In Part 3 of our three-part series, West Coast striper hunter and ima Pro Staffer Ray Serrano shares his approach to the Yoichi 99 Ballista, a compact, heavy sinking pencil that has become one of his go-to choices when conditions get rough.
From long-distance casting in wind and rough water to fishing shallow areas with a slow retrieve, Ray explains what makes the Ballista different and how he fishes it for striped bass.
Yoichi 99 Ballista
I first saw the Yoichi 99 Ballista when I went to Japan with the ima team. It really caught my attention, I first thought it might be a mini pencil popper, but it’s nothing like that its a heavy sinking pencil.
The thing about the Balllista is that even if it’s the roughest water and it’s windy, it will cast far. It will cast much farther than the Sasuke or the Jetty. If it’s rough and windy and I know there are fish there I will throw the Glide or the Yoichi 99 Ballista.
The Ballista weighs 1.5 oz and it is really small and slim and a lot of time the stripers are looking for smaller bait. The beauty of the Ballista is it just works itself, you don’t have to jerk it or anything. Just wind it real slow, point your rod tip towards the water and reel slow.
The head kinda stays in one spot and the tail goes left to right. I like to throw it when I am fishing very shallow because it will run about 1′ even if you are reeling it slow, but if you stop it will sink for sure. Even when you stop if you start reeling it again it will go back up to a 1′.. There a little bit of a learning curve with this lure, if you reel it too fast it will blow out or twist. You can figure out the right speed with your rod tip. When it goes, boom, boom, boom. That’s the right speed.
I fish Red Head, Cotton Candy and Mullet a lot and I really like Black & Black at night. In muddy water I use Matte Chartreuse and I fish that color in the Bay (SF Bay) a lot because the water is always muddy and the bait is small and it’s shallow.
$19.99
$19.99
$19.99
$19.99
Gear Guide
I only use two sizes for my surf rods, a 10′ or an 11′. All my rods are custom Century or CTS models. For the reels I use ZeeBaaS or Daiwa Saltigas. In the beginning of the year I use 20lb braid but towards the summer and later I go up to 30lb braid just because the fish are bigger.
Explore the Yoichi 99 Ballista
Explore the Yoichi 99 Ballista and see why Ray relies on this compact, long-casting lure when targeting striped bass in rough and windy surf conditions.
Explore the Full Series
That wraps up our three-part series with Ray Serrano. From the ima Glide 178 to the Sasuke 130 Goriki, Jetty 135S, and Yoichi 99 Ballista, Ray’s approach shows how choosing the right lure—and knowing how to work it—can make a difference when targeting striped bass in the surf.
