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Yamamoto's Delay-Set Magic
By Jerry Puckett

March/April 1997

Early a.m. in the winter will likely find Gary Yamamoto working the prime time pattern in one of his Baccarac honey holes. During last year's drought conditions it was necessary to fight your way through the exposed forests of previously flooded trees and bushy habitat to get the fish. Longer casts were impossible and it was a matter of  pitchin' right to the base of a tree trunk in shallow water in order to produce the quality bites. Due to the density of the cover the fish weren't particularly spooky and it was possible to approach to near flippin' range in the lightly stained water. With this year's higher water levels Gary was able to operate over the cover in most cases, but due to that same cover density it was nearly a mission impossible situation to get the double digit fish out of the cover and into more open water.  Short lining a ten or twelve  pounder in heavy brush is a form of insanity.  Those Baccarac fish are fat, strong and instantly ballistic when stuck.

Seeking a solution, Yamamoto pushed the limits as to how long the big bass would actually hang on to the bait.  His entire concept on managing these fish is easy to buy in on but nearly impossible to put into practice for a first-timer. Catch a couple of hundred bass ten pounds and over and you tend to get smooth.  Unfortunately, for most of us, one bite over ten pounds and we go more ballistic than the fish.  But the fact remains that Yamamoto's delay set program puts the fish in the boat, time after time.

Slow Down

I think we've all heard the advice to slow down until we're sick of it. Deep down our worst fear is that our fish will drop the bait if we don't act and act right now. But in this case we're not pitchin' a jig, we're using one of our big grubs that the fish will not spit. It's a matter of trust. The size, profile and presentation of the big bait will generate a bite but it is the deadly combination of texture and taste (salt and scent) that all but guarantee that the fish will simply eat the bait.  With this fact in mind we are relieved of the need to speed.  We can confidently wait until the position of the fish is advantageous, more or less stack the deck in our favor for a change.

How They Bite

Let's remind ourselves what we're fishing for - Big Florida Strain Bass. These aren't nibblers, tentative tasters or tail bitters.  They are eaters, plain and simple. The size and profile of the big grubs spell food; food that satisfies their need for big meals. And, because of the relative slender nature of the bait it represents food that can be safely eaten.  No hazardous dorsal spines on a deep bodied bluegill type bait.  They overtake the bait and by flaring their gills they put the super-suck on it...the whole thing.

Regardless of what you may think you feel, the bait is in their face, all of it.  Next, in a matter of split seconds the fish will decide, based on texture and taste, whether the bait is (a) good, or (b) bad. If the answer is (b), the fish will expel the offering instantly, leaving you stomping your little foot and pouting. If, on the other hand, the bait is judged to be good the fish will begin working its crushers, chewing and tasting the bait deep in its gullet.  Of course, with the Yamamoto grub they are enjoying the amino-acid based scent and the salty taste, yum yum!

The Deadly Set

When Yamamoto feels the tick or bump or whatever you call it he knows, based on experience, that the fish is chewing the bubble gum and is not about to spit it out.  Now comes the hard part. If the cover is reasonably open he reels down until the rod tip is loaded and waits.  INSANITY! When the heavy throb-throb occurs he knows that the fish has turned and is head-shaking against the pressure.

That is what Yamamoto has been waiting for.  The bait is deep in the gullet of the fish and it has turned to the side, no longer head-on.  Now with a smooth but authoritative sweep to the side Yamamoto lets the heavy action rod and low-stretch Sugoi line impart the power to the wide-gapped strong Owner worm hook. Result? A big, mad bass that is seriously perforated within a few degrees of either side of the  eyes that is headed out of the brush and now toward the boat.

If the fish picked up the bait in the midst of heavy cover, the last thing Gary wants to do is enrage the fish in the midst of the tackle defeating brush.  Now this is really insane, but what he does is tighten the line by reeling smoothly just like before but he continues to reel as he pulls or "leads" the fish out of the brush. All of the while the fish is chewing the bait and refusing to give it up but Yamamoto just pulls a tiny bit harder than the fish until the fish is free of the cover and headed toward more open water. At that point a smooth sweep, the big hook bites and the fish is headed for the scales and a Kodak moment.

Simple and really scary the first couple of times you try it, but unbelievably effective. The key to delay set is the fact that you determine when the hookset is to be made, so that with the odds in your favor you are as much as guaranteed a level playing field and every advantage in landing the fish.

Balancing Your Tackle

Gary's big fish rig consists of a 7 foot Mod VI rod and a stout Shimano reel spooled with 30# test Sugoi Line.  The heavy rod and ultra low stretch Sugoi Line (30# test with 20# diameter) combine to provide him the power he depends on to make the big Owner hook "bite". For this form of power fishing Yamamoto prefers the straight shank strong wide-gap hook over any other style.  If course it's a 5/0.

If your tackle is not up to the slug-it-out style that Gary prefers for the biggest fish in the heaviest of covers, he suggests you choose the Sugoi-style hook. By no means a weaker hook, the 5/0 Sugoi is by design intended to slide inside the mouth of the fish until it contacts the bony section aft of the jaw hinge.  This set-up is far better for most fishermen under most conditions and provides a sure-hooking system when employing a rod of a lower power rating than a Mod VI. As an example a Mod IV Grub Rod is just about perfect for this duty.

Regardless of your choice of rigs or your choice of lakes (or countries), when your intended quarry is a jumbo-sized Florida bass, your best bet will be one of the Yamamoto "Big Grubs". The profile and size of the bait will generate the bite you're hoping for, and the texture and taste of the bait will assure that the fish hangs on. But from that point on, your chances for successfully landing the big fish will depend heavily on your ability to control your emotions and execute your plan of trust, patience and proper rigging.

Just as the old saying goes, the early bird gets the worm but it may not have a ten pounder pinned to it. Use a little "delay" to stack the odds in your favor.

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