TackleTour Tournament Interview : Shin Fukae

The Premise: TackleTour is going to hold a bass fishing tournament, but in keeping with our tradition, the gear is going to play an active roll in how the tourney is structured. In the past, we've been known concentrate our review seasons around specific techniques or types of baits. We're going to run our tournament in the same manner. Four days, four different themes, and our interest is to see how the pros go about selecting the gear they'll need to fish this tournament.

Shin Fukae takes the hotseat in our TT Tournament Interview.

Hot Seat: In our continuing series of interviews, we're sitting down with different pros and going through their tackle selections for each day of our tourney, one at a time. Today, we sit down with Shin Fukae, FLW Tournament Pro. Shin Fukae's sponsors include Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Gamakatsu, Ranger Boats, Shimano, Fish Arrow, YGK.

Day 1? It's time to Crank It Up!

Day One: We're going to give the pros a technique they can use to search out active fish. You know what that means? Yup, it's time to tie one on, toss it out, and crank it up! Cranking is the name of the game on Day One and we want to know what a pro looks for in a good cranking rod, cranking reel, and their preference in cranking line.

Fukae favors the composite Shimano Expride stick for his cranking needs.

Shin Fukae : My cranking setup of choice is the Shimano Expride EX170MCR composite cranking stick - I love this rod. It's not too hard and not too soft which is what you want for a cranking rod. For the reel, I choose a Shimano Metanium DC, right handle, normal gear (6.2:1). I use YGK fluocarbon for sensitivity and usually about 10lb test unless I'm fishing a rocky area where I might use 14lb. For baits, I like the Spro RkCrawler in the Spring because they're looking for crawfish.

He pairs it with the 6.2:1 Metanium DC also from Shimano (Shimano Japan).

Day Two: Now that the pros know where the fish are, day two is going to be about working through those concentrated schools of fish on their way to a big limit. That's right, it's time to get a little wacky as we allow the pros to punch, drag, dissect, create and fish from top to bottom with craws, lizards, frogs, toads, spider jigs, swimbaits and any variety of other creatures on their way to a hefty limit because day two is all about the fever - Creature Fever. How do the pros approach fishing soft plastics?

When it comes time to catch Creature Fever, Fukae turns to Zodias.

Shin Fukae : For plastics, I'm using the Shimano Zodias 1610MH. It's a little shorter, but really easy to pitch and make accurate casts with. For the reel, I'm using the Shimano Metanium DC left handle, high speed (8.5:1) spooled with 14lb YGK Fluorocarbon. Then, I tie on a Gamakatsu G-Finesse Wacky Head in 3/16oz - a little heavy because I want to fish faster - and then I choose a 5" GYCB Senko hooked in the middle (wacky style). To make the bait last longer, I add a shrink tube to help the Senko stay on longer especially when I skip it.

He pairs the Zodias with a high speed Metanium DC then ties on a wacky head and 5" Senko... not the shrink tube used to help keep the hook in place longer.

When it comes time to declare What the Finesse, Fukae sticks with Zodias.

Day Three: They've found the fish, and have picked through the schools to fill their limits. The water has been pounded and the fish are feeling pressured. What in the world are the pros going to do on Day Three of our tourney? It's time to turn the "F" word. Downsizing baits and line, switching to light powered rods, slowing down that presentation, you know what all of that means. It's time to declare, "What the Finesse?!?!" Day three of our tourney is all about finesse.

Matched with a Shimano Japan Vanquish spinning reel.