Five Lures You Need In Your Tackle Box To Ensure Bass Fishing Success. Part Four - Yozuri Banana Boat

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Top 5 Lures For Bass Fishing Success…

I have found that the Yozuri banana boat is one of the best lures to use when fish are active and you are looking to cover alot of water in a little amount of time. The following features and characteristics are what set this bait apart from the rest and make it a must have in any bass angler’s tackle box.

Castability - The banana boat is very aerodynamic and casts like a bullet. Being able to cast this bait a long way makes it a better choice over a conventional popper or topwater walking bait. Make a nice long cast parallel to structure and start working the bait back and forth and the fish won’t be able to resist striking.
Unique Action - Like most other floating topwater baits, the banana boat is fished with a “walk the dog” presentation, however the action produced while “walking” the banana boat is very unique and that is what will trigger more hard hitting strikes over a conventional topwater bait.
Fast Retrieve - Since a banana boat is best used when fishing for active fish feeding on the surface, a fast retrieve becomes a plus for this bait since you can cover alot of water very quickly. This is helpful in finding fish, as well developing a pattern for the rest of the day.
Treble Hooks - With 6 treble hooks on a small bait like the banana boat, you will notice a good ratio of strikes to hookups versus a bait that only has a single hook or 3 treble hooks. The design of the bait also allows for the bait to sit upright in the water in between twitches, which increases the chances of hooking up.

Now that we have seen the positives of this bait, I would like to touch on some of the negatives that come along with the banana boat, and most topwater baits in general.

The first negative is the amount of work expended walking this bait. A constant twitch retrieve is required for maximum action on this bait, and a few hours of this can really be a workout… The good news is that you don’t notice how much your arms hurt when you get a bunch of explosive strikes.

The second negative is that many times after a cast or during the retrieve your line will get caught on the front treble hook, or even on both sets of hooks, which costs valuable time in the strike zone. Although this happens with the banana boat, it tends to happen more so with other similar topwater baits, and mostly with poppers in my experience.

The third negative has to do seasonality. This bait only produces fish when the conditions are right. The bass must be actively feeding and willing to chase a bait. This limits how many fish you can catch on a banana boat, and is ultimately why this bait is near the end of our top 5 list.

The baits come in 7 different colors, including: Blue/Silver, Clown, Gold/Black, Trout, Tennessee Shad, Black/Redhead, Red Head. My personal favorite is the Tennessee Shad.