JDM tackle – Velox Seeker

Japanese Anglers Who Have Been an Inspiration to Me…

I have studied Japanese fishing techniques for almost a decade now. Several Anglers have shared their knowledge publicly and I am grateful to them. Each of them are true masters of their craft and almost all of them are rod and lure designers as well as product testers.

Junichi Numata first came to my attention when I was shore fishing. He works with Palms Global and freely shares his vast knowledge. He is an all around great guy and it comes through in every video.

I kept running across Mr. Kanamaru while researching Ajing and Mebaru tackle. He works with APIA and Rudies. Ajing and Mebaru don’t stand a chance against him.

When I was learning about BFS, Angler Saito was doing amazing stuff. His casting is par excellence! He works with Anglo & Company. I’ve never seen someone cast as accurately and effectively as he does.

Mr. Moto is a legend! He shares knowledge and techniques on YouTube and works with Zenaq (high end rod manufacturer.) Super cool dude!

He is prominent on the seabass scene and is a fantastic angler with a great sense of humor. He works with APIA and PosiDriveGarage.

A wise gentleman who freely shares his knowledge on YouTube and various publications. He works with Thirty34Four Fishing and is an Ajing Master.

A veteran Area Trout Master Angler and designer of Daiwa Presso rods. I’m sure he’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know. He opened my eyes to a whole new level of fishing for trout in ponds. Simply incredible.

I’m pretty sure most readers are not interested in stuff like this. But these guys are my people! I would love to fish with each and every one of them and share the experience and chance to learn from them in person.

Japan is where a lot of innovations come from. Presently, on the US Bass scene, the Coike Urchin bait is all the rage…little do most of them know that it’s a 20 year old bait! I’ll leave that right there…see ya soon.

July Has Been Fun…

This year has been tough for fishing since it has rained almost every weekend. Water levels have fluctuated wildly and caused fishing to be difficult. Now the heat has finally arrived and hopefully will drive the humidity down.

The house projects are almost complete. We had new fencing installed last week and the front deck will be done next week. Yay!!!!! Prices have been eye watering to say the least.

Anyway…enough about that…let’s get on to the fishing.

We have mainly been targeting Bluegill and Redear as those are some of our favorites. Bluegill spawned late this year while Crappie and Bass spawned right on time. With all of the rain, water temps fluctuated quite a bit. It would be warm and sunny all week and by the time Friday evening arrived, the storms would start up and dump a bunch of rain.

We have also been experimenting with different jigheads and soft plastics. We have been testing various Tungsten jigheads as the sensitivity is much better. Coupled with a great rod, good line and a lightweight reel…it makes a difference.

ifish float and BG-1 jighead. Great float system.

Fishing the parking lot of the local lake. lol

Now that things are slowly getting back to normal, I’m hoping to write more articles on the blog. We are both tired of being tied to the house and need to get out and fish more.

We will catch you on the next and thank you for stopping by!

Outing: 15 October 2024

Finally! The weather cooperated and we hit the river again. Saturday was 93F and promised to be the last hot day of summer. This morning we woke up to 41F and a chilly start, but it’s a welcome relief.

We have really missed fishing the river, but it’s been too hot and not enough rain to put it in prime shape. As I’ve stated several times, we don’t like to add undue stress to our beloved native smallmouth, so we leave them alone for the hottest parts of the summer. We also lost the Mother-in-Law at the end of September so we have had to deal with all that as well.

Anyway…we arrived at 0801 with 43F temperature and were geared up and on the river bank by 0815.

My first fish was a Crappie…not quite what I was expecting

It took us a bit to figure out where they were since they weren’t in their usual haunts.

We found them hugging the bottom so it required a longer drop of the lure than normal. This is why we carry a selection of jigheads from 2.0 grams up to 4.5 grams.

My rig for the day…Tenryu Rayz 632L and a Shimano Twin Power C2000S

My wife brought two rods this time. One for jigheads and one for hard minnow lures. Certain stretches of the river require hard lures due to the fact that they just won’t bite a jighead and soft plastic. Don’t ask us why…we are just as baffled as everyone else.

Once the sun was up and had burned off the mist, the bass started cooperating. Plus, it was nice to ditch the coats.

As usual, she caught the biggest fish of the trip. We had a great time and caught quite a few fish and hopefully can squeeze another river trip or two in before the weather turns cold. Even then, trout season will start soon so we have that to look forward too.

Catch you on the next one…and we will try not to make it so long between posts.

Mail Call…

Received a package from Digitaka yesterday. In talking with my wife, I asked why she didn’t use her trout spoons more. Her response was that she was afraid to lose them because she only had a few. So I ordered some more spoons. Problem solved.

I also ordered a couple of packages of plastic lures to try out. It’s nice to have various options in case a maker goes belly up or they are sold out.

I’m not even going to attempt to explain or understand the names. Catch you on the next one…

JDM Fishing Gear One Year Later…

I did a blog post about using JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) fishing tackle about a year ago and I thought I’d do a follow up post.

I find the Japanese fishing industry very interesting. The gear, the specialization and the sheer mass of tackle at their disposal is fascinating. The cutting edge equipment and ever-evolving techniques is something to keep an eye on.

So when the wife and I made the plunge into JDM gear, we were clueless and taking big risks. Sure we had done some preliminary research, but there wasn’t a whole lot out there on our specific fishing style. Not saying that we are unique in any way, but that there appeared to be a gap between Trout fishing and Bass fishing, our style tended to blur the lines between the two.

The emphasis out there seemed to be on SUL, XUL and UL rods and then over to M,MH and H rods. We were looking at L (light) to ML (medium light) rods. Our plans were to fish rivers and streams with current yet the fish would generally be 3 pounds or less. We would just have to buy and try and hope for the best.

If you’ve read my blog then you have seen all of the rods and reels we have purchased so I won’t go into depth in regards to those.

What I will tell you is that these rods and reels took our fishing to the next level. Sensitivity was better, construction quality was better, they were lighter and smoother as well. The main thing was that they increased our enjoyment of fishing and it is hard to put a price on that.

I am NOT badmouthing any of the rods and reels you can purchase locally. I’ve fished with them for years and years. I just wanted something a bit more…a bit better.

And we found them! The Major Craft brand has been excellent in price vs performance. The TenRyu rods are true Japanese made rods and are outstanding, yet pricey. Tailwalk rods have great aesthetics and functionality. None of our rods are classified as high-end JDM rods by a long shot.

The pure joy of using these rods has made fishing truly fun again for us. Even the wife noticed and commented that she hadn’t seen me smile that much in a long time. Keep in mind that we are not wealthy by any means. I was forced to work overtime for months and we opted to use some of that income to purchase the items you see on the blog. But in hindsight, I would have no qualms about buying any of the rods we have with whatever money we had available. To me, they were worth the expenditure.

It was never about “snobbery” or being trendy. It was about finding joy and filling a niche in our style of fishing. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Why I Don’t Do Rod and Reel Reviews…

I used to do reviews when I had my YouTube fishing channel. And invariably the “experts” would appear in the comment section to hold court with their superiority. It became tedious and annoying. Constructive criticism is fine, but everyone hates Trolls. Perhaps I just sucked at it?

I have a full-time job with accompanying commute, a family, commitments and everything else that goes with being an adult. And honestly, I don’t think I could do justice to the subject with the skills I have.

I am not the CEO or CTO of a Hollywood production company with the best and brightest graphic designers, visual artists and photographers on staff.

Have you ever tried to photograph a fishing rod??? It’s not easy!

Besides, there are plenty of YouTube channels who specialize in that sort of thing already. And fishing tackle is subjective to begin with. People may not like the same things that I do…the horror! All joking aside, we are all different and have varying needs and tastes. That’s OK.

Factor in budget restraints and the target audience shrinks drastically. Rods and reels marketed towards the Japanese fishermen/women are different. The Japanese admire quality over quantity. They have no qualms about buying a top tier rod or reel to enrich their fishing experience. They completely ignore cheaply made gear. They don’t mind fishing all day to catch one good fish as opposed to lots of little fish one after another. It’s about the entire experience…not just the catch.

Quality gear costs money. Sometimes a lot of money! If it’s within your budget then get it. If not, don’t. FACT: I fished the Cossatot River with a $15 rod. Sensitivity was almost non-existent and build quality left a lot to be desired. But I caught fish.

Fishing tackle built to a price point doesn’t do much for me anymore. I’m not looking down my nose at anyone…rather, I prefer quality gear. I’ve experienced “the Dark Side”…and I LIKE IT!

Also, with a little bit of effort and “Google-fu”, you can find out all of the information about a particular rod or reel. I don’t mind providing links and pointing the way.

Most importantly…I don’t want to be obligated to a production schedule or script. Or trying to stay trendy by buying every new fishing item that hits the market. Relevance only matters when on the water. Sure I could have done an “unboxing video” with my 2021 Daiwa Presso LT standing mid-stream. YAWN! But I’d rather put that time to use by actually fishing.

I don’t have a clue as to how many fishermen/women actually like JDM fishing tackle. I just enjoy fishing and using decent gear while being non-judgmental about it all. I just share what I’ve learned and if any of my images trip your trigger and starts you on the path…Great! If it doesn’t…that’s fine too. Believe me, I’ve read blog posts where guys are fishing with a $2000+ setup and I click out because I probably will never be able to afford something like that. Obviously I’m not in that target audience LOL.

Now…on a serious note…I know it is sometimes hard to find pictures of JDM fishing rods. You occasionally have to open multiple pages on your browser as well as language translation apps. But the best site I have found to view pictures of any rod that you might be interested in is:

https://fishing.asian-portal.shop/category/select/cid/39

I am amazed by two things on that site, the sheer quantity and the complete lack of inventory. In some respects, both could be construed as good things. With COVID, everything changed and perhaps more fishermen/women are on the water or getting into the sport. Maybe not, but I try to stay positive.

With all that being said…my blog is an enjoyable hobby for me. What you see and read is 100% ME. No script, no timetable, no commitments to sponsors or affiliates, everything purchased by me and for me. If one other person gets some enjoyment out of the content…THAT’S AWESOME!

P.S> You probably can’t tell…but I started writing on the Blog this morning at 0318. In regards to Zip(our puppy), I’m not sure about who is training who anymore.

Current Plans for Fishing in 2022…

We’ve been kicking around the idea of fishing in the Southwestern Missouri, Northwestern Arkansas and Northeastern Oklahoma region this year. There are a few rivers that we have been really curious about. Researching the area, it appears that a canoe will be necessary for some of them but that’s fine with me.

Our friends keep telling us to go fish at Noel Missouri for trout but I’m not interested in fishing shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of people. We prefer some solitude when we fish. And at this juncture in our lives…we’re after native smallmouth bass anyway!

Of course, so much will depend on the weather, especially how much rainfall we get this coming Spring. And lets not forget COVID! Heaven help those who try to ignore it and get on with living.

I’ve managed to track down a few fishing reports and poured over several maps so far. It definitely looks promising. Part of our desire to fish new areas stems from the sense of adventure that we like to incorporate into our trips.

We seem to have our fishing gear “dialed in” and are not planning any significant changes this year so it will allow us to focus entirely on destinations. Non-resident annual fishing permits are reasonable for both states at $49.00 each. So approximately $200 and we can fish Missouri and Arkansas for the year. There will definitely be canoe rentals, shuttles, camping fees, fuel, food etc to contend with…but things are already falling into place and we’re excited.

We can’t fast-forward through Winter so we will do the best we can. Hopefully we will be able to squeeze in a couple of recon trips between now and Spring to get a feel for what we will be dealing with.

There’s always a lot of work to do before we ever step into a river!

Tackle Japans-Manufacturer’s List

I thought I would share this Manufacturer’s List. Lots of interesting stuff all in one place. No affiliation whatsoever on my part: For Informational Purposes Only.

Pin Posts

*Not responsible for any purchases made!

The DUO Tetra Works React 50, 55 & 65 Spinning Rod…

I was surfing the web this evening and ran across this rod. What caught my attention was its weight! It comes in 3 iterations…the React 50 weighs 36 grams!!!! The React 55 weighs 38 grams and the React 65 weighs 44 grams. To me that is incredibly light and it started the gears in my head turning.

It’s pricey but opens up quite a few possibilities in regards to my type of fishing. I definitely like the minimalist handle and the 0.6mm tip diameter is “uber thin” and tends to make me think that this is a specialists rod, possibly targeted towards Ajing fishers.

The gears are definitely turning and I will have to mull this rod over…

Links That Keep Me Going…

I thought I would share a few links from businesses and YouTube channels that specialize in JDM fishing gear, or fishing in general. During the “winter doldrums” these links keep me fired up.

http://www.digitaka.com

http://www.jdmtackleheaven.com

http://www.finesse-fishing.com

http://www.plat.co.jp

http://www.jpfishingtacklenews.com

http://www.japantackle.com

http://www.ichibantackle.com

http://www.jdmfishingtackle.com

http://www.baitfinesseempire.com

http://www.suburbantrout.com

As much as I detest YouTube…I will add some channels that I enjoy in spite of the “experts” in the comment sections!

-TroutMagnetMan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWCjOaWgSZm8ogjti50JFg/featured

-Enjoy Fishing Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQAtakEbQa-YZ6zmESV92w

-i_fish https://www.youtube.com/c/ifishcatfish

-TSURINAN https://www.youtube.com/c/%E9%87%A3%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AA%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99ch

-27 mojo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvGkG9JtqfRZFY-yIGQJcag

-Threadline Angler https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTrXgmWY9fLzd9BqfOnZwpg

-Hobie-Wan Kenobi https://www.youtube.com/c/HobieWanKenobi

-Brooksy https://www.youtube.com/c/JonnyBrooksFishing

-RoKKiT Kit https://www.youtube.com/c/rokkitkit

-Henry Gilbey https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGM2KWkhqA8L18HT7oFsfrQ

-Gido’s Fishing Adventures https://www.youtube.com/c/GidosLandBasedFishingAdventures

-Lanix Fishing Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/LanixFishingChannel

These are just a few that I regularly watch. I enjoy several different forms of fishing and I like to see “how it’s done” in various parts of the world. And now for the Ubiquitous Disclaimer: I do not sell anything, make commissions from, or have sponsorships from any of the above. They are merely links for the sake of information.

Local Lake Outing 12 Sept 2021…

I was talking to my Dad last night via Facetime and he was giving me a little grief about not fishing. He said, “you say its too hot yet you’re running around all over doing other things.” He was right! We were trying to come up with something to do today so opted to hit both of our local lakes. We got up early to beat the heat and headed out.

The first lake was a bust since it is completely overgrown now and fishing from the shore is virtually impossible. We caught zero fish after walking all the way around it. As usual I was on the lookout for plants. Here is just a few of what we ran across.

Indian woodoats (Chasmanthium latifolium)

After getting skunked and picking all of the burs and stick-tights off of us, we opted to try the other lake near us. As we were driving down the gravel road we were witness to a Bobcat crossing the road carrying a rabbit in its mouth. We watched as it loped across the road and coursed up a steep hill. We thought that was pretty cool…especially with how big it was.

We reached the next lake and chatted with a local. He was out on his 4-wheeler with the grandkids and was letting them burn off some energy. We know the feeling all too well.

All told we caught 5 largemouth bass, a perch and a crappie. I wanted to get a few pictures for the blog and quit fishing after an hour. Remember me mentioning that this area was covered by the Western Interior Sea during the Cretaceous Period 145 million to 66 million years ago? I took some pictures of the fossils that cover a large portion of this area.

As we were roaming around the area just looking, we ran across this guy!

Eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos)

It was pretty docile despite the flared hood. They come in a remarkable range of coloration.

After interacting with the snake we decided to move on and see what else we could find. As usual, there were numerous plants in bloom in the area.

Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) Watch those thorns!

Common whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia) When reeling in I hooked some weeds and it rode them all the way in.

We had fun with the few hours we were out. We tend to free-range the chickens on the weekends so we decided to head home to let them out for the day. As I sit here typing, I’m surrounded by foraging chickens. There is shade at the moment and a breeze blowing through the tree tops.

They do a good job of keeping the raised beds tilled up…so I don’t have to do it!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Some of my JDM Spinning Rods and Reels.

MajorCraft Finetail Banshee FBA-602L rod

MajorCraft Finetail Trekking and Traveler FTX-46/505UL rod

MajorCraft Finetail Works Tune Area Spec FTA-582UL rod

Please don’t take this as me showing off…that’s not what I’m about. Rather, when researching JDM tackle, you run across names and numbers without pictures provided. I’m merely putting forth pictures to anyone interested in JDM tackle.

I have ZERO affiliation with MajorCraft but have found them to be good values in terms of quality and performance. There are LOTS of other brands out there and there are higher and lower priced rods and reels as well. As stated before…we are really happy with these rods in regards to price vs performance.

Two of the main places I purchase my JDM tackle from are Digitaka and JDMTackleHeaven. I have found them to be reasonably priced with fast/reliable shipping. Again, no affiliation. Also, Chris Stewart over at http://www.finesse-fishing.com has a selection of BFS rods, reels, lures etc. He’s based in NY so shipping might be faster on certain items.

I am by no means an expert on JDM tackle, rather I try to post stuff I have researched, purchased and used. I hope it might prove helpful to someone…Cheers!