Gary Yamamoto Speaks
Spinning Rods
May 29, 2008
It's been about a year since we first wrote the book on spinning rods. It's about 80-100 pages long. You can read it at:
Yet the story has not ended there. It's only beginning as Gary Yamamoto continues to rewrite and redefine what it means to fish for bass with spinning rods - with braided line.
Braided line has been around a while. Some savvy anglers have used braid on spinning for many years.
For most anglers, however, it is new - and braided line on spinning is different than using mono or fluoro. It takes some getting used to, a little easing into it and some time to appreciate the subtle differences.
Gary Yamamoto is one of the leading pioneers among the top pros today who are transitioning to spinning rods with braided line.
Yamamoto's unique in that he's not only learning these new techniques of the top pros, but he also takes an interest in teaching us, and he takes an interest in producing the very lures, rods, line and other necessary accessories for us.
Yamamoto has produced three spinning rods for braided line. They are medium light, medium and medium heavy rods. They've withstood the test of time, and it is fair to say there are no better-balanced or fitting rods for braided line on the market today.
I got together by phone with Yamamoto yesterday, and here's what Gary had to say about how he's been evolving his use of these spinning rods since we last wrote the book together, about one year ago.
Medium Light Rod Model
"Within the past year, I find I am going to the Medium Light rod model the most - and for the broadest range of applications," says Gary Yamamoto.
"I still recommend that an angler start out with the Medium model, but over time as you get more experience and skill in using braided line on these spinning rods, you will reach the point where the Medium Light rod becomes the model you use most often," explains Gary.
This is a natural learning curve, moving from the Medium to the Medium Light rod model. At the start, it's instinctive to rely on the Medium rod for the power and stiffness it provides within the system. This is the traditional role that a rod still serves when used with monofilament and with fluorocarbon line. With braid, however, the line serves as the power and stiffness within the system, not the rod. That takes a little time getting used to.
When an angler reaches the necessary level of experience and understanding to rely on the braided line for power and stiffness (instead of the rod), that's the turning point when you'll naturally start reaching for the Medium Light rod more often than the Medium rod model.
The Power of 10 lb PowerPro
"I use primarily 10 lb test PowerPro with the Medium Light as well as the Medium rod model. I go to 8 lb PowerPro at times with the Medium Light rod if the application is best served with 8 lb test. Most times though, I use 10 lb braid. You can handle almost anything on10 lb braid," Yamamoto says emphatically.
If you're not used to using light braided line on spinning rods, it's going to take a gradual learning phase before you are comfortable with it. In a short time, you too will realize what Yamamoto is teaching us here is true - that 10 lb PowerPro can handle most any situation.
However, to work up (or down) to that point, if you've never tried braid on spinning gear, it may be best to get oriented with a spool of 20 lb test first. This has the diameter of 8 lb mono, and is as close as braid is ever going to be to mono. You can consider 20 lb braid your point of departure. You work down from there.
Once you've gained a handle on the differences between braid and fluoro, become familiar with how braid behaves on the spool, on a cast, how to manage it, then it will prove time to graduate down to 15 lb test braid, which has the diameter of 4 lb mono. Most bass anglers have never used 4 pound mono, and the softness of 15 pound braid at this small diameter is something totally unfamiliar and uncomfortable. With 15 lb braid, you'll need to totally re-learn how to fish with spinning tackle. Although 15 lb braid is incredibly strong, you will harbor a nagging doubt that such thin line can hold up. Yes it is 15 lb test - but it is as thin as 4 lb test. It's not what a bass angler is familiar with or trusting of.
Still, 15 lb braid is only a temporary step in getting down to ten pound test braid - with the diameter of 2 lb test mono! It will take some getting used to relying on such thin line. However 10 pound braid as thin as it is, has an element of power and strength you simply can't get with 10 lb mono or fluoro. Braid is called superline for good reason. Ten pound braid can do a lot more than 10 pound mono or fluoro. Learning to trust braid is what takes time.
"You'll reach the point of trust and confidence where the Medium Light rod with 10 lb braid is your preferred set-up for most situations," says Yamamoto. "Most anglers won't start there, but it's where they'll end up."
Transitioning from Green to White to Hi-Vis Yellow Line
One thing Gary Yamamoto has done within the past year is to evolve from using moss green to bright white braid.
"Reason is the visibility of the white line," says Gary. "At such a thin diameter, 10 lb green PowerPro proved too tough to see, and if you can't see your line, you are missing a lot of bites that may only be detected by line-watching. So I switched from green to the bright white line - for visibility."
"Indeed the use of white PowerPro is so out of the ordinary that white line is not available just anywhere. Most places only carry the green," says Yamamoto.
Again, this is another departure from what most anglers have always been comfortable with. After all, line is supposed to be invisible. It's supposed to blend in and disappear underwater so that fish can't see it. Line's not supposed to be bright snow white. Line isn't supposed to be the most highly-visible color possible - or is it?
"There's no doubt that bright white line is better," states Gary. "Reason is, line-watching and detecting strikes by eye on the line without feeling them. That's something you can't do so well at these very thin diameters with the green PowerPro. You're actually missing fish you can't easily see with the green."
Yamamoto's not alone on this either. Several of the world's top pros have come to the same conclusion.
"At first I thought I was the only one using it (white PowerPro), but I have since discovered other top pros who use the white braid too. Surprisingly, some top pros such as Guido Hibdon for example, have even gone to the bright yellow hi-vis line," adds Gary.
Fish Follow the Leader
Yamamoto believes fish are aware of line, and can be sensitive to line - and that's why Gary always uses a Sugoi fluorocarbon leader.
Gary explains that, "Depending on the water color, wariness of the fish, the application, presence or absence of snags, I'll use 5, 6, 8, 10 or even 12 lb Sugoi fluorocarbon as leader material."
"You need to consider the braid as a given or a constant. The braid will practically never be in contact with the fish or the fishing environment. The braid is out of the picture. Only the fluoro leader will be in contact with the bottom, rub on cover or whatever, or be a factor to a fish," reasons Gary, "so I will change to whatever pound class of fluoro leader line is required for the fishing situation."
"Length of the leader is not so significant," admits Yamamoto, "as long as there's five or ten or fifteen feet of fluorocarbon leader material is fine."
He says, "I'll often tie on fifteen feet of leader to start with, especially when fishing for big fish. This lets me get the knot a few turns onto the reel spool when I go to boat a big bass. So that's why I like a long (15 foot) leader to start with."
"As the day goes on, and I cut back frayed line, the leader gets shorter and shorter. As long as it is still in good shape, I normally will not replace the leader until it gets shorter than say five feet."
Again, there is a level of confidence to be able to trust the leader connection and that it will hold together. It's a trust that's not automatic. It's a trust that needs to be earned via experience over time.
"I use the uni-to-uni knot to splice my fluoro leader to my braid. As long as you do it right, this knot will not fail you. When you buy PowerPro, the knot-tying instructions are inside," says Gary.
Yamamoto's Medium Rod Model
These days, Yamamoto uses his Medium rod model most often for his shakey head jigs on 10 lb white braided line, and with a fluoro leader to match the fish-holding cover at hand.
Gary's shakey jig head has a formidable strength hook. Being weedless, it can ply the thickest cover if need be.
"One of my favorite applications for the shakey jig is rigged with a 5-3/4" or 6-1/2" Kut Tail. I use the biggest hook size (4/0) but the smallest 1/16th oz weight. This way, especially along thick, grassy, shallow shorelines, from a boat, I land the bait right on the shoreline. I swim it off the bank, and the very light weight 1/16th oz head literally bounces off and through weeds. The Kut Tail practically floats through the weeds. This set-up has accounted for some of my biggest bass this past year," says Gary proudly. "In fact, I'll soon be offering the 1/16th oz weight with a 5/0 hook for just this tactic. That's how good it works."
By the way, the Kut Tail can be rigged any way, but has enhanced action when the spade tail points not up nor down but flat (either left or right doesn't matter).
"The Kinami 4" Swim Senko is another one of my favorites for the shakey head on the Medium spinning rod. It requires a minimum of an 1/8th oz head to get it to swim better. Either a 3/0 or 4/0 is fine for the 4" Swim Senko," instructs Yamamoto.
Originally, Yamamoto first identified the need for and developed his new Shakey jig to activate the tail on his 5" Swim Senko, which was new at the time (a little over one year ago). Yamamoto informs us that, "The 5" Swim Senko achieves its strongest action and vibration with the heavier 1/4 to 5/16th weights and 5/0 hook size of the shakey jighead."
As Yamamoto field-tested his new shakey jighead, it worked so well that Gary designed two new baits: 1) the 5" 9P Pro Senko, and 2) the new 5" Pro Double Tail. Both have the leaner, longer body shapes that fit so well with the shakey jighead.
"The new Pro Double Tail fits best with about a 4/0 and at least an 1/8th. A 1/16th is too light for it. Actually 3/16 is what I use for swimming it in shallow water. You can go as heavy as you like, such as the 1/4 size to get to bottom in 10-20 feet of water. This combo has been very effective on spotted bass and smallmouth in deep water."
"With the new Pro Senko, use a 2/0 or 3/0 hook. Vary the weight head from 1/16th to 1/4, depending how deep you want to go."
Handle the Tough Stuff - Yamamoto's Medium Heavy Rod
"Braided line is revolutionary, a whole new paradigm" says Gary Yamamoto. "There's just no way you can otherwise use 15 lb test mono or fluoro on a spinning rod for bass fishing. But with braided line, you can use 15 lb test on a stout spinning rod and get away with it," says Yamamoto appreciatively.
But there's more to it than that, since 15 pound braid embodies even more power than 15 pound mono or fluoro.
Indeed, Yamamoto's medium heavy spinning rod is a match for most any medium/heavy seven foot baitcaster or flipping stick, and that's exactly how Yamamoto wields it. He uses the Medium Heavy rod with heavy Texas rigged worms and flipping jigs in snaggy cover. He uses 15 pound white braid and an abrasion-resistant 14 lb Sugoi fluorocarbon leader.
Braiding It All Together
In conclusion, we can learn a lot from studying Gary Yamamoto. He's a true pioneer of our sport. One who constantly strives to bring us the best products. One who's committed to teaching us the best ways he knows for bass fishing.
He'll always be designing the very best baits for every new fishing situation that Gary faces - and he'll create these baits not only for his own success but to share them equally with us, his fellow anglers worldwide. Best of all, he's dedicated to teaching us how best to succeed with his baits, and he's also taken it upon himself to design or offer the best rods, lines, hooks and other accessories for our success.
In terms of the rods that Yamamoto has designed for braided line, there's nothing as well-made or balanced on the market today. In summary, Yamamoto is teaching us and has provided us with a new system of spinning rods to cover all applications including:
- Braided Line. Yamamoto uses 8, 10 and 15 lb test PowerPro. He currently uses white, not green. He's beginning to use Hi-Vis Yellow PowerPro.
- Medium Light Rod. Yamamoto uses his Medium Light spinning rod most of the time for most applications. He uses mostly 10 lb braid, but drops down to 8 pound where 8 can serve the application better. He'll use a fluorocarbon leader as little as 5-6 pound test up to 10, whichever matches the application best.
- Medium Rod. Yamamoto is using his Medium rod most often for fishing his weedless shakey jighead (which has a stout hook). He uses 10 lb braid here and a fluorocarbon leader to match the fish-holding cover at hand. Typically, this tends to be a 10 lb or even 12 lb test fluorocarbon leader in abrasive cover. He uses mainly the 6-1/2" and 5-3/4" Kut Tail, 4" and 5" Swim Senko, the new Pro Senko and new Pro Double Tail Grub with this set-up.
- Medium Heavy Rod. Yamamoto relies on his Medium Heavy spinning rod with 15 lb braid and a 14 lb fluorocarbon leader for tossing heavy Texas-rigged worms or flipping jigs in gnarly cover.