Story by Russ Bassdozer
Back in the pioneer days, "Eureka!" is what gold prospectors of the Old West would shout whenever they panned a little nugget out of a sandy river bed.
Hitting paydirt with the 3" Ika (92-series) is also worth shouting about.
The 3" Ika (left) is the original size, shown alongside the 5" Big Ika (center) and 4" Fat Ika (right).
The Ika's squid-like body (ika means squid in Japanese) is strong and solid, with long, perfect tentacles that wriggle at any retrieve speed and flare alluringly at rest. Couple that quivering tail action with the dense, salt-laden grub body that has made Yamamoto baits world famous - and get ready for incredible action.
What It's Not...
One thing to understand first is that the Ika is not a tube bait.
The Ika has a solid, salt-impregnated grub body. The tentacle tendrils are individually injection molded rather than the shredded tails that are common on tube baits. Yamamoto's injection molding process has inherently higher production quality control than your typical tube shredding process (many tube bait tails actually aren't cut all that neatly). The Ika tails are better-formed and of more uniform quality than tube bait tails. This results in the Ika tentacles being more fluid and life-like in the water. Also, the Ika body narrows a bit at the waist and then flares a bit at the hips. This gives more flounce and flicker to the skirt flashing in the water. You can count on Gary Yamamoto to always give his baits that final touch of perfection that sets them apart from the rest!
That's why I say, the Ika is no tube bait. So don't think of it or try to fish one as if a tube bait. This is our first and most important point in discovering how to strike gold with Gary's Ika.
On a Ball Head Jig
The Ika on a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce ball jig head is the classic set-up for light-line fishing (6-10 lb. test). Either vertically jig it under the boat in deep, clear water - or horizontally swim the Ika barely above long expanses of shallow bottom. In both cases (vertical jigging and horizontal swimming), the Ika skirt is flared at the waist which makes the tentacles flutter and pulse like a living critter.
Expect a high percentage of strikes on a jig as it sinks on a semi-tight line fall or whenever you pause the retrieve temporarily for whatever reason... Bam! There he is!
Another high percentage strike point with a jig is as soon as it alights on the bottom... Slam! You've got one!
Also, the moment it disengages from making contact with any kind of clutchy obstacle... Wham! Fish on!
On snag-free mud, muck, or sandy silt bottoms, simply drag it! When dragged, the ball head buries under the sediment, sending up a silt trail. Bass are drawn to this mud trail out of natural curiosity and then, when they catch a glimpse of those tail filaments waggling like a craw digging into the bottom, they just jump it!
Yamamoto's Round Head jig in 1/8 (shown rigged), 3/16 and 1/4. All have 3/0 Owner hooks.
In terms of jig size, for shallow water less than 10 feet deep, I opt for the 1/8 oz size. For deep water, over 20 feet deep, I tend to use 1/4 oz. For water between 10 to 20 feet deep, especially if it is a mixed area having both shallow shoals mixed with deep drop-offs, channels and sharp cuts, I go with the 3/16 oz as the best all-around size for mixed shallow and deep water situations.
Gamakatsu Round Head in 1/4 (2/0) on left and 3/16 (3/0) on right.
Gamakatsu also offers a good all-around jig head - the Gamakatsu "Round 26" ball head. It features two conical keeper rings to prevent the bait from sliding off, and comes in 3/16 and 1/4 oz sizes with your preference of either 2/0 or 3/0 hooks. These are perfect for the 3" Ika.
Finesse Flipping
A small lure flipped in thick cover? It's something that bass rarely see, but "finesse flipping" the 3-inch Ika into nasty cover is just too much fun!
Pegged with 1/4 oz Tungsten sinker and 1/0 Owner Twistlock Light hook.
The caveat here is you need to use a small size hook, since only a small hook will fit with the Ika's short body. So this is not a heavy tackle deal. Still, you may use a medium/heavy rod, either spinning or baitcasting with anywhere from 10 to 20 lb braid and an abrasion-resistant fluorocarbon leader (such as Yamamoto Sugoi fluoro) from 10 to 16 lb test. The heavier line may be needed for abrasion-resistance around line-cutting cover, keeping in mind you cannot pull too hard or you'll risk bending the small size hook. In strictly weedy situations, you may tie direct to braid. In woody or rocky situations, a fluoro leader often proves better than straight braid. Braid cuts quickly on sharp-edged rocks and braid saws into and embeds in soggy wood. So a fluoro leader helps in rocks or wood.
Pegged with 1/4 oz Tungsten sinker and #1 Gamakatsu EWG (Extra Wide Gap) hook.
A bullet sinker anywhere from 1/8 to 3/8 oz is ideal. Since Tungsten is more dense and more compact, I tend to use Tungsten sinkers to match the small size of a Tungsten sinker with the small size of a 3" Ika.
Thread a rubber stopper on your line first before adding the sinker or the hook. Then snug the rubber stopper down to about one inch above the sinker's nose (as shown in photos above). This inch of play allows more freedom of movement for the bait in brushy and rocky situations. In very weedy conditions, you may want to slide the rubber stopper all the way against the sinker's nose, effectively making the bait and sinker a single, contiguous unit in order to maximize weedlessness to the fullest.
An advantage of the Ika in heavy cover is that the Ika has a soft, salt-laden grub body, but it does not have the fragile curly tail of a grub. The Ika tentacles do not get torn off by rough cover as will, for instance, twister tails or claw appendages that often get torn off other lures. So the 3" Ika really is a robust, sturdy little flipping bait for a compact presentation that bass rarely see in thick cover.
I hope you were able to pick up an Ika tip or two that may pan out for you here. And don't forget to gleefully shout "Eureka" every time you discover a gold-flanked bass has snatched your Ika!
| Top Five Colors ~ 3" Ika |
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