®
Winter 2021
YAMAMOTO BAITS
f B is A hing N 2 K O2O $ w 8 it 0 h K Tai Au
By Jody Only
Photos courtesy of Tai Au
T
he fish-catching power of Gary Yamamoto
Custom Baits is no secret to anglers and Tai Au
of Glendale, Ariz. highlighted that using the local Arizona-based plastics as the basis of his fishing arsenal
through the 2020 season, winning not one, but two, FLW
Western Division trophies, securing a top-10 in a third,
claiming the circuit’s Angler of the Year (AOY) honor, as well
as earning team event victories with partner Daniel Elias
in Wild West Bass Trail and Bass Junkies circuits. An awe-
striking feat that banked approximately $80 grand for Au this
year.
Here, in his own words, he
broke down how Yamamoto
Baits put bass in the box, all
year, all fisheries.
To be honest, when I think
about Yamamoto baits, I don’t
think I would’ve been able to
win $80K without it. No, I take
that back… Hell NO, there is
no way I would’ve been able
to win that amount of money
without Yamamoto!
My money (Yamamoto)
baits for the season were a
five-inch Senko and a Zako
fished on a Jack Hammer.
HAVASU – 1 st PLACE FLW WESTERN DIVISION
The most important baits I fished at Havasu were a Senko attached to an Evergreen Jack Hammer and a Neko-rigged Senko.
The first day, a lot of my fish were caught sight fishing and I caught a key fish – a seven-pounder – on that Zako and a white Jack Hammer. My first big fish on Day two was five- pounder on a wacky-rig Senko.
JACK HAMMER / ZAKO SETUP
• 1/2-ounce, Evergreen Jack Hammer/ Zako
• 7’4” Fitzgerald Bryan Thrift Series heavy crankin rod
with a 6.3:1 gear ratio reel
• Yamamoto Sugoi fluorocarbon 20-pound – straight
20
Ninety percent of the
time I use a 1/2-ounce Jack
2020 Hardware Hammer. The only time I go
lighter is on the Delta, at low
tide, if I am fishing the trough
between the grass lines and
the rocks. I go lighter for that
because sometimes when
you throw it in there and the
water is low, and the 1/2
ounce gets down into the
rocks a little too much.
NEKO-RIGGED SENKO SETUP • Five-inch Senko/ Daiwa Neko Fat • 3/32 Nail Weight Eco Pro Tungsten • Size 1 Decoy Worm20 Hook • Yamamoto Sugoi Fluorocarbon 8-pound to 12-pound braid • 7’ Fitzgerald Stunner Series medium-heavy spinning rod
page
11