YAMAMOTO
r By ig Ma g rc i M n ar g ca ® n t to h ni e o newest
Fall 2023
BAITS
page
14
E
very year lure manufacturers introduce new
bait styles. Often the lures are developed in
response to trends fished by professional anglers as new techniques get discovered. Sometimes
they are in response to new technologies such as
Forward-Facing Sonar. This year we see there are
multiple new offerings by Yamamoto, and I look at some
of the optimum rigging techniques to expand an angler’s
arsenal of weapons and put more bass in the boat.
TWO WAYS TO 5” FAT SENKO
While there are many versions of the original Senko, we finally have a five-inch Fat Senko. This overweight version of the original is the same length and utilizes the same soft plastic heavy with salt. The diameter is 20 percent fatter than the original. The extra weight allows it to cast better and further, sink faster, and the added bulk shows better on Forward Facing Sonar so you can hunt bass more efficiently. Big bass love big lures, and this bait produces the hawgs that aren’t interested in smaller meals.
Like the original, the Fat Senko will do well using two rigging methods. To focus on bass striking dropping lures, rig the Fat Senko weightless with an O-ring in the center to wacky-rig it. In open water my hook choice is a #1 or #2 Gamakatsu Stinger Hook, or a #2 G-Finesse Weedless Stinger when fishing around weeds and other cover.
If a faster fall is desired, I add a nail weight to the blunt end to make it a Neko rig.
To cover more water using a horizontal approach, Texas-rig the five-inch Senko. My hook of choice is a Gamakatsu 4/0 G-Lock hook. Because the body is thicker, you need a wide gap without having a long shank. The G-Lock style hook is shorter than other EWG’s and has a wide gap to handle the extra plastic bulk. It also hooks bass more quickly than an EWG because the hook point is raised above the hook eye yet is angled in-line with the eye for deeper penetration with less effort. Rigged Texas-style produces the famous wiggle the Senko is known for when falling and is effective when retrieving along the bottom to cover water after the drop.
The new five-inch Fat Senko comes in 16 of the proven Senko colors.
C-RIG AND MORE FOR THE 2.5” YAMATANUKI
Recently the 3.5” Yamatanuki appeared on the USA scene after proving itself in Japan to be deadly on bass. Already popular and racking up big bags of largemouth bass, it was only a matter of time for Yamamoto to make a smaller version. The smaller 2.5-inch size is ideal for smallmouth bass and spotted bass, not to exclude largemouth that want an easy meal with a small profile. It’s salt-heavy soft plastic and compact shape is unlike any other offering and is a shape bass cannot resist.