Erie/Niagara Winning Pattern
Kota Ran Past Dunkirk, Scored On Breakthrough Technique

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Kota's win will certainly highlight his breakthrough Erie technique – targeting main-basin suspenders with a dropshot.

But truth be told, the majority of pro anglers are still stuck in the dark ages. If they don't have a target to cast to, or a bottom to feel, they're pretty much lost.

Harsh, but largely true.

So when 106 of the sport's anglers reached Lake Erie and the Niagara River last week for the Bassmaster Elite Series out of Buffalo, N.Y., there was quite a bit of grumbling. There was also a lot of "me-too" dragging and dropshotting.

That's why Kota Kiriyama's dominating performance seems that much more significant. After a decade of behind-the-scenes work – helping the dropshot land in America, introducing Japanese tackle and techniques to pros – Kota finally clinched his first win of significance.

And he did it in a way nobody, but perhaps everybody, expected – by fishing obscure baits in obscure water that very few American anglers would ever consider.

Over the final 2 days, when nobody else could break the 22-pound barrier, he whacked back-to-back 25-pound sacks. In fact, on the final day, he said he caught an amazing 15 5-pounders.

He finished with a 20-fish, 93-06 total and completely rewrote the Erie playbook to the point that, when the Elite Series returns to Buffalo in 2010, you can bet half the field will at least try the suspended-monster game.

Here's how he did it.

Practice

Kota brought a lot of Erie experience to the table when official practice began. He finished 2nd at the same event last year, and fished several Open-level events on the big pond.

So he had his near-winning spots from last year, but he also knew they'd be covered up. So he wanted to get beyond Dunkirk to avoid sharing fish.

He thus practiced past Barcelona, which is the next port down from Dunkirk, and an hour-plus ride from Buffalo on a calm day.

It's big water, though, and is particularly subject to wind. He knew it was a gamble, but he came to win, not finish 2nd again.

He also wanted to figure out how to catch 5-pounders, which are gold. He discovered that giant schools of bait roam the open waters over 100-foot depths in mid to late summer, and the walleyes and bass follow and work the bait.

Photo: BassFan Kota achieved a 5-pound average the final 2 days, which is equivalent to a 10-pound largemouth average.

He was also armed with some prototype baits from Jackall. That was key, he noted, because he was catching his suspended fish by deadsticking, and one of the baits (as yet unnamed) has a small, thread-like tail that waves back and forth in the underwater current.

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 20-15
> Day 2: 5, 21-14
> Day 3: 5, 25-00
> Day 4: 5, 25-09
> Total = 20, 93-06

Day 1 was horribly windy – two boats were swamped, and several anglers left early from Dunkirk. Kota wasn't able to work his suspended fish in the swells, but did come in with 20-15, which put him in 5th.

Day 2 was calm in the morning, although winds increased significantly in the afternoon and made for a grueling return trip. Kota caught a pound more than the day before and improved to 4th.

Day 3 was when things turned. Kota wrecked his suspended fish and weighed 25 pounds, which put him in 1st.

Day 4 was a repeat of the previous day and produced another 25-pound bag.

Winning Pattern Notes

Kota said most times, the smallmouths were suspended beneath the large bait schools, but sometimes they were on bottom. The biggest fish, though, were definitely suspended.

Some of his humps that produced were in 20 to 32 feet of water, but he worked his suspended fish in 90-foot depths, and they were suspended between 40 and 65 feet – directly below the baitfish.

About why others don't target suspended fish (except John Murray, who used the technique to finish 3rd here last year, and Aaron Martens, who finished 2nd with it at the Pittsburgh Classic), Kota said: "I don't know if it's patience, but you get used to it. It's confidence.

"Last year, when everybody saw the TV show when Edwin won the tournament, everybody knows where he was and how deep they are and how to catch them. That was the major thing I had in mind this year – to find more than that."

A few other notes:

> He didn't pay attention to the thermocline. He only fished where he saw suspended bait with big fish beneath it.

> He caught several suspended walleyes, but when he got into a pod of smallmouths, that's all he caught.

> The bait and the fish traveled significantly. When it was windy, they'd be closer to shore. On slick days, they went out "real far."

> He caught them so well the final 2 days because it was calmer and he could run and have more time to figure them out, he said.

> The suspended fish liked a deadstick presentation the best.

Photo: BassFan Kota's winning baits from top: Jackall prototype (note tail), Jackall Crazy Ninja Shad (also prototype, available soon in Japan), Jackall Cross Tail Shad (has been available for several years).

> Dropshot gear: 6'8" Shimano Final Dimension rod, Shimano Stella spinning reel (not yet available), 7-pound Gamma Dropshot line (new), No. 1 Owner All Purpose Bait hook, 3/16-, 1/4- and 5/16-ounce Kanji X-Metal dropshot weights, Jackall prototype worm, Jackall Crazy Ninja Shad prototype, Jackall Cross Tail Shad.

> The Jackall Cross Tail Shad was watermelon. Colors of all three baits are shown in photo to right.

> He marinated them in Berkley Gulp! Alive juice.

> He noted he likes that particular Owner hook for dropshotting because it's heavy duty, so he can set the hook as hard as he wants, and because the hookpoint is offset from the shaft, so it'll bite no matter what angle the hookset comes from.

> His dropshot lead differed, but was generally around 18 inches.

> About Gamma's new Dropshot line, which is not yet available at retail, he noted: "It has less memory and less stretch, yet is very strong."

> He caught his biggest fish of the tournament, a 5-13, on the Jackall prototype with the thin, wispy tail. "I wasn't moving the bait – the current was moving the bait."

> The Crazy Ninja should be available soon in Japan. He's not sure about the other prototype.

> He also took extra precautions with his Bass Cat boat. For example, he used four straps to secure his trolling motor for the long runs.

The Bottom Line