My boat has been rigged with a Yamaha outboard engine since 1997. In 2002, Yamaha wrapped my whole boat as a main sponsor. I run the new 4 stroke V Max SHO 250 hp and performance is just unbelievable. It saves on fuel, has a faster top speed and the hole shot is just so quick. I don’t need to carry any more oil with me on the road also. This engine is less weight than HPDI and that makes me more easy shallow water access. Most of all V Max SHO engine is environment friendly. That’s very important to me. Without doubt, SHO is best performance engine in the market.
As you know, Lucky craft lures are proven tournament winning lures. I like cranking with the RTO series and RTO Lipless Crank series. When I’m fishing clear water, I like to tie on a topwater bait like the Gunfish. My favorite jerkbait is the Slender Pointer. Every Lucky Craft bait is made in Japan and very worth to pay the high price for this quality lure. For me the fishing lure is a tool to catch more bass efficiently and I have to have best tools when I do my job. Colorwise, I like chartreuse and black back or shad colors for crank baits and any natural color for topwater and jerkbaits.
I have been with Gamakatsu since 1991 and this is the sharpest and strongest hook on the market. Every hard bait I use, I change to a Gamakatsu treble hook before it goes into my tackle box. I like to use EWG superline offset worm hook for all my Texas rigs and Carolina rigged soft plastic worms. I also like the G-lock worm hook for Senko type finesse baits. If I need to drop shot I use a split shot/drop shot hook or an off-set worm EWG hook around brush piles. Strong quality hooks help me put more fish in my boat for sure.
Every bass I have weighed-in since 1997, has come exclusively on Daiwa rods and reels. I have about 15 rod and reel combos in my boat and I always try to develop new combinations to gain an advantage in my tournament fishing. New Black Label series(sold only in Japan) is my favorite now. Took 2 years to test and develop the 7 ft fast moving rod where I like to have fast action tip and hard backbone power for a good hook set. Daiwa Zillion bait casting reels are smooth and tough. They also make amazing quality spinning reels.
I have been with Ranger Boats since 1996, my first year when I qualified for the BASS TOP 100 (BASS Elite series) as a pro. For me the bass boat is the same as a racing car for racing driver. I take my Z520 to fight against 10 ft waves at the Great lakes to get to my spot or I could run in 10 inches of water to find that backwater. I tow my Ranger boat about 30,000 miles a year and the Ranger trailers are built tough. As a tour pro, my boat is my office on the water and the Z520 is a comfortable ride and very stable when I’m fishing.
I met Gary Yamamoto when I was in high school(1986) competing in Japan Junior bass tournaments. Beginning of my career in the United States, Gary help me a lot. After the tournament we like to go eat Chinese buffet and talk about fishing. So many soft plastic companies copied his Senko, but the fact is Senko out fishes copy bait and I see many pros uses his lure when money is on the line. There is something about his plastic material that bass just can’t resist.
I start fishing with Sunline in 1992. Sunline is one of largest line manufactures in Japan and their quality control is second to none. I like to fish with #5 Super PE braid when flipping and pitching heavy cover and use #4 Super PE braided line for topwater, spinner baits, buzzbaits and lipless crankbaits. I use Shooter fluorocarbon for any crankbaits, jerkbaits, Texas rigs and Carolina rigged soft plastic baits. When using a spinning reel for finesse fishing I use 7lb FC Sniper fluorocarbon line with strong confidence.
