Yusuke Miyazaki did not get off to the start he had hoped for or expected at the West Point Lake Bassmaster Elite Series.
By the time it was over, though, he couldn't stop smiling or singing the praises of a trusted friend.
After weighing two fish for 4-01 on day 1, he found himself in 90th place. It would've been easy for him to lose faith in his strategy considering he hadn't cashed a check in the first three events of the season. Instead, he put his head down and rallied 71 places to 19th by the end of day 3 when he caught 13-01, including a 6-10 behemoth.
"I didn't make adjustments," he said. "I knew I could catch them, I just knew it. I could catch at least 10 pounds. The first day, it just didn't happen. I had such a good practice and to be in 90th after day 1, I was so disappointed."
Like many of his competitors, he threw a topwater bait, but also mixed in a Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Senko. He said a conversation with Yamamoto himself before the tournament clued him into some rigging tips for the Senko, including the reverse Texas rig, which involves pushing a nail weight into the end of the bait.
"He told me to try a smaller hook," he said. "He's taught me so much over the years. I owe him a lot."
He had his most success fishing the backs of coves and pockets. His big fish on day 3 fell for the Senko.
"I knew there were a couple of good ones in there, but I just got lucky," he said. "I didn't know a 6-pounder was there. I thought there was a 3 or 4 in there because 10 minutes before I'd lost a 3 1/2."
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