| It is definitely a hard decision choosing the best all | | | | possible. |
| around bait of this past season. In my decision I | | | | When confronted with cold fronts I worked it slowly to |
| considered key factors such as versatility, weather, | | | | get my Bass. I found that fronts or weather changes |
| longevity and performance to name a few. I had to | | | | prompted me to work the 6" grub by dunking it into |
| choose a bait that brings confidence to the table as | | | | any pocket found in good thick weed flats of 5 to 8 |
| well as many other perimeters. After careful | | | | feet of water. When Mother Nature brought her |
| consideration and on the water experimenting, I think | | | | inconsistencies to the Bass I found them in flats like this |
| the best bait of the '07 season is the 6" grub by | | | | because it made a perfect protective blanket for both |
| Yamamoto. Yes.....a grub! Hey, don't knock it! It was | | | | the Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. This is also |
| responsible for the biggest Bass of the season, not to | | | | where the 6" grub shined. Dunking it into pockets, giving |
| mention the most fun to work with in any type of | | | | it just enough weight to get through the weed growth |
| structure you can imagine. | | | | to bottom, was all it took to get them. The trick here |
| Yamamotos 6" grub is slightly lighter than its 8" cousin. | | | | was to work the cover thoroughly, and with |
| This makes it ideal for skipping it under docks | | | | perseverance I was rewarded. |
| weightless. Rigged Texas with an Owner 30 wide gap | | | | The salt impregnated into the Yamamoto grubs is |
| rigging hook and a 18th screw-in bullet weight made it a | | | | perfectly measured to give it that excellent buoyancy |
| good lethal weapon for this past year. I was pitching it | | | | for its slow free fall to bottom. It is a good porous |
| in weed pockets, along weed edges giving it plenty of | | | | product which makes it a good candidate for holding |
| line to fall hypnotically to the bottom. Casting it out into | | | | scented liquids in helping the longevity of its effect. |
| boulder infested or weeded shallow flats and working | | | | Its tail is its strong point. The tail of the Yamamoto grub |
| it slowly by causing a debris cloud sure fooled the | | | | family is thinner and wider than most and in the water |
| Smallmouth. | | | | it performs gracefully giving the Bass plenty of notice |
| Off shore shoals proved to be one of the 6" grubs | | | | as to its whereabouts! Its body too helps give the |
| forte. Especially when weeds were in the mix with | | | | Bass authenticity in order to hold on longer for the |
| depths of 10 to 12 feet of water. In many instances the | | | | hook set. |
| grub would not even have a chance to reach bottom. | | | | The year 2008 brings great challenges ahead. There |
| The Smallmouth would gobble them up in a hurry! | | | | are new baits coming out every year making it more |
| When it did reach the bottom I gave it a few jerks | | | | and more difficult deciding which ones will be elected |
| with the rod tip to give it some life, but not without that | | | | for the coming season. But I am up for the challenge |
| all important time to sit before hand. Dead sticking it for | | | | of working them to no end to bring the readers the |
| that few crucial seconds before the jerk was all it took | | | | results of my in the field experimenting! So let this |
| when the Smallmouth were in the vicinity. That is why | | | | 'tackle test dummy', me, work for you! It is great fun |
| it is also important to cover every nook and cranny of | | | | bringing it to you and hopefully it helps bring memorable |
| all structure to get it as close to the finicky Bass as | | | | moments to your outings as it does to mine! |