast.
If you can't make it to see a live Bass Tubs of Oklahoma show this winter? Well now! Just settle back in a cozy chair, and enjoy reading! We're proud to have five seminars for you here from the Bass Tubs of Oklahoma! We sure do appreciate everything the Bass Tub of Oklahoma guys do for us. I hope you will enjoy their live shows and online seminars on Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits.
 Instructor: BRIAN FRIZELL
Favorite Bait: 10" Grub in Black with Blue Tail
Favorite Lake: Lake R.C. Longmire, Pauls Valley, Oklahoma which is open 24 hours a day seven days a week for rod and reel fishing only with no water skiing or jet skiing allowed.
Welcome, Brian! How did you first start using Gary Yamamoto's baits and which is your favorite one of all?
Hi, Russ and Inside Line readers! Although a seasoned bass angler, I am a relative newcomer to Yamamoto baits, having just begun to use Gary Yamamoto baits the last couple of years as a result of the sensational Senko craze. Since then, I've tried a wide variety of Gary's products. As for which one is my favorite? That's easy to answer. It is the big 100 series 10" long grub!
What do you think your favorite Yamamoto bait imitates to a bass, Brian?
The places and ways that I fish it, I believe the 10" grub resembles a small water snake. I know a lot of people may question whether bass go after snakes as part of their diet. I believe bass do target them where water snakes are common. Plus, the ferocity with which bass hit this 10" grub the way I use it is just as if they are trying to kill a snake.
 Is there any particular time or season when you feel the 10" grub works better than at other times of the year, Brian?
Yes, I use it when the water is warmest between mid-June to mid-September. I only use it early in the morning, and only as a topwater in heavy grass and vegetation. A fellow in Florida showed me how to use this topwater tactic years ago with another brand of soft plastic plus a bullet weight. Once I started to use Gary's products, it wasn't too hard to put two and two together and see that the 10" grub (without any bullet weight) was the most perfect bait of all for the topwater tactic I had learned from this Florida fellow.
What kinds of applications or techniques do you use with your favorite Yamamoto bait?
I use it on top of grass and vegetation as a topwater application. Relative to other big topwater baits like buzzbaits, Zara Spooks, and poppers, the 10" grub is very subtle for a big topwater.
I cast the heavy 10" grub way past the grass bed, which is no problem without any added sinker or weight. Then I hold the rod tip up slightly higher than 45 degrees so that the 10" grub tail paddles gently on the surface with the grub body barely right on the surface - but not splashing on the surface, just rippling it. You have to master that retrieve. The proper tail movement is essential, which is why the Yamamoto grub is better than any other. I get really excited when I do this and the grub is coming along the top just right. I love this bait!
How do you retrieve your favorite bait, Brian?
I retrieve it over the tops of emergent vegetation of any kind, retrieving it as a topwater. You wouldn't think a 10" grub works as a topwater...it does! I have experimented with letting it drop into holes in the grass beds, but have not had as much success that way as simply retrieving it so it slithers over the vegetation topped out on the water's surface.
Brian, what would make you say, "I'm going to use a 10" grub now!"
Any time it is early morning between mid-June and mid-September, I am going to be throwing it in weed beds. It's a lot more fishable than any other big-bodied topwater which has treble hooks. About the only other thing you can throw around many weed and lily pad beds is a big buzzbait, but these fish see big buzzbaits every day. They've seen every walk-the-dog and popping bait in the world. What these pressured fish have not seen going over the weed tops yet is the subtle action on this 10" grub. I've fished the 10" grub behind a lot of good buzzbait anglers and picked up way more bass than them because the loud racket of a buzzbait wasn't what the bass wanted.
What depth of water do you use it in, Brian?
Using it in thick topped-out grass or any surface matted vegetation or pads is more important than the depth. However, I would say it is often 3 to 6 feet deep on average. The key is to have vegetation on the surface, the thicker the better, any kind of vegetation, even tall grass and reed beds coming out of the water.
What does not work for me is when there are thick grass beds, say one foot under the surface, where the grass has not yet reached the surface - submerged grass beds are not productive for me using the 10" grub as a topwater.
Please tell us some of your favorite colors for using the 10" grub on top, Brian.
That's an easy question because there is only one answer - the 520 black with blue tail makes those bass vicious.
What kind of rod, reel and line selection do you use?
I fish this bait on a Shimano Castaic reel spooled with 20 lb. test line. The rod I use is a 7' foot medium/heavy Fenwick HMX graphite rod. The long rod is important because keeping the tip high helps you hold the 10" grub right on top of the grass.
What is the bite like on your favorite bait, Brian?
What happens is there's just a big blow-up on top of the grass as you are reeling it along. Unlike a popper for example where you may expect the bass to hit when the popper pauses, there is no way to anticipate at what point a bass will blow up on the 10" grub.
When I do get a blow-up, I drop the rod tip all the way down, not to the water surface, but about waist level, say "one thousand and one'" then rear up and set the hook hard. You've got to do this because you're going to have a good fish on! I haven't caught little guys this way.
How do you put the hook in your favorite bait?
I use a large offset shank hook, such as an Owner 7/0 offset without any weight or sinker. I keep the point exposed because I want steel in their jaw when they bite. There is not any plastic covering the hook point, and I keep the point of the hook up on the same side that the grub tail is pointing up.
The hook that Gary's had Gamakatsu make exclusively for us and for the 10" grub and 7" 9X Senko is Gary Yamamoto's 6/0 series 64 Super Line hook, Brian.
Is there anything else about your favorite Yamamoto bait that you would like to share with our readers, Brian?
This is not the kind of bait for a guy who wants to go down a bank pulling a limit of 12 inchers out. It's for the guy who has a 20 lb. limit in mind. If that's what you want on an early hot summer morning, then get up and go crawling this big snake-like bait over the weedtops.
Thank you, Brian. I hope you've inspired many of our readers to try this big bait on top of grass!
You are welcome.
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