Yamamoto continues to amaze anglers with the performance made possible with its lures. The versatility of Yamamoto lures challenges anglers to stretch the boundaries of their imagination to find new techniques for their use. Yamamoto is famous for plastic lures and has always offered a lot of plastics in many color combinations. In fact, Yamamoto made color codes famous. Ask any bass fisherman what color "208" is, and more than likely, he will be able to tell you.

In addition to the plastics such as grubs, Ika’s and tubes, Yamamoto offers buzzbaits, spinner baits, hooks, jig heads, weights and several other products. Take a quick tour of the company’s web site at www.baits.com and you will get the idea of the vast array of products Yamamoto offers beyond plastic lures.

Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits is a flourishing international company. It is proud to offer among the finest and most productive fishing lures in the world, made in the USA, especially for bass, but also for all other freshwater gamefish and saltwater species that will hit a lure. Every aspect of Yamamoto products, from the professional designs, secret plastic formulation, patented production process, to the rigorous inspection procedures, helps assure the angler’s fishing satisfaction and success. The company likes to claim its reputation rests on having the "secret" of bass fishing professionals, with over 15 years of tournament wins. "Our bait has always been a secret," Gary Yamamoto, the company’s founder, says with a slight grin. "We're still a secret."

But the essence of the secret bait is two-fold: color and salt. Gary began with color, sure that if he could duplicate the color of the forage fish the bass preyed upon, he would have a lure far superior to what he calls the "dozen for a nickel" bait and lure philosophy of the powerhouse fishing companies.

Yamamoto is heavily involved with the B.A.S.S. Federations and believes the Federation members are an important aspect of its success. Yamamoto provides the Virginia Federation with several bags of their products to be used as door prizes at the state-level tournaments.

While most of us are well aware of the mounting costs to fish, many of the Yamamoto products have been the same price for several years now, according to Joe Jones, a Federation member. "A good price is something we all appreciate, especially if you want to experiment or diversify your tackle box," Jones said.

As far as Jones is concerned, The Inside Line, Yamamoto’s bi-monthly magazine, is one of the best kept secrets around. The magazine subscription is $15/year and is well worth the price. The Inside Line features numerous articles from writers from all over the country. "I subscribed to the Inside Line and it was like a Bible to me. I learned several new techniques and how to fish all of the Yamamoto baits. The magazine has been invaluable," Jones said.

Yamamoto also offers a weekly electronic newsletter. Yamamoto says on its website, "Weekly News delivery is the best way for dealers and customers to stay ahead of the power curve on new products, new colors and leading edge fishing tactics and innovations." Sign up for free delivery online.

Yamamoto baits can be purchased online via Yamamoto’s web site or at just about every sporting goods store. All the Region one and nine anglers know that Dick’s sporting goods in Sterling is the "Yamamoto Super Store". If you are in the area make sure to stop by and see John Hutchins in the fishing department for all your Yamamoto needs.