Just checked my email, and would you believe it? The answer to Russ' question was right there, in Gary Yamamoto's "Inside Line" eNewsletter. If you guys haven't gotten signed up to receive this in your email, it's a good thing to do, and it's
free! http://www.insideline.net C&R, Steve
GARY YAMAMOTO WINS TOYOTA HORIZON AWARD
Gary Yamamoto finished 36th out of the top 158 BASS anglers on the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Tour, which ended last week.
Gary jumped up 115 places from year-end 2004. In doing so, Gary Yamamoto has earned the prestigious Toyota Horizon Award.
Toyota presents this award plus a $25,000 bonus to the
angler who increases their BASS Angler of the Year standing the most from the prior year. Congratulations, Gary Yamamoto.
HOT AND COLD RUNNING PROS
It is a fairly common phenomenon for top BASS pros to
flip-flop in the rankings, go from hot to cold one year to
the next. In 2001, 2002, 2003, Gary Yamamoto finished high on the Bassmaster Tour. In 2004, he did not finish as high (151st), and rebounded back to 36th in 2005.
"I think what happens is we get into our niches. As for me, I get geared toward flipping with soft baits. When the fish want that, I do well, " says Gary.
Many pro anglers harbor such niches, says Gary. "My friend Takahiro Omori's niche is reaction type fishing. Takahiro usually does well that way. But when fish are not acting exactly the way he wants, Takahiro does poorly," says Gary.
The rollercoaster ups and downs of pro angling can also be due to emotional attitude, says Yamamoto. "Your family, health concerns, financial worries, emotional or
psychological attitude can affect performance," believes
Gary.
BAIT AND SWITCH - OR JUST SWITCH BAITS?
"In 2005, I basically went out and did what I do best. I
flip most of the time. I depended on my new Fat Baby Craw for a lot of my flipping success this season," says Gary.
"So in 2005, I concentrated on what I do best, but I also
maintained a more open mind, to be more versatile. I stayed conscious of being able to switch - if I had to - to
crankbaits, jerkbaits or whatever it takes," says Gary.
"In the next to last event, I switched mid-tournament to a jerkbait, which was beneficial to me. In the final
tournament, I heard there was a crankbait bite. I was
mentally prepared to switch, and did indeed cut over to
crankbaits mid-tournament with good results," says Gary.
Being open-minded is a lot harder than it sounds, even for our sport's top pros, says Gary. "How can I put down a soft bait that I like fishing so much, and switch to a crankbait that I don't like fishing as much?," muses Gary. This is a preference problem that all anglers, even top pros, can find hard to break out of their routine. "Think of most any top pro. More often than not, you can name their preference bait too," says Gary.
GAIN A SOLID BASE FOUNDATION FIRST
Part of being able to switch tactics and be versatile
depends on having years of experience, says Yamamoto. I have been fishing crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits for over twenty years, says Yamamoto, who has even custom-designed rods he desired for these particular applications. But first and always, I depend on my core competencies with my soft baits, says Gary. Still, I have learned to recognize - based on many years of observation - when to switch.
"It wouldn't be that easy for a less-experienced angler to switch. There are different rods, reels, lines, mindsets and mechanics for different tactics. What I mean is, cutting a heavy jig off a flipping stick and tying on a lightweight jerkbait won't produce results. Knowing when and how to switch is only gained with experience.
For a starting angler, or for a less-experienced angler who vows that 2005 is going to be his or her year for dramatic self-improvement? Gary suggests to improve your singlemost main strengths first and foremost.
"A person needs a solid foundation first, or must develop
enough experience with a singular approach to fishing first. Pick what you like, what you do well with, how you enjoy fishing most. Develop that into your main strength first," says Gary. By developing a main strength, sometimes you will do extremely well (when fish favor you). Sometimes you will not do well (when fish don't favor your strengths).
"Doing extremely well some of the time, and not doing so well some of the time - ask yourself if that is better than doing average all of the time," ponders Yamamoto who suggests for anglers to build their strengths first, then become versatile later.
GARY HAS A FAIR CHANCE TO MAKE THE CLASSIC
Finishing 2005 in 36th place, Gary Yamamoto is within reach of qualifying for his third Bassmaster Classic. Gary
Yamamoto has qualified for the Classic twice earlier - in
2001 and 2002.
"Last year, my good friend Ben Matsubu qualified for the
Classic from around 36th place, which is where I am now. So there is a fair chance I may get a Classic berth this year," says Gary hopefully.
We wish you luck in possibly making your third Classic this year, Gary, and congratulations on winning the Toyota Horizon Award for the most greatly improved finish of 2005.
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