Upsizing Your Finesse Approach With the Kut Tail Worm

By Shane Beilue

If there’s one name synonymous with Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, it’s the Senko—and rightfully so. It’s likely the most successful soft plastic design of all time.  But, there’s another key soft plastic design in the GYCB lineup that’s almost as versatile as the Senko; and, depending upon the application, even has an advantage over its more famous cousin.  Let’s take a closer look at the Kut Tail worm.

The Kut Tail has a meaty head that tapers into the abbreviated, “cut tail”.  This soft taper causes the worm to be very responsive to the slightest movement of the rod tip, making it the ideal choice for any finesse technique; however, the worm also comes in a variety of lengths, from 3.5” all the way up to the huge 10” version.  The wheelhouse sizes for me are found in the mid to larger lengths of 5.75”, 6.5” and 7.75”, applied in three methods.

Drop Shot

The first technique that likely comes to mind upon first inspection of the Kut Tail is the drop shot.  The 5.75” has become one of my go-to choice when trying to draw strikes from the larger bass within a school of spotted bass.  The 5.75” length is only offered in two colors: Fading Watermelon (042J) and Morning Dawn (374NS) – both ideal colors for water clarity of 6-8’ or greater.  The Morning Dawn is a bright color that almost glows in clear water and seems to be a good choice when fishing among large schools of shad, giving the bass a target to key on among all the natural competition in the water.  As mentioned, the tapered tail responds very well to subtle lifts and shakes of the rod tip, making the Kut Tail an ideal drop shot bait.

Shakey Head

The shakey head technique has been a major player in most every offshore finesse arsenal for many years and the Kut Tail is an opportunity to upsize the worm profile and target those larger bass.  This is where the 6.5” and 7.75” (combined with a 3/8-1/2 oz jig head) can shine, making the technique more of a “power” technique over a finesse technique.

Again, the appeal of the larger soft plastic offerings is they maintain that subtle, finesse movement in the water; however, due to the larger profile and the heavier jig head, one can efficiently fish this worm in 10-25’ of water around brushpiles and rock ledges by getting it to the bottom quickly.

Neko Rig

When the offshore bite shuts down, a Neko rig lifted and dropped among a school can often entice the most finicky of bass to open their mouths and eat.  The upsized 6.5” and 7.75” lengths of the Kut Tail accommodate a heavy nail weight without deforming the body of the plastic worm, creating a faster rate of fall when trying to trigger reaction strikes from inactive or suspended bass.  If one is more comfortable with baitcasting gear over spinning tackle, the weight of these larger Kut Tail worms allows the Neko rig to be easily cast with baitcaster and 8-12# test fluorocarbon line.

In summary, the Kut Tail isn’t flashy and doesn’t get near the national attention as the Senko. But the mid- to larger Kut Tail series allows you to upsize the presentation and target larger bass while maintaining all the subtle qualities of a finesse presentation.