www.insideline.net

By Stan Fagerstrom
Product Review Editor

November 7, 2011

There’s a guy who hangs his fishing hat in Tacoma, Washington who often has, whether you realize it or not, a whole lot to do with certain of the hooks many of us use to put bass in the boat.

And before I tell you who it is and just what he does---let me tell you this: Right now and with the help of some of the bass pros he often works with he’s refining another of those hooks.  I can’t wait to get my hands on ‘em.  Unless I miss my guess once you see what I have to share, you’ll probably feel the same.

The guy I’m talking about is a likeable chap whose official title is that of assistant sales manager for Gamakatsu Hooks out of the company’s Northwest headquarters in Tacoma, Washington.  I don’t know how often he’s got his boots under a desk up there in tall timber country.  I do know he spends a heck of a lot of time running around the country and working on those hooks---call ‘em new products if you choose---with tournament pros whose names you’ll recognize in a heartbeat if you follow the tournament circuits.

So exactly what is it I’m so eager to rig up with one of my 5-inch Yamamoto Kut Tail worms come December?  It’s a brand new Gamakatsu Jig Head Wacky that combines features you’ve not seen before in this kind of hook and jig.

For starters, this new jig head is weedless.  And if you think those weedguard are of the plastic type you’ve undoubtedly seen elsewhere---guess again.  Gamakatsu’s new Jig Head Wacky comes with a double nickel/titanium weedguard.

“If you’ve messed with titanium much you’re aware of its strength and durability,” Roberts says.  “You can throw this new rig into the submerged trees, rocks or whatever kind of obstruction you need to get your Senkos into down there along the bottom.  Those dual strands of titanium that form the weedguard may be small but they’ll get the job done.”

The jig head of this Gamakatsu product is also of new design.  The eye of its hook is recessed to better prevent its hanging up in whatever structure you are fishing.

You’re not going to be able to get your hands on one of these new Jig Head Wacky hooks for awhile.  Right now even a couple of samples are difficult to come by.  Jeff sent me one to make it easier for me to know what I was talking about.  Just eyeballing the darn thing, and listening to what Roberts has to say about the extensive testing and refinement that have gone into it, convince me it’s a winner.

While the new Jig Head Wacky won’t reach the market until December, and that’s if all goes as planned, it’s actual development and testing has been under way for more than a year.  I asked Jeff where some of this testing has been done and who was involved.

One of the pros who have been deeply involved all the way is Shinichi Fukae, the tournament winning pro from Japan.  Here’s a guy grew up using one finesse fishing tactic or another.  The last time I checked BassFan had him listed at Number 10 among the world’s top ranked bass pros.

You can bet your bucks that a pro with Fukae’s winning record isn’t going to screw around with a new Wacky Style fishing rig unless he knows it puts fish in the boat.  He and others worked with different versions of the new Jig Head Wacky until they got it right.

“The hook on this jig is tailor made for its purpose,” Roberts says.  “Its angle is perfect.  It looks a good bit like one of our extra wide gap worm hooks.  My own experience with it proves I hook most of the bass I take on it in the roof of the mouth.”

Jeff and other Gamakatsu pros also spent testing time with the Jig Head Wacky on Truman Lake and Stockton Lake in Missouri.  Stacey King, that’s another name that’ll ring bells with you, was involved in the testing down there in the “Show Me State.”  Obviously the new rig did a good bit of “showing” as well as “convincing” or it wouldn’t have created the excitement that it has.

I mentioned early on that Jeff Roberts found Yamamoto’s Kut Tail worms a particularly good bait to use on the new Jig Head Wacky.

“It’s best not to use a worm with a body that’s too thick,” he says.  “I really liked my results with a 5-inch Yamamoto Kut Tail.”

I was eager to learn what colors in the Kut Tail had been most effective.  Jeff had a ready answer.

“The Kut Tail #042J was lights out some of the time,” he says.  “That worm is a fading watermelon color.  Another hot bait was the cinnamon brown #241.”  Among the other Kut Tails that were effective for him were the #194, #297 and the #921.  He also had excellent success some of the time with a 5-inch Thin Senko.

Roberts will tell you that the new Jig Head Wacky is at its best where the water gets to depths from 12-feet on down.  “Fishing it along drop offs is one of its best applications,” he says.  “I also used it along the deep water off steep bluff walls.  During testing at Lake Oroville in California I took fish on it all the way down to 35-feet.”

Some lures demand a lot of movement on their way down to where the bass are holding.  Roberts says that’s usually not a requirement where the Jig Head Wacky is concerned.  “You’re going to get most of your hits on the drop,” he says.  “Don’t work it too much.  The jig head makes the worm do its own thing as it falls.”

That’s about the size of it, friends.  I’ve had occasion to get to observe the Gamakatsu hook operation now a long time.  I’m well aware of the detailed thought, planning and repeated testing that goes into their record setting hooks.  Whenever company officials are as excited as they are about their new Jig Head Wacky, it gives me my own near terminal case of the fishin’ itch.

I’ll be watching for word of exactly when these new rigs become available.  Like I said, it’s supposed to become available sometime in December.  Should it happen sooner than that, I’ll be the first to let you know.