Bass Fishing, Saltwater Style

Trying my luck on foreign grounds... I was able to manage one of these beautiful fish. I broke in my new rod and reel with this bass. Catch and Release also applies to the salt for me.

Tackle:
Rod: Lamiglas XL735C
Reel: Shimano Curado 300E
Lure: WarBaits Slayer Jig 3/4oz + Pearl Swimbait

What's in the Bag?

They don't stand a chance...

A New Trick To Save Some Plastics

One of my favorite finesse techniques that I love to use is the "Inch Wacky" Technique. The "Inch Wacky" technique, popularized in Japan, consist of a finesse style worm, and a small jig head which is rigged in the center of the worm creating an erratic action bass can't stand.

There are many jig heads in the market made specifically for this technique, but my personal favorite is the Zappu "Inchi Wacky" head. This head is specifically designed for correct action on the worm. Inchi Wacky technique isn't simply hooking the worm directly in the middle and throwing it out. To correctly rig the lure, you insert the hook directly in the middle of the worm and exit it at a 90 degree angle from the insertion point. The shape of Zappus hook ensures that the rig is properly held in place.

notice the shape of the Zappu hook on the left compared to the Jackall hook on the right. Both hooks are 1/16oz. The big difference is the line tie and the hook. The line time of the Zappu head is at a 45degree angle which helps moves the jighead AROUND the worm. This aids in keeping the worm in place while the jig head goes around the worm in the water. The shape of the hook also helps with the way the point goes upwards instead of rounded. That point is where the worm should be.

On to the trick:
Many people who wacky rig worms knows the problems involved with it, which is losing the worm on almost every fish. Depending on what worms you use, it can get VERY pricey. Many have discovered the O-ring technique to save worms, but the problem with that is sometimes you cannot get the proper hookset or action since the hook is parallel with the worm. Depending on the size of your worm, it can also slide out. Some people double the O-ring and place the hook where the rings cross to have the hook perpendicular, and although that works, I personally don't like that black ring on my worm, especially when I use white plastics, the fish may not care, but it just doesn't look natural. I discovered a way to eliminate the O-ring; have the worm hooked correctly, and not lose the worm.

Items needed:
1. Your favorite finesse plastic, I prefer the Jackall Flick Shake 4.8 or 5.8
2. Wacky Jig Head, any will do, but the best is Zappu "Inchi Wacky" Head
3. and last, my secret, hitchhikers! Used to attach trailers.

Step 1: Screw in a hitchhiker into the middle of your Jackall Flick Shake
Step 2: clip off the excess material with a nail clipper or pliers
Step 3: Rig your worm just how you would normally by inserting the hook INSIDE of the coil and coming out from the side of it (might be hard depending on the size of the hook)

The benefits of doing this is that the hitchhiker acts as a support so the plastic does not get ripped off from the worm, which saves you your plastic and your hard earned cash! You saw it here first!

Breaking in the new toy...

Was able to take the rod out today for a bit of fishing at the pond. Talked to a friend there saying he just missed a bite. As he was saying that, I immediately got a bite, but I missed. I fished the Jackall Flick Shake 4.8in on a 1/32oz Zappu Inch Wacky jig head near the grass beds around the lake.

I could feel my lure getting caught in most of the weeds so I'd rip it out and continue to impart action on the lure. Few casts later, I feel my lure on the line of weeds in the lake and rip it out, but there was some weight on it. Initially I thought since I was using a jig head without a weed guard, I gathered some weeds, but as I pulled with the rod, I noticed my rod tip dancing. A bass was on the other end of the line! Fishing 5lb test is so different especially paired with the Ultra Light rod "Super Inch Wacky" from Jackall.

The bass jumped into the air shaking vigorously to get the hook free, but those Zappu hooks are sharp and held on. After the jump, the bass swam directly to the patch of grass it was probably hiding in the first place. I can no longer muscle this bass to shore with 5 lb Super FC Sniper. I waited it out for it to finally come out and reeled in my first bass on the new rod/reel setup!

Look at all the grass it was in! I took off some even before the picture

Here's another fish caught on the same setup...

The rod action feels good, I can feel every tick at the other end, and paired with the Shimano Stradic CI4 1000, it's an ultra light setup. Finesse Fishing on spinning setup is fun!

Tackle List:
Rod: Jackall Poison Heritage "Super Inch Wacky" HS-66UL-IW
Reel: Shimano Stradic CI4 1000
Lure: Jackall Flick Shake 4.8in + 1/32oz Zappu Inchi Wacky Jig Head
Line: Sunline Super FC Sniper 5#

Finally!

Complete~!

Jackall Poison Heritage "Super Inch Wacky" HS-66UL-IW
Shimano Stradic Ci41000
Sunline Super FC Sniper 5#
Zappu Wacky Jig Head 1/32
Jackall Flick
Shake 4.8 Maruhata Sherbet

Jackall Poison Heritage "Super Inch Wacky" HS-66UL-IW

Which brings my Jackall collection to 4!
:D

More Jackall Products from ICAST 2010

Curt Arakawa just introduced two new lures to hit the market for Jackall USA, which brings a total of 4 new lures (that I know of) to the US. Aside from the Swimming Ninja G90, and the Ammonite Shad, Jackall USA also brought in the Jackall Bling 55, and the Jackall Soul Shad.

Bling 55 - The Jackall Bling is a flat side crank bait that's meant to run shallow and also has a high pitch sound to it. The lure is one of Ken Iyobe's creations, a Jackall Pro from Japan who also fishes the BASS Central and FLW in America. The lip of the crankbait is made of circuit board material. Another feature of the lure is the two different sizes of the hook. The rear hook is slightly larger than the middle hook, which allows better hooksets due to short bites. The lure is 55mm in length and weighs in at 9.3 grams. As of now, I do not know how many colors it comes in for the US variations, but in Japan it comes in 8 different colors. I assume the colors though would follow what we have here anyways. Here is a stock photo from Jackall Japan website, I have a few of these lures too so I'll be adding close up pictures later on.

Soul Shad - Next up is the US release of Jackall's "Soul Shad". Interesting enough, this lure just recently came out in Japan and is already a top seller there. Usually Jackall USA waits a while for the lures to hit US soil, but there was little wait for this lure. This is one lure I'm definitely excited to buy as I cannot find any online from Japanese sellers to ship to the US. As you can see, Curt explains the chamber inside that allows this 58mm lure to be casted at long distances. The slim body focuses on a fast retrieve and also a dead stick jerking action. The slender body also enables the fish to easily inhale the lure, and to hook the fish securely. Again, the color variations from the US and Japan vary, so most likely the colors that will be introduced here will match the current Jackall colors already out. Japan has 12 different colors.

You can watch the Soul Shad in action and see just how effective these baits are in this video of Jackall Pros, Takuma Hata and Hiroako Mizuno in a friendly competition. Watch as Takuma Hata catches fish after fish with the Soul Shad. Parts 2 and 3 should be on the site also.

I wonder if I can get a job at Jackall USA, it's a few miles from my area and as you can tell, I'm a huge Jackall fan. Curt Arakawa, if you see this I'm available to work! I was the one who gave you a few Ammonite Shads at Bass-a-Thon before it was released to the US.

ICAST 2010

It's that time of year again where all the tackle junkies start saving up for the new gear that is to be released. As always, I'm excited to see what will be out this year, especially from a few of my favorite vendors such as Shimano, and Jackall.

Jackall however, I need no wait as to what will come out. Everything here is already out in Japan, and with the internet it's always easy purchasing items overseas. What I heard was released from Jackall USA however was the Jackall I Shad soft plastic, designed to be for the "i-motion" retrieve style popular in Japan. Also, one of my favorite lures from Jackall will be readily available (hopefully) in the USA. That lure is the Ammonite Shad. Another lure that was showcased from what I know is the Jackall Swimming Ninja Bluegill G90, known in Japan as the Veyron. Jackall Japan offers the Veyron G110, so I'm assuming it's slightly larger than the US version, which is rare because Jackall Japan usually has everything.

Shimano is up next with the reel I've been waiting for since hearing it in Japan. Shimano Scorpion XT1000 is now in US soil, labeled the Shimano Curado 50! For $199, it's a great deal considering it's $50 less than its Japanese counterpart, plus you get the Shimano Warranty!

ICAST will last till Friday I believe, you can follow all information on various sites such as TackleWarehouse and TackleTour to name a few.

You can see the rest of the Shimano Lineup here:
2coolfishing Forum

As well as read up on TackleTour's write up on Shimano:
TackleTour