The shape and falling action of a YUM Dinger make it one of the most consistently productive bass lures ever created. Dingers come in multiple sizes and a vast range of colors and can rigged a variety of ways for different appeals in a broad range of situations.
YUM recently raised the bar with Dingers with the release of four new colors for 5- and 6-inch YUM Dingers, including three dark Firetail colors, Black Blue/Blue Firetail, Junebug/Chartreuse Firetail, and Junebug Red/Red Firetail; and another dark water/low light special, Black Grape.
We spoke with Frank Scalish, best known as Uncle Frank in the fishing world, about the new colors and about how to fish Dingers effectively. As co-host of the immensely popular Day 4 on Bass Talk Live, a lure painter/designer, and a former touring bass pro, Scalish knows bass fishing!
Matching Forage
"Let's start with what's natural," Scalish said, talking about the unique appeal of Firetail YUM Dinger colors. "When you look at a bluegill or perch in the water, you immediately see the tail, and the way the light refracts, depending on water color and conditions, it often has a blue glimmer or a chartreuse hue.
The tail of a Dinger wavers as it falls or is worked along the bottom, so the colored tail section moving matches what the bass commonly see and associate with food. "When you fish a Dinger on a Ned rig or a Texas rig, the tail end stays up, and that color change catches the fish's attention," Scalish explained. "It looks like something rooting around on the bottom."
Scalish knows anglers who will dip the front end of a Dinger in dye to create a target point near the hook, but he isn't convinced this is the best strategy.
"Putting the different color on the tail of the Dinger is natural. It matches what the bass are used to seeing," Scalish said.
Enhanced Visibility
"Bass see contrast better than anything else," Scalish said, "and those Firetail colors provide a sharp contrast. Dark colors also create contrast and add visibility in dark water or low-light conditions."
Some existing YUM Dinger colors, including Carolina Pumpkin/Chartreuse, Green Pumpkin/Chartreuse and Black Neon/Silver, feature a contrasting color tail, but the new, extra dark colors with the red, blue and chartreuse Firetails fit a different need, especially for dark tannic waters in many Florida lakes and rivers and for stained water in other parts of the country.
"When the water is clearer, it seems like the bass relate better to your Green Pumpkin and Watermelon type colors," Scalish said. "In darker or dirtier waters, they really like black and blue and Junebug. Even in clear water sometimes those colors do best. Sometimes when you have heavy cloud cover."
Frank Scalish's Favorite Dinger Strategies
Scalish's two favorite ways to rig a 5- or 6-inch Dinger are on a Ned head or a flick shake rig, with the Ned rig most often getting the nod for fishing around submerged vegetation and flick shake for casting to edges and to targets and for skipping under docks.
"On a Ned head the bait spirals as it slowly falls, and that highlights the tail," Scalish said. "It mimics a smaller fish swimming down to the bottom."
Scalish prefers a 1/10- or 3/32-ounce Ned head but might go to 1/8-ounce if it's windy. He won't go heavier unless he's fishing the bottom in deep water. He fishes it a 7 1/2-foot spinning rod, with 10-pound braid and an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader.
With the flick shake, which is a variation of a wacky rig that uses a lightweight specialized jighead, the ends of the Dinger shimmy as the bait falls. Scalish uses the same rod/reel/line set-up as he uses or Ned fishing and always starts with a 3/32-ounce head. "Heavier than that kills the action," he said.
With either rig, 90 percent of fish will hit the bait as it is falling, right before it reaches bottom on the initial fall. If nothing hits on the initial fall, Scalish will lift gently and let it fall again, stair stepping it down the structure until it is out of what he considers the productive zone. Then he'll reel it straight back and make another cast.
5 Great YUM Dinger Rigs
- Ned Rig – Frank's go-to for YUM Dingers, this lightweight jighead rig makes the bait spiral as it falls slowly through the key zone and has an open hook.
- Flick Shake Rig – Another Uncle Frank favorite, this variation of a wacky rig causes a Dinger to shimmy irresistibly as it falls slowly through the zone.
- Weightless or Lightly Weighted Texas Rig – Probably the most popular way to rig a YUM Dinger is to hook it Texas style, so it is weedless, and add no weight or as little weight as is needed to stay in touch with the bait as it falls.
- Wacky Rig – Weightless center hooking allows for the slowest fall, with both ends undulating, and it tough to top for coaxing strikes from fussy fish.
- Punching Rig – A heavy duty Texas rig with a big weight and stout hook allows you to get through thick mats to the fish beneath them, and the Firetail colors maximize visibility in heavily shaded spots.
New YUM Dinger Colors – 5-inch & 6-inch Dingers
- Black Blue/Blue Firetail – Black & blue are proven performs in dark water. The color features a black base and blue glitter, and a Blue Firetail that, while subtle above water, pops from the fish's view and triggers attacks.
- Junebug Red/Red Firetail – Classic Junebug, but with added red fleck and with a fiery red tail to draw attention and prompt strikes.
- Junebug/Chartreuse Firetail – Junebug and Chartreuse might be the two absolute best strike attractors in dark water, and this color combines both elements and delivers hard contrast.
- Black Grape – This is a deep, dark grape that looks black and creates a hard profile in the water. Splendid not only in tannic waters but for overcast days and in waters deeply shaded by dense vegetation. Also outstanding at night.