Gary Yamamoto
Introduces Complete
‘Swimming Jighead System’
Feb. 6, 2008
Of all the lures in an angler’s arsenal, few have changed less over the years than the common leadhead jig. After all, what’s there to change in a lure that basically consists of just a hook and weighted leadhead?
Plenty, according to Gary Yamamoto, who spent more than a year designing, testing, and then re-designing the new Yamamoto Swimming Jighead. His simple yet well thought-out design changes have resulted in a jighead that’s far more versatile and effective than any of its predecessors, which in turn makes it more fun to use.
“I just did not think jigheads had changed that much in many years,” Gary explains, “so, because I fish soft plastics and since I’m a tinkerer and am always trying to improve my fish-catching percentages, I started looking seriously at how I could make a jighead better.
The two most obvious changes in the Swimming Jighead are the position/angle of the line-tie eye, and the length of the hook shaft. The line-tie eye is perfectly in line with the bend and point of the hook, and comes out of the top of the round ball head, rather than at a 90 degree angle, as on most jigheads; and the hook shaft is longer than normal for a jighead of this type.
“My line-tie design keeps the line, the jighead, the hook, and the lure all in a straight line,” Gary continues, “so there is a definite improvement in hook-setting. With a line-tie eye set at a 90 degree angle as on most leadheads, the hook pivots when you set and it misses. Even if the entire jighead and lure are engulfed in a fish’s mouth, you can still miss a hookup because the line-tie eye hits the roof of the mouth and stops.
“Putting the line-tie eye on the top of the jighead also provides a more efficient vertical presentation because everything is in a straight line,” Gary continues. “It simply doesn’t get snagged nearly as often.”
The longer hook shank changes the entire concept of jighead fishing in that it allows for plastic grubs, Senkos, and other baits to be rigged Texas style, with the barb imbedded to make it weedless.
“This way, you can still use the Swimming Jighead for shaky head fishing, which is usually done in open water, but you can also crawl and hop your lure on the bottom like a regular Texas rig, and you can jig your bait into bushes, flooded timber, and other cover off the bottom because it is weedless.”
To increase the Swimming Jighead’s versatility even more, Gary designed the jighead in five weights – 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, ¼, and 5/16-oz. – each available in four hook sizes – 2/0 to 5/0.
“I personally use the 3/16-oz. weight most often,” he says, “but the different weight choices allow you to fish shallow or deep water, and the different hook sizes provide more choices for different lures, depending on what the bass may be biting that day. In all, you have 20 different jighead choices.”
Gary’s Swimming Jighead System also includes spinning rods and the use of braided line. His new 7-foot spinning rod is ideally suited for this type of fishing – more than half his fishing today is with spinning equipment – and by using either eight or 10-pound braided line he adds sensitivity, strength, and a fast-sinking capability to each cast he makes. To reduce visibility he ties a three to four-foot length of eight-pound fluorocarbon leader to the braid.
The overall result is indeed a system of fishing that can be effective in any lake at any time of year. You can adjust your presentation to suit depth and cover conditions, and expect to catch numbers of fish as well as heavier bass when you work in cover.
To accommodate the longer hook shaft of the Swimming Jighead, Yamamoto has modified existing product to create new products. The five inch Double Tail Grub (16), for example, has an extended and slimmer body (16L), and the 9M Slim Senko has been modified to create the new Slim Senko (9P) which has a thicker head and more tapered tail.
“For the past several years, shaky head fishing has been extremely popular,” concludes Gary, “but it has its limitations. With the Swimming Jighead, you can use the shaky head presentation, then change immediately to a Texas rig on the bottom, or try vertical jigging in cover, without changing your rod, your line, or your lure.”