ima Japan brings new colors across it's entire lineup!

ima Japan introduces the Foxy Fry!

There are times when fish get lethargic and they want a subtle approach from a bait.

Congratulations to Fred and Bill Lowen for qualifying for 2012 Bassmaster Classic!!

Ima Newsletter – February 2008

February 24th, 2008 by IMA Japan

Welcome! To the ima EMAILER ~ February 2008 Issue

The IMA EMAILER brings you monthly news from IMA pro staff members Fred Roumbanis, Bill Smith, Michael Murphy and other Ima pro staffers across the USA and worldwide.

Fred, Bill and Michael have all three been key to help ima design new hardbaits for the US market.

Good News! For anglers who attend the Classic show, you will find ima baits for sale at the Classic at the Tackle Warehouse booth.

Fred Roumbanis to Use ima Boat and ima Baits in Bassmaster Classic

ima pro Fred Roumbanis is among fifty pros who will compete in the Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell on February 22-24 in Greenville, South Carolina.

What sets Fred apart from the other forty-nine contenders is:

1) he’s one of the only Classic anglers likely to be equipped and skilled with ima lures (like the Flit and Shaker)

2) Fred’s the only one who’ll be driving a brand new, snazzy ima-wrapped Triton boat at the Classic.

“This is my first Classic,” says Roumbanis. “I used ima lures (prototypes) throughout 2007 to help get me to the Classic and I plan to use ima lures while in the Classic,” admits Fred.

“For the Classic on Lake Hartwell, I plan to throw the ima Shaker crankbait (still a prototype) and the ima Flit jerkbait.”

“I believe the water will still be too cool for bass to be that interested in topwater lures yet. So I probably won’t use the ima Roumba topwater wakebait at the Classic.”

Fred’s Classic Option #1: The ima Flit Jerkbait

“If fish are moving up already, it’s going to be a Flit game. I do not know much about Lake Hartwell yet, never having fished it. But knowing that ima pro Michael Murphy lives in South Carolina, and he designed, tested and perfected the Flit on waters in South Carolina and Georgia, that helps build up my confidence for success in the Classic, without knowing the lake.”

“The ima Flit embodies something relating to his (Michael Murphy’s) style of fishing in that region. If there’s going to be a jerkbait bite (and there’s a high chance for that), there’s no better jerkbait built for those Classic fish. The Flit’s a jerkbait made for those Hartwell fish to hit.”

Fred’s Classic Option #2: The ima Shaker Crankbait Prototype

“My second Classic option is the ima Shaker crankbait prototype. The Shaker’s going to be awesome if I find bait up near the surface, I am going to cream them on the Shaker crankbait. There are certain type banks I will be looking for in practice on Lake Hartwell. If I find bait on those banks, look out. I’m not going to say too much about just what kinds of banks before the Classic, but if I win it, you can be sure I’ll tell you all about those banks afterward,” chuckles Roumbanis.

“The ima Shaker has a real wide wobble, and I really only got my hands on the prototypes after the Elite Tour season closed. I did not use the Shaker during the season (I didn’t have any), so I have spent a lot of time on the water recently in order to learn the ins and outs of the Shaker on Grand Lake near where I live in Bixby, Oklahoma. You can call this training and studying the Shaker at home for how I’ll fish with it on Lake Hartwell in the Classic.”

“What I’ve found is the Shaker’s quite a work of art. It’s taken a long time for ima pro Bill Smith to develop the Shaker, and you can tell a lot of work went into it. The Shaker’s separate from any other crankbait in its class.”

“In Oklahoma, you’re lucky to get a calm day any time of year, and it’s always windy in winter. Yet I can fire the Shaker out there so, so very far when it is windy. Although the Shaker’s a small profile bait, the casting distance has to do with how weight balls inside transfer on the cast. It just keeps going, even against the wind.”

“What I’ve discovered with the Shaker on Grand Lake, Oklahoma (and what I’ll look for when I get to Lake Hartwell, South Carolina) is if you see a pocket with a ball of shad in it, cast past and pull the Shaker through the shad. This disperses the shad balls enough to get bass to notice the Shaker in the middle, causing the disturbance. Then they crush it.”

“What I mean by pocket in winter is any tiny shoreline cut or a certain section of boat docks where shad balls form. If you pull the Shaker through them, the shad balls move apart (away from the Shaker) enough to excite close-by bass. It almost turns on a bass feeding frenzy for a few seconds during which the shad balls scatter apart, the Shaker gets revealed in the middle, and bass hit it.”

Note: The ima Shaker crankbait is not yet available for sale.

“I’ve held off of practicing at home with the ima Flit jerkbait, because I already know just how I plan to use the Flit as soon as I start official Classic practice on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina. The Flit has helped me earlier this season – at the event on Oneida for instance. I honestly didn’t finish that great at Oneida, but it wasn’t the Flit’s fault. The Flit worked like a fish magnet, but my fault was I just could not find the big ones on Oneida. Even still, it was great knowing I was the only angler there to have the Flit at that time.’

“Although other Classic anglers may have the Flit by now, I still feel the Flit will give me the advantage if there’s a jerkbait bite on Hartwell.”

“With the Shaker, I’m going to enjoy exclusive use of the Shaker at the Classic.”

“Either way, I’m ready.”

“I can’t wait,” says Fred Roumbanis as he heads into his first Classic competition.

At home on Grand Lake, Oklahoma, Fred’s been training for what he plans to do with the ima Shaker crankbait at the Classic

For the Classic, Roumbanis will unveil his stylish new ima wrap on Fred’s new Triton TR-20X.

If fish are moving up already on Lake Hartwell, Fred says the Classic’s going to be an ima Flit game.

The wrap shows off images of ima’s three new lures: 1) the ima Roumba designed by Fred, 2) the ima Flit and 3) the ima Shaker.

“I’m ready for my first Classic,” says ima pro Fred Roumbanis.

Good News! For anglers who attend the Classic show, you will find ima baits for sale at the Classic at the Tackle Warehouse booth.

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Ima’s a big name in Japan where Ima is known for its hardbaits. Ima is now making it’s debut in the U.S. market.

U.S. bass pros Bill Smith, Michael Murphy and Fred Roumbanis have helped IMA design new hardbaits for the USA.

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