Ep. 118: Aki Yamamoto of Bad News Bass on Building Community & the Bay Area Fishing Scene

Guest: Aki Yamamoto (Bad News Bass) | Hosts: Daniel Dahlin ([FISH]rx), El Charly, Luke Dean (Bait Slingers / Artemis Charters)

Aki Yamamoto of Bad News Bass joined from the Bay Area for Episode 118, recorded live on February 10, 2026 — and brought a different kind of fishing conversation. Less technique, more community. How do you build something real around fishing? How do you hold a live event in a restaurant that feels like a club night and not a vendor fair? And what does it look like when the brand is literally you?

In This Episode

• Charly officially announced as running the iRod Coastal Instagram page — no longer a secret
• Daniel joining the iRod team — catching fish on the Coastal series and making it official
• How Aki builds around live events — renting out a restaurant in San Jose, DJs, booths, bringing in Caesar and other community figures
• Bad News Bass merch drops — two drops a month, new colorways, Friday drop coming that episode
• May 30th live event locked in — Aki signs the contract during the episode
• Daniel appearing on Snagging Grass and Catching Bass the following day — Spotty Bowl Session 2 results
• Retailer shoutouts from [FISH]rx — Island Tackle, Davon, Bob Sands, Tackle Express, Fisherman’s Access, Peak Plastics
• Viking Baits shoutout from Aki — and the things neither he nor Daniel could talk about yet

Beyond the Rod & Reel with Bad News Bass

Aki’s take on live events was one of the more useful brand conversations the show has had. The goal isn’t to sell merch at the door — it’s to put Instagram handles to faces and let people find each other. He brings in Caesar, John (Film Your City), Joseph, and whoever else he’s connected with, promotes them like they’re headlining a club night, hands out Sharpies so people can get baits signed. “It’s hospitality,” he said. “You come to San Jose, you connect with us, we’re going to make sure it’s right.” The fishing community is good at making content. It’s less good at making rooms.

The iRod double announcement was a nice moment — Charly officially confirmed as running the Coastal page after what he described as a long-running secret, followed immediately by Daniel saying he’s joining the team. Both had been fishing iRod rods for a while anyway. The formal acknowledgment was more about putting it on record than changing anything.

Watch the full episode on the Time On The Water YouTube channel. New episodes every Tuesday at 6 PM.