May 28, 2015
By Ned Kehde
Two Watermelon Seed three-inch YUM Dingers. The one at the top is affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Gopher Tackle's Mushroom Head Jig. The one at the bottom is affixed to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Gopher jig.
Ten years ago, a three-inch YUM Dinger affixed to a 1/16-ounce Gopher Tackle Mushroom Head Jig was the standard-bearer for Midwest finesse anglers who plied the flatland reservoirs of northeastern Kansas. This was the early days of what we call the renaissance period of Midwest finesse fishing. The genesis of Midwest finesse fishing reaches back into the 1950s and 1960s, and even though there were always a few anglers who were devotees, it was overshadowed by the finesse tactics popularized by the Japanese and West Coast anglers.
Back in 2005, Midwest finesse anglers' repertoire revolved around five styles of two- to four-inch soft plastic baits. They were a creature-bait, grub, stickbait, tube, and worm.
The YUM Dinger was our stickbait. YUM's 4 3/4-inch Houdini Worm was the worm we used, and we shortened it by trimming about an inch off of its head. We used YUM's two-inch Wooly Beavertail for our creature bait. The grub we used was YUM's four-inch Muy Grub. We affixed these three YUM baits to a Gopher Tackle Mushroom Head Jig. YUM did not manufacture a small tube; so, we used an assortment of 2 1/2- and 2 3/4-inch tubes made by other manufacturers.
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But as Midwest finesse fishing began to experience a rebirth and increasing numbers of anglers in northeastern Kansas, northwestern Missouri and a few other spots around the Midwest, YUM stopped manufacturing the three-inch Dinger, two-inch Wooly Beavertail, four-inch Muy Grub, and 4 3/4-inch Houdini Worm.
On Mar. 23, Lawrence Taylor of Fort Smith, Arkansas, who is the public relations manager for PRADCO Outdoor Brands, sent an email to the Finesse News Network, announcing that YUM will reintroduce the three-inch Dinger, and anglers should be able to purchase them around July 1.
They are impregnated with YUM's proprietary attractant, which contains a variety of enzymes and natural attractants, and salt.
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The folks at YUM recommend affixing the three-inch Dinger Texas style to a 3/0, 4/0, or 5/0 offset hook. But Midwest finesse anglers will affix it to a mushroom-style jig with a No. 4 or smaller hook, and the hook will be exposed.
It will be manufactured in eight colors: Carolina Pumpkin Chartreuse, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Chartreuse, Green Pumpkin Purple Flake, Pearl Silver Flake, Pumpkin Pepper Green Flake, Watermelon Red Flake, and Watermelon Seed.
According to Taylor, the suggested retail price for a package of 12 is $2.99.
When the word spread around the Finesse News Network that the three-inch Dinger was coming back, a goodly number of old-time Midwest finesse anglers began hoping that YUM's four-inch Muy Grub and the Wooly Beavertail will make a comeback.
