This year’s Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge will be held on the Delta June 24th and 25th.
The event features hourly winners and an overall grand prize to the biggest bass of the tournament. Since this is the Delta, big fish will be needed to cash a check and Yamamoto pro Jason Borofka offers some tips on how to catch a double-digit bass and bring home some money.
An Unusual Year, Unique Event and Big Bass
This year has been different according to Borofka and that has to do with the unusual weather.
“There have been tons of runoff and colder than normal water temperatures and as a result, the fishing has been different than usual for this time of year,” he began and said that even still, big bass will be brought in at this event. “You are going to have to target big fish only to win and that means finding the current. Those big post-spawn fish like current just outside of calm areas like flooded islands and near dead-end coves.”
Another key he says is to have close access to deep water for a chance at a Delta giant.
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Yamamoto Senko | A Big Bass Must-Have
The Senko is far from a secret bait, but it is the one Borofka chose as his number one without any hesitation.
“If you looked back at the hourly winners for this event for the past few years, the Senko would be the bait with the most money won,” he said. “The five-inch will catch big ones, but I think the six and seven-inch are your best chance to catch a really big one.”
Borofka keeps his Senko choice simple and will typically use watermelon with red flake in clear water and black and blue in the dirty water.
Another key to the Senko for Borofka is the rigging style. He likes his wacky-rigged. “I do that 80 percent of the time on the Delta; because I like the action better,” he stated. “I’ll Texas-rig it only when fishing heavy tules.”
He recommends heavy line and says 15- to 20-pound fluorocarbon is a must for landing a money winning fish at the Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge.
Vibrating Jig with Yamamoto Zako
A vibrating jig like a ChatterBait is legal in this event as long as it includes a Yamamoto trailer. For Borofka, that means the Zako.
“There will be fish shallow feeding on spawning bluegill and the vibrating jig with a Zako is the perfect way to imitate bluegill,” he said. “The shape and profile of the Zako is very natural and has a very subtle wiggle. I have noticed that the Zako, as a trailer, bunches up like an accordion when you set the hook and you hook more fish with it.”
He’ll fish this combo up shallow where bluegill will spawn and said the lanes between grass and rock are prime places to look for bedding bluegill.
Read Related: 3 Ways to Fish a Yamamoto D-Shad with Brent Ehrler
Flappin’ Hog for the Punch Rig
No Delta article would be complete without mentioning the punch bite. It is world famous for the technique and this event may set up perfectly to catch a 10-plus in the thick stuff.
“It’s possible that this is how the tournament will be won,” said Borofka. “They could be under the mats, just outside an eddy and near a deep channel,”
He noted that typically the best chance at a big one is on isolated cover and not long stretches of grass or hyacinth.
“If you have a mix of hyacinth, grass and tules in an isolated place, that is almost always how you get a monster bite,” he continued. “Another good place to look is anywhere you find clean grass, I will just go past all of the dead, brown grass or grass with moss on it.”
He likes the Flappin’ Hog, because of the profile of the bait.
“It is a longer bait and will fit a 5/O punch hook, better than any other creature bait,” he said. “Use that and a 1- or 1 1/2-ounce bait with heavy braid and you could win.”
The Yamamoto Sleeper Bait
Yamamoto is known worldwide for their excellent soft plastics, but they make hardbaits, spinnerbaits and a bait Borofka thinks is a sleeper in this event – the Yamamoto buzzbait.
“The post-spawn is the perfect time for a topwater bait like a buzzbait,” he shared. “I will fish a buzzbait around the sparse tules and current breaks.”
He most often uses white or chartreuse on the Delta and likes to pair it with a bulkier trailer.
“You want that bigger profile (with the trailer) since you are targeting big fish, the Zako would be perfect,” he added.
There will undoubtedly be some giant bass brought to the scales at the Yamamoto Big Bass tournament and they will be caught on a variety of Yamamoto baits. Borofka feels that the four baits listed offer the best chance to catch a fish of a lifetime and bring home some big money.
Complete 2017 Yamamoto Baits Catalog
Rules for the Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge
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