The 2.5” Yamatanuki is made for creek fishing for smallmouth bass. Come check out my last trip.
I love the pure simplicity and peace of creek fishing. The little 2.5” Yamatanuki casts like a rock and just catches fish.
How to Fish the 2.5″ Yamatanuki
I’ve been asked a handful of times how to fish the little Yamatanuki, including how to rig it and what hook to use.
What Hook to Use?
I rig the 2.5″ Yamatanuki with a 2/0 EWG hook and the 3.5″ with a 5/0 EWG.
Where They Shine
When I am fishing with the Yamatanuki I am typically casting at targets. Shade lines, weed lines, boulders, laydowns, and so forth. As you can see in the video above, I am aiming at targets.
How to Work Them
Once I make my cast I let the bait sink and then give it pops, or twitches, and let it fall again. Kind of like a fleeing crawfish or baitfish. This typically is where I get bit as it triggers a reaction strike. The smallmouth bass and green sunfish were eating them up in this creek.
The cool thing about the Yamatanuki is that they are super heavy and even though they are weightless they cast really well. This improves casting accuracy and distance. Also, because they are weightless they get hung up much less than a weighted bait.
It is almost like these baits were made for creek fishing for smallmouth bass.
Warning About the 2.5″ Yamatanuki
Although they are fairly new to the US market, I have had a lot of success with the Yamatanuki. One word of caution is that they get bit and are super soft. This means that you will need a lot of baits if you get on a good bite.
Like the Senko, they are not very durable and rip super easy. I lost a pack on this trip somewhere in the river and ran out of baits before the end of the trip. Make sure that you bring more than one pack.
Final Thoughts on the Yamatanuki
When I saw this bait I wasn’t sold on the concept, but was quickly converted when I started catching fish. I have fished both the 2.5 and the 3.5 and both have proven their effectiveness and have a place in my tackle lineup.
Go out and get some and see what you think. Don’t fish them like a Senko, but more like a really light jig. They are really weedless and give fish something a little different.
To Your Fishing Success,
Jonathan Burke
LiveBassFishing.com
Check out my post on fishing the 3.5″ Yamatanuki in a way that you may never have thought of. 3.5″ Yamatanuki for Bass