Finessing With Power
Mar. 18, 2008
On a recent cold, windy February day when even the most die-hard anglers would prefer staying indoors, one veteran pro decided that conditions were perfect to test a concept he’d been turning over in his mind for months.
Yes, it was Gary Yamamoto. Yes, he went fishing. And yes, he was absolutely dead-on with his hunch, if the sack full of four-pounders he caught was any indication. His concept, which he loosely describes as finessing with power, is not all that new to veteran bass hunters. Now, however, it’s just a lot easier to achieve with the introduction of Yamamoto’s new Swimming Jighead.
In its basic form, Gary’s technique utilizes the 1/16-ounce Swimming Jighead in a 4/0 hook size with either the 6½” Kut-Tail or the 6” Senko. He matches this with 10-pound Power Pro braided line and a 12-pound fluorocarbon leader on an open face spinning reel and his new 7’ medium-heavy spinning rod.
“The key is lure presentation,” explains Gary, “because this technique is designed for those occasions when bass are less active and not really chasing lures. This is when many anglers down-size their lures and lines to make what we have been calling a finesse presentation. My feeling is that even when they’re not chasing lures actively, they’re still looking at lures and they’re still feeding. Bigger bass will still hit larger lures, and when they do, you’re going to need the right equipment to get them into the boat.”
That’s the reason for choosing the 1/16-ounce Swimming Jighead. It falls very slowly and naturally. With the 4/0 hook size, it’s also big enough to handle a big bass, and the braided line and stronger rod action take care of the rest.
“Bass don’t want a lot of water movement and commotion when they’re in this condition, such as during cold weather or really, any type of fast-changing conditions,” Gary points out. “That’s why a slow falling lure that immediately gives a natural appearance is important. Depending on the depth of water I’m fishing, I’ll stay with the 1/16-ounce head as deep as 10 feet before changing to the 1/8-ounce head. Even as light as 1/8-ounce is, there is a huge difference in how a lure falls with it.
“The lighter weight lets me work the lure over grass or moss, and because I’m using a larger lure and spinning tackle, I don’t have any problems casting, either. After my lure falls to the bottom, I just swim it slowly. I think the real key is using a rise-and-fall action with my rod tip. Raising my rod makes the lure swim upward slowly, and when I lower my rod the lure changes its direction and its action entirely as it swims back down.”
“I’m convinced this type of change is what triggers the strikes.”
It’s also the reason hard baits don’t catch bass nearly as effectively during these conditions. Most have to be retrieved too quickly to have any action, which limits you to purely reaction strikes. Not all soft plastics work, either. The best ones are those that have their own natural actions, even when retrieved slowly.
Hook-setting under these conditions is important, too, Gary emphasizes. Don’t try your standard straight-up power set that works with baitcasting rods. Instead, let the bass have the lure and just simply sweep your rod to one side while you reel. You don’t have to do it fast, just steadily, because the bass has the lure and you don’t want to jerk it away.
“With braided line you can handle the larger bass as well as brush and other cover,” continues Gary, “and if you want to go heavier than 10-pound braid, you certainly can, without really altering this technique.
“I do recommend some type of braided line, however, because it sinks and thus lets your lure sink more naturally, and also because it has practically no stretch. Braided lines have come a long way in recent years, just as fluorocarbon lines have. I use a white braided line because I cans see it easily, and I tie on a fluorocarbon leader so the fish don’t see the line.”
So why not use a smaller lure? After all, smaller lures nearly always get more bites, especially under these conditions.
“Smaller lures generally do get more bites when fishing is tough,” Gary readily acknowledges, “but most of those bites are from smaller fish. I think most bass fishermen prefer to catch larger fish, and you can do that with a larger lure. With this technique you’re still making a finesse presentation but you have power behind it.”
Gary has already proven to himself this presentation produces good catches under a variety of conditions. Obvious choices are during spring and fall when weather cold fronts quickly change water temperatures, but it works well wherever you find yourself fishing in heavily-pressured water, when the water level is falling rapidly, and when the water is off-colored or even muddy.
Video: Gary describes the shakey head concept that led to the creation of his swimming jighead.