|
Creature Fever: Gettin' Crazy With the Yamamoto PsychoDad!
| Date: |
5/11/14 |
| Tackle type: |
Lure |
| Manufacturer: |
Yamamoto |
| Reviewer: |
Wolbugger |
Total Score: 6.83 -
FAIR
Introduction:
Gary Yamamoto
is widely known for producing some of the hottest baits available today. Like
Gary himself, his son Derek shares the same passion for both fishing and
creating quality baits. His Kinami lineup offers anglers hard and soft baits in
a variety of styles and colors. I actually started fishing Kinami baits about
ten years ago, and quickly became a big fan of their version of the Senko called
the Flash. At ICAST 2012, Cal and myself visited the folks at Kinami to check
out their brand new PsychoDad baits that are designed with punching in mind.
They were receiving a lot of buzz at the time, and we just had to learn more
about what made them so special. Imitating crawfish, these highly-anticipated
soft plastics showed a lot of potential and we knew we had to get our hands on
some for a full review. Now being sold in Yamamoto packaging, do they really
perform as good as they look?
|
Yamamoto
PsychoDad
Specifications |
|
Type |
Creature
bait |
|
Class |
Soft plastic |
|
Depth |
Any |
|
Size |
3 3/4 inches |
|
Colors/Patterns |
12 |
|
MSRP |
$5.39 for
pack of five
(TackleWarehouse.com) |
The PsychoDad looks
great and comes in
realistic colors.
Impressions:
The
Yamamoto PsychoDad is an attractive little bait that is made to excel at the
punching technique. Designed by punching guru Bub Tosh, its small profile allows
it to easily slip through the thick vegetation that you commonly find while
punching, flipping, and pitching. Even though it was designed with these
techniques in mind, it's a versatile offering that can be fished using other
methods.
The thin body is the perfect size for probing the thickest cover.
The body of the
PsychoDad is quite thin and features a flat bottom with some contours on the top
side. The plastic is surprisingly soft for a bait that's designed for such
heavy-duty techniques. You'll find two legs on each side of the bait that
produce additional action on the fall—more on those later. Helping to complete
the package are two chubby claws, as well as a thicker section at the very end
of the tail to supposedly provide a surer hold for a hook shank or bait-keeping
barb.
The added flake is a bit heavier on the belly.
In the head
portion, there is a hollow cavity in the plastic that will accept up to a
seven-millimeter rattle. This is a great feature, however it makes the plastic
thinner and weaker in this region. In contrast, the other half of the body from
the middle to the tail is solid plastic for sturdier rigging.
Since this picture was taken, the packaging has changed to a Yamamoto bag.
Real World
Tests:
I fished the
Yamamoto PsychoDads both in California and Florida. The testing period included
rigging the baits for flipping, pitching, and punching. I also spent a fair
amount of time using PsychoDads as trailers on football jigs while fishing deep
California reservoirs during my visit in fall of 2013.
Here's a good look at the entrance to the hollow rattle chamber.
Casting:
There isn't
a whole lot to talk about in regards to casting this bait. You're probably not
going to be fishing it totally weightless, so it will always be rigged with some
type of sinker, jig head, or on the back of a jig. Since the PsychoDad is both
thin and compact, it casts and pitches easily no matter how you choose to rig
it. Once it splashes down, the slim profile allows it to sink quickly and slip
through cover easily, though the claws can occasionally catch a bit on
vegetation.
Chubby claws add both bulk and action.
Next Section: Plenty of retrieve options |
