10,000 Fish Yoto Worm

The 10,000 Fish Yoto Worm was not created for Midwest finesse applications. Nevertheless, Eli Rosenberg, who is the Director of Media Partnerships for Catch Co., which is the parent company of 10,000 Fish, sent us some, thinking that it might become an effective Midwest finesse rig.

In essence, it is a multifaceted and unique soft-plastic bait. The folks at 10,000 Fish describe it as possessing a cutting-edge profile.

It exhibits many of the features that adorn the delicate soft-plastic baits created in Japan. In some ways, it is a modern-day and more elaborate rendition of the shad-shaped worm rig that Shin Fukae of Osaka, Japan, and Palestine, Texas, introduced to the Midwest finesse anglers on April 1, 2006, at Beaver Lake, Arkansas.

According to our measurements, it is 4 9/16 inches long. Its dorsal and ventral areas are identical, and both of its sides are identical.

Its anterior and posterior sections are encompassed with 38 ribs. These sections are somewhat oval shaped. Rib number two through rib number 17 are endowed with a hook channel or slot along each side of the torso and along its dorsal and ventral areas. Thus, its torso has four hook channels, which allows anglers to rig the Yoto Worm several ways.

The end of its anterior section possesses the shape of a pig’s nose. And behind the nose section, there is a cone-shaped area. These two segments are about nine-sixteenths of an inch long. At its highest spot, it is nine-sixteenths of an inch high with a circumference of about 1 9/16 inches and a width of about one-half of an inch. The tip of the nose is oval shaped with a height of about three-eighths of an inch, a width of about five-sixteenths of an inch, and a circumference of about fifteen-sixteenths of an inch.

Rib number one, which is devoid of a hook slot, has a height of about eleven-sixteenths of an inch, a width of about one half of an inch, and a circumference of about 1 15/16 inches.

At ribs number eight and nine, the Yoto Worm has a height of about seven-eights of an inch, a width of about nine-sixteenths of an inch, and a circumference of about 2 1/8 inches.

At rib number seventeen, which is near the junction of the Yoto Worm’s anterior and posterior sections, the height is about three-quarters of an inch, the width is about one-half of an inch, and the circumference is about 1 3/4 inches. This rib is about 2 1/2 inches from the tip of the anterior’s head and 2 3/16 inches from the end of the posterior section. After rib number 18, the dimensions of the posterior section diminish dramatically.

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At rib number 24, the width is about one-quarter of an inch, the height is about five-sixteenths of an inch, and the circumference is about one inch. This rib is situated about one inch from the end of the posterior section.

Along the final inch of the posterior section, there are nine minute ribs. This section of the Yoto Worm gyrates and undulates with the slightest provocation. Ribs number 29 through number 34 are separated from one another by a space that is one-eighth of an inch long. Rib number 30 has a height of one-quarter of an inch and a width of about three-sixteenths of an inch. The height and width of rib number 34 is one-eighth of an inch.

Ribs 35, 36, 37, and 38 are identical and very tiny, exhibiting a width of about one-sixteenth of an inch. They are separated from one another by a space of about one-sixteenth of an inch. Rib number 35 is three-eights of an inch from the end of the posterior section.

The width of the tip of the posterior section is a tad less than one millimeter.

It is available in the following hues: Black and Blue Flake, Blue Craw, Electric Shad, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Pearl, Sungill, Texas Craw, Watermelon Red Flake, and White Silver Flake.

It is impregnated with some salt and scent.

It is not buoyant.

A package of six costs $5.29.

It was designed to be rigged vertically as a trailer on a spinnerbait, blade jig, or scrounger jig. When it is affixed to a drop-shot rig, a shaky-head jig, or a Texas rig, it was designed to be rigged horizontally. Midwest finesse anglers will affix the Yoto Worm to a 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig with an exposed hook. What’s more, Midwest finesse anglers are inveterate customizers of soft-plastic baits, and it is likely that they will customize the Yoto Worm a touch by removing its head or even as much as the first three-quarters of an inch of its anterior section. When they want to accentuate a gliding presentation, they will affix the mushroom-style jig to the Yoto Worm so that its flat sides are horizontal rather than vertical. Then, when they want to emulate Fukae’s way of presenting a shad-shaped worm to largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass, they will affix it to the mushroom-style jig so that its dorsal and ventral areas are horizontal and its sides are vertical.

Endnotes

1. Here is a link to 10,000 Fish’s website: https://shopkarls.com/10-000-fish-yoto-worm.
2. Here is a link to a YouTube video that features the Yoto Worm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGJaQDkp5cw.
3. Here is a link to the Midwest Finesse column that explains how Midwest finesse anglers will employ the Yoto Worm with their six standard retrieves: https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/153946.
4. Here are links to two Midwest Finesse gear guides about 10,000 Fish’s Shimmer Shad and Sukoshi Bug: https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/10000-fish-s-shimmer-swimmer/376150; https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/10000-fish-s-sukoshi-bug/365592.