Impressions: While the Kinami Nories bug was very unique, Kinami's other offerings including the "Flash" and "Palm Tree" obviously draw upon Yamamoto lures for inspiration. The Flash looks like a Senko but has a slightly different construction which allows it to deliver a distinct action. The Palm Tree on the other hand looks like a slightly fatter Fat Boy Ika. 

The Kinami Palm Tree is a slightly different take on the Yamamoto Fat Ika

Upon the initial inspection the bait reminded me of a short fat worm with a skirt or a solid tube (Gitzit style) bait. I thought it best to fish the Palm Tree like a tube Texas rigged with and extra wide gap hook. I immediately liked the fact that had a solid body which made it heavier than a traditional tube, with that in mind I thought it would sink rather nicely weightless, like a Senko.
 

Field Tests: To test the Kinami Palm Tree, we head out to local bass lakes as well as the California Delta. We rigged the Palm Tree a variety of different ways and employed an assortment of distinct techniques ranging from pitching to high-speed surface retrieves.
 

To test this lure, I opted for some heavier line so I could pitch and flip as well as retrieve the lure through various structure without having to worry about prematurely losing the lure or fish to snags. We spooled on Sufix 17lb Siege which performed nicely throughout the complete gamut of tests.

We ultimately had the most success fishing the lure backwards Texas rigged

  
Rigging: I first rigged the Kinami Palm Tree Texas style with a 1/8^th oz bullet weight with the skirt down similar to a tube bait. Next I tried the bait Texas rigged with the skirt up next to the weight, same 1/8^th oz. I also rigged the bait weightless with the skirt both up and down while Zander experimented with jigs and darter heads rigging the lure in the front and back. In terms of rigging, this lure leaves a lot to the imagination and anglers can get pretty creative when it comes to rigging and presentation.

Pitching the Palm Tree into structure also proved successful

Retrieving: In our tests two basic methods were used, one cast it out let it descend to the bottom allow it to sit for a few seconds then drag slowly back to the boat insuring it stays on the bottom the entire time or until your past the strike zone. Two, cast it out the same way but hop it back to the boat by moving the rod from six to nine o’clock vary in speed until you find what the fish are looking for. For flippin and pitchin it’s a little different for these methods you’ll want to pitch it past the target let it fall to the bottom then slowly drag or hop it back to the structure, once there let it sit, maybe shake it a little. If you really feel like there’s a fish there let it sit as long as you can stand it.

I ultimately discovered that the Palm Tree can be fished effectively anywhere a plastic worm could be fished. It can also be fished with a jighead or fished weightless too. Through trial and error I found the preeminent way to fish this lure is to rig it Texas style with a sliding bullet weight and the skirt down. Due to the weight and action of this lure I recommend it for bottom work, as it is not as effective when targeting bass that are chasing baitfish. It is possible to incite strikes when the lure is falling, and this is most common when fishing the lure weightless or pitching directly in and around structure.

A Delta bass that couldn't resist the Texas Rigged Palm Tree

 
Durability: This one area where this bait doesn’t shine, if you’re lucky you get two fish per bait. Like many heavily salt impregnated Yamamoto lures the Kinami Palm Tree delivers exceptional action but seems to take on a lot of damage after each and every strike. It would be nice if the bait would last longer but I can say I didn’t miss or loose many fish on this bait due to it soft nature. Now if you’re out fun fishing it would be nice if they would last longer ‘but’ if money was on the line I would much rather loose a bait rather than a fish.

We went through two bags of lures in our tests, and while we wish the lures lasted longer, they did prove quite effective at alluring fish

Applications: The right time to use this bait is when the fish are feeding on the bottom or holding tight to cover or structure. In post frontal conditions when fish stop hitting fast moving lures is when anglers can turn to this bait as well. After you have found some fish, say using a reaction bait, then tie on the Palm Tree to pick off the less aggressive ones. This one-two punch will have you maximizing your catch from each school you encounter.

Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: I really liked the Palm Tree, with first bag I used all but one in a matter of a few hours. If you like tube fishing but you’re tired of loosing fish try the Palm Tree, I think you’ll like it. For those who stopped using tube baits (Gitzits) this is a new look to an old style bait which has always been a tried and true bass lure. It fishes similar to a tube bait except that it falls faster and doesn’t have a hollow body. Due to the nature of the bait the fish would hang on to it for a long period of time leaving us ample time to set the hook. Now if you set like King Kong each bait will only last one fish. After using a few baits and running low I found myself utilizing a soft sweep set in order to save the remaining baits. Even with the soft hook set the hook would penetrate through the bait and easily hook the fish, I’m sure the laser sharp Eagle Claw hooks and the low stretch Sufix Siege had a little to do with it. This bait is really easy to fish and a great choice for everyone from the beginner to the seasoned veteran.