JDM vs Non-JDM Round 1

June 8, 2019 By Scott 4 Comments

So, we kicked off our informal comparison of Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) lures vs Non-JDM lures. The plan was to use Erik’s aluminum skiff to take us to promising reefs for wade whipping.

As Erik and I were launching we saw papio blowing up bait fish. We scrambled to put a lure on, and Erik threw a JDM micro jig; I threw a Shimano Waxwing Baby. On the second cast I hooked a papio and was surprised it was an omilu, not a white, in the muddy water. Waxwings are sold in the US and not in Japan, so Non-JDMs were up one! I got another hit that missed the upturned double hook, and the school swam out of reach.

We picked Robert up on the way to the wading spot, and he rigged Carolina-style with a non-JDM soft plastic knob-tailed shad. Erik threw a JDM popper, I threw a JDM hard plastic sub-surface lure, but there was no life on the flat. We got back in the skiff and trolled around for nada.

Then Erik put us on a drift into the shallows and Robert connected with an omilu on his Maria micro jig, followed by a lizardfish. Officially, the jig is not distributed in the US, but sold in some local tackle stores here, so we considered it a JDM jig. JDM 1 – Non-JDM 1.

The sun was sitting on this action-less day so we dropped Robert off and headed back to our launch site. Low light conditions are when the popper really shines and with 5 mins to go, Erik pulled off the last inning rally. His JDM popper got hit as soon as it landed in the water, and the fish pulled drag like a big papio. Turns out the biggest fish of the day was foul hooked, but was released relatively unharmed.

Final score JDM 2, Non-JDM 1. We really didn’t have enough shots at fish to stage a head-to-head lure comparison. We did confirm that the papio really aren’t in yet. More testing to follow!

Are JDM whipping lures worth the $$ ?

June 5, 2019 By Scott 6 Comments

The product testing crew here has been buying Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) whipping lures from Japan for a few years now, and some JDMs are beginning to show up in the local tackle shops. Because of the higher quality and international shipping, they cost quite a bit more than US Domestic lures. But are they worth it?

Scott:

I had been trying to fish shallow reef flats (1ft to 3ft) and sinking lures like Kastmasters kept snagging the bottom or picking up limu. The floating plugs found in the shops at the time were bigger than our inshore baits (nehu, iao, baby mullet) and didn’t swim that well. The popular bubble and grub setup required a long leader and therefore a long rod to be fished effectively.

I was given a Shimano Waxwing in 2015, a couple years after it made its successful debut in Hawaii. The Waxwing immediately caught fish on the flats because the rear double hook faces up and is relatively snag free, and it has a very aggressive zig zag swimming action. The Waxwing worked in the surf too, and I even caught an oio on it! Read about that here.

The Waxwing was so ingenious, yet only sold in the US market, not in Japan. That got me curious. Did that mean there were other Japanese lures even better than the Waxwing that we don’t see in the US? I tried some popular JDM lures purchased online overseas, and most worked, to some extent. Then I met Thad through this website and he took my JDM knowledge to a whole ‘nother level.

Thad had been tracking JDM lures for a number of years and started me on a few “guarantee catch” ones. Those lures cast well due to rear weights, swam perfect every time, and drew some incredible strikes.

Thad:

Why do I prefer to use JDM lures over the ones available here in the US? It mainly comes down to variety and quality. While we in the US are limited to a few domestic brands and a small handful of Japanese makers that have branched out to the US, the sheer number of brands and models available in the overseas market is staggering. All those lure choices leads to increased competition between lure makers to produce higher quality and better performing lures. Even when a Japanese company branches out and makes a lure available in the US, the JDM version will often be available with more color options as well as a saltwater version that comes with stronger hooks and increased weights.

Testing new lures to see how they perform here in our local waters is something I and many of my fishing friends enjoy doing. With Japanese brands collectively releasing numerous new lures each month, we never run out of models to try. I’ve come across a few JDM duds that didn’t perform as hoped, but more often than not they turn out to be winners. It’s an expensive addiction that we all enthusiastically share.

Features I look for when reviewing new lure specs are size, weight, floating vs sinking, diving range, and swim action. My ideal specs are around 80-125mm, 10-25g, floating, and if it dives, I prefer a range of 0-30cm. These requirements alone will rule out most lures available here. Another “must have” for subsurface lures is an internal weight transfer system to provide optimal casting distances and swim action. I believe Daiwa was one of the first companies in Japan to use an internal weight transfer system back in the early 80’s. It’s pretty much become a standard feature of subsurface lures marketed in Japan but it’s not as widely available in US lures.

Scott: We’ve been exclusively whipping the JDMs for so long, we’ve decided to do a JDM vs Non-JDM challenge to see if the JDMs really are that much better. Stay tuned as Robert uses grubs, kastmasters and domestic plugs while I fish the JDMs! And if you have had experience, good or bad, with JDM lures, we’d love to hear about it, via a comment on this post. Chee!

What gear to use to fish light lures from shore

May 13, 2019 By Scott 21 Comments

Thad, our resident JDM tackle expert and land based whipper:

So you’re checking out Hawaii Nearshore Fishing, which is loaded with useful information on light lures, and wonder to yourself, what kind of gear should I be using to fish lures like those? Here’s a short guide on some of the gear I use to whip these small lures in the 10 to 30 gram range, which equates to approximately 3/8 to 1 oz. The gear I like to use is based on my own personal experiences and preferences – it’s what I’m comfortable using. Others may have their own techniques which are just as effective for them.

Rod

I prefer to use rods in the 9 to 10 foot range with 9’6″ rods being my favorite. I fish mostly shoreline fish areas and often walk the shallow flats and will walk out to the break on low tides if conditions permit. Longer rods will tend to give you better casting distances. I find 9’6″ rods to be the perfect length for me because, in the event the line should tangle on the tip of the rod while I’m out walking the reef flats, I can still reach it without having to dunk my reel in the water – a big no no if your reel has no water seal. Rod action, or taper that I prefer is regular to regular fast. I find this action allows me to load up on the cast so the rod does a lot of the work in getting the light lures out. I try to find rods rated for lures anywhere in the 5 to 35 gram range and avoid using lures at or above the rod rating.

Reel

I tend to use mostly Shimano reels in the 3000 to 4000 sizes with the 4000 being my go-to. If you decide to use other brands such as Daiwa, be aware that the number sizing is not the same between brands. A Daiwa 4000 reel will be bigger and heavier than a Shimano 4000. I also prefer high speed reels with a gear ratio of 6.0:1 or faster.

Line

I use braided mainline for its high strength relative to its small diameter. It will allow you to get maximum casting distance without sacrificing strength. It also won’t deteriorate as quickly as monofilament, which usually needs to be changed regularly depending on how often you fish. Monofilament will deteriorate and lose strength from sunlight and even from fumes if stored in a closet with chemicals. The drawback to braid is its higher cost and low abrasion resistance. I use 20lb braid on my Shimano 4000 reel and 10lb braid on my 3000.

Leader

My preference is to use 25lb fluorocarbon leader but I will use 40lb on occasion if I’m seeing a lot of big kaku in the water. Monofilament leader will also work and is much cheaper. I use a little less than two arm lengths of leader and connect it to the mainline with an FG knot. This will allow the knot to be just below the bottom guide when casting. Some people have no issues with longer leaders which wrap the spool a few times but I find it decreases my casting distance considerably. The JDM rods I use tend to have much smaller guides so having the FG knot between the bottom guide and reel will give the knot a smooth, straight-line path through the guides. If you’re not yet comfortable tying an FG knot, you can also use a swivel to connect the leader and mainline, but you will need to shorten the leader since the knot will not and should not be cast through the guides.

I tie a Tactical Angler (TA) clip to the end of the leader using an improved clinch knot or an Orvis knot. Orvis knots are very strong and the tag end points towards the lure so there’s less chance of catching limu on it but the knot can be difficult to tie on thicker lines. The TA clip is strong and makes it easy to switch out lures in seconds. I like to switch lures constantly when I whip so I can’t fish without a TA clip. I experimented using a small swivel between the leader and clip but found that the extra weight often affected the action of the light lures. None of the lures I use spin in the water so I don’t need the swivel.

So there you have it. My preferred set up for whipping small lures, small jigs, and bubble with fly or grub. It works for me and fits the style of fishing I enjoy the most.

Editors Note: No wonder Thad outfishes me, his rod is 1.5ft longer than mine, and his leader is twice as long as what I use!

Whipping Lure Recommendations by Junior Angler

May 7, 2019 By Scott 10 Comments

Matthew: Over the past few years, I have been experimenting with lures, from bottom dragging lures to subsurface, to topwater. I found that topwater is generally better from around 6 am to 9 am and 4pm to 7pm. Subsurface lures still work well during those hours, but I feel that due to the low light the fish can see a topwater lure better because there’s less glare in their eyes. During those midday hours is when those subsurface lures work the best. Here is a list of some of the lures I like, although some I can only provide limited information about. I only use lures I have good faith in.

Editor: 3/8 oz gold Kastmaster was the Moana killer from the surfboard

Kastmasters: Kastmasters are good because like the name suggests, they cast very far. They also catch fish. I use Kastmasters in just about any type of water, whereas other lures are limited to certain conditions, tides, and water clarity. I cast them out as far as I can and burn it in pretty fast. You can also jig it like a jig or run it on the surface like a topwater lure, but I find it best to burn it fast. ¼ or ⅜ size is my favorite, anything over ½ is too big for my style.

Editor: This Sammy came from Japan in coloration not seen in the US market.

Lucky Craft Sammy: I like the Sammy as one of my favorite topwater lures because of the great walking action it has. However, it is a little too chubby to be the best lure, and due to the chubbiness, the Kaku often hit it and miss the hooks. However, it has some of the best walking action out there. Great lure to learn how to “walk the dog”.

Editor: Stainless steel Japanese trolling hook installed.

Shimano Waxwing Baby: The Waxwing is good because of its small profile (2.68 inch) and the great motion. The lure has “wings” that make it move from side to side, but I don’t rip it because in my opinion if it swings too aggressively it scares away the fish. The double hooks it’s supposed to be used with make it pretty snag proof, but 75% of the time the fish will miss it. I’ve been experimenting with treble hooks on the Waxwing and the hookup ratio has increased, but the snag ratio has also increased. Uncle Scott recommends using the stronger, shorter, stainless steel double hook used for small aku squid skirts that the tackle shops sell. They are expensive but the hookup ratio greatly improves.

Duel Hardcore Heavy Shot: I like the Heavy Shot because it punches through the wind even better than a kastmaster and has a good sinking and swimming action. It is classified as a Heavy Swimmer. Only bad part about this lure is that it sinks pretty fast, so I don’t use it on the flats too often.

Ima Komomo Counter: I really like the Komomo because like a lot of other lipless minnows, it has a wide, more natural side to side action than traditional lipped minnows, and is also heavy yet floats, so it punches through the wind very well. All the color patterns on Ima are pretty fit for Hawaii if you don’t chose the Akakin (reddish orange) color.

Shimano Coltsniper 80F Twitch: The Coltsniper is a solid lure, like the Kastmaster, functioning in all types of water. The pink-silver color draws in the fish and on a choppy day, helps them zone in on the bobbing lure. I fish it by dipping its head, which drives the Kaku insane.

Daiwa Shoreline Shiner Vertice Z: The Vertice is a floating that dives to about a foot, with a very lifelike side to side wiggle that gets Papio to commit unlike other lures. When fished fast however, Kaku sometimes aim ahead and cut the line. Best to use a slow to medium speed retrieve for maximum wobble. It casts very well into the wind due to its weight transfer system and streamlined body, and comes in a variety of realistic colors. The slim profile matches mullet, oama, and all of the baitfish in our waters.

Shimano Flash Boost: This new product by Shimano has an interesting new feature – a vibrating metallic foil plate in the middle. When it shakes, it creates a huge flash that is supposed to increase the catch rate. It also has more realistic scales. It is 99mm and floats. True to its name, Shallow Assassin, it dives shallow and has a wobbling action similar to the Vertice Z. It does not come with a split ring, so I’ve found for certain lures I have to add the split ring to make the action right.

Note that my experience is limited to shoreline fishing no deeper than 15 feet deep, and only a few spots. All of these lures will work but each shines in its own conditions. I throw them on a Medium-Light spinning rod and a Medium baitcasting rod. I throw the heavier lures on the baitcaster for more distance and less tangles.

Holoholo: Japan tackle shopping and fishing recap by Matthew

April 2, 2019 By Scott 15 Comments

Frequent guest poster Matthew was able to travel with his family to Japan during Spring Break and enjoy the food, tackle deals and fishing opportunities. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Matt, makes me want to go to Japan now!

Matthew: Warning: this is going to be a long one, so if you don’t have time, stop right here.

Over spring break I had a lot of fun. The day after I got out of school, I went fishing at my secret spot and got two Kaku and a Papio on some JDM’s (Japan Domestic Model products). I left for Japan, hoping to find more JDM’s and some fish.

We arrived in Osaka, stayed one night, then rode a local train to Kyoto, where we saw the monkey park and some other attractions. I found a Tackle Berry store, where I got some new used lures, even some JDM’s, some such as the Ima P-CE, and a lot others I will not name. However, the highlight of that store was a used Daiwa Sealine 250, which I got for only eight bucks. Must be a fake right? Nope, tried it when I got home and everything works fine, except for a few scratches and it being an old model.

In Tokyo, the food was so good, and one ramen place had the best ramen I’ve ever tasted. We visited Ichigaya Fishing Center, which has carp ponds. You have to pay to fish there, but it is worth it as you can catch up to twenty in an hour. I enjoyed fighting the carp on an ultra light handpole and a barbless hook. I was happy for my family, which all landed a fish. My mom and sister even landed one!

We visited the Joshuya in Shibuya, where I found the new Duel Hardcore shallow runner, which may be a limited edition, so get it while you still can. At a good price it should be 11-12 dollars in US conversion. For a general Yen price move the decimal two to the left. The shallow runner works very well, and is better than most lipped minnows, as it is not lipped, and has sort of like a built in lip, like all other Japanese lures. It is 90 millimeters and is floating, and has a knocker. Be careful not to get the mid diver, which looks exactly like it. It runs less than a foot below water when used correctly.

I also got a Pugachev’s Cobra, which is a lure that Uncle Thad likes so much. Now that I’ve tried it myself, I can see why. But for 90 millimeters it is highly priced at 19 dollars or up, some even going for 24 dollars on Amazon and Ebay. It walks very well, with a wide side to side motion. I also got a few more lures, but I have been warned to not mention their names. One works very well, with a slim nose and a nice surface action, moving around very erratically. We went to Shinjuku the next day, where we tried a fish foot spa. Some of you may have seen the video of me in the foot spa on my instagram – @shorefishing_oahu_style, but if you haven’t, then go check it out, it’s kind of funny. We went to the Tackle Berry there, where I found a used conventional for only ten dollars. Seems like Tackle Berry has good deals on used items. On research, I found out it was last made in the mid to late 1960s and was an Abu Garcia reel.

I picked up a lure that Uncle Thad had recommended, called the Daiwa Switch Hitter. It is 105 millimeters and has a neat S moving pattern 2 inches under the surface, which should drive the Kaku mad. I was lucky to find it marked off 30% of its original price, 17 dollars.

We went to a tonkatsu place next, where the chicken and pork tonkatsu was so soft, it melted in my mouth. I really liked that place.

The last fishing store we stopped at was Sansui, which is very confusing. They have two different “parts” that are broken up into four different stores, all within 1000 feet of each other. It was a huge challenge to find the saltwater part, and although it is a great place, I would advise you to not come here unless you know exactly which store you are going to, and which kind of fishing you are looking for. I purchased a Ima Komomo, which also was 90 millimeters and a diving bait with a knocker.

After five days in Tokyo, we left for Hakone, by Lake Ashi. We arrived there when it was already cold, but I couldn’t resist but to throw some lures. We ended up catching 11 smelt, but no bass or trout. After, we ate a traditional Kaiseki meal, with nine courses, which made me think my belly was going to burst. We stayed in a traditional Ryokan, with even a real Onsen. An Onsen is a lava-fed spring pool with minerals that are supposed to help with relaxation and skin issues. Only bad thing is that you have to get naked to go in there. With strangers. It was packed too, which was not good for privacy. Overall, I enjoyed the Ryokan though. The next morning, the lake was so glassy, that I couldn’t resist throwing topwater even though it was only 30 degrees fahrenheit. I somehow got a bite on my switch hitter, but it missed and was too lazy to come back for it in the cold weather.

We left Odawara Station for Osaka shortly after. When we got there, we checked into our hotel, which was very nice and in a good location. The food in Osaka was very good, unlike the fishing. I had the best crab ever at a street vendor selling king crab, Kani as they call it.

We left at five in the morning for a place in Misaki, for fishing. It was supposed to be good, but I ended up not getting a bite for four hours, and just watched my bobber move with the waves. My mom bought live Halalu, or Aji as they call it, to try lure in the Hiramasa (Japanese yellowtail). I had one do a heart-stopping circle around it before watching it leave. Again. Back to bobber fishing. Waited for another hour and a half, until, finally, I saw my bobber twitch. I broke out of my trance and watched it more carefully. Sure enough, it started moving fast across the surface. I set the hook hard, and a screamer was on. What could it be? Finally done with the junk fish, I thought to myself, and for sure a new species. No. No. No. No. No. It seems like bad luck follows me everywhere. After 30 well-fought seconds, I pulled up a fully inflated… Puffer. A puffer. Not those same pests you catch all the time in Hawaii, these can sell for hundreds of dollars per fish. But still, I was happy to finally catch a fish, but sad that it was a puffer. I was so discouraged by that, so that we left shortly after giving the Tora Fugu to a local fisherman, who was enormously grateful.

We left for Hawaii the next day, thinking about the crummy fishing, but also about how good the food was. I didn’t have a single meal that tasted bad or even mediocre in Japan. Now, time to test the JDMs. I tried my luck with the Kaku and got very lucky. I quickly got three kaku within only 45 minutes.

Next, I wanted to try bass fishing. I went to a stream and casted my topwater lure. Almost instantly, a nice size smallie demolished my bait and put up a very nice fight. I later caught a smaller one that I trapped in a pond before taking pictures.

Overall, it was a very good break and I hope to get more action on my JDM’s, and more good food like in Japan.

Matt (who is too tired to complete another long bait report)

I will do a brief bait report.

Sardines: Few, rare at this time of season

Halalu: Two piles I know of

Oama: Starting to come in, seven spots I know of

Iao: Plenty, almost everywhere

Nehu: Same as Iao

The stuff I use and why I use ’em – Fishing Tackle

December 20, 2017 By Scott 5 Comments

(Updated April 2019)

Since starting the blog portion of this site in 2014, I’ve stumbled upon equipment to make my fishing easier, more productive and more enjoyable. I can’t share our fishing spots with you but I can share the equipment I especially like.

The gear categories are fishing tackle, fishing attire, and kayak fishing equipment.

My style and preference may be very different from yours so please take that into account. Where I deviate the most is using bait casting gear instead of spinning gear. I’ve mentioned why I like to use bait casters here.

Some of my gear may be discontinued but you should be able to find a newer, hopefully better version of the product. If you have a product you think is better, please share it with us. I’m always looking for continuous improvement.

I’ll update this list as I think of other products to add or replace, and write separate product reviews for the really deserving ones.

Fishing Tackle

Rods: I primarily use bait casting gear and like my rods to be as light in weight and as sensitive as possible. I try to be careful with my rods so I’ve been able to use graphite / carbon fiber rods which are lighter and more responsive than fiberglass. The lightness really makes a difference when I’m whipping or jigging for hours at a time. For whipping, I try to find G. Loomis demo rods on eBay, and use Shimano Trevala rods for jigging. I also have a Shimano Game Type-J jig rod that is a super light, strong delight to jig with all day.

Reels: Again, I primarily use bait casting reels. I used other brands in the 90s to kayak fish and they corroded quickly so I switched to early model Shimano Calcuttas and have used Shimanos since. The Shimano bait casters rated for salt water are easy to cast, corrosion resistant and fairly easy to maintain. If I need to have the reel professionally repaired, Shimano’s flat rate repairs have been very reasonable. Reel parts are also available online at a great price with expedited shipping. I’m able to do most of my reel maintenance myself now, after bungling my initial repairs. Besides the Calcuttas, I use Shimano Curados, Tranxs and a Trinidad (conventional).

Line – Backing or Main: Sufix 832 braid. I’ve tried the other popular brands with less than desirable results. I’ve found Sufix 832 to be round (8 strands), smooth and cast very well. It doesn’t bind into itself they way the other brands did, and if I do get a rare backlash I can easily pull out the snag without too much drama. I’ve heard great things about Jerry Brown braid and want to try that soon.

Line – Top Shot: I’m able to put Seaguar Invizx fluorocarbon on my bait casting reels. I’ve tried to put it on a spinning reel and it spun itself off. Invizx, being castable fluorocarbon, is nearly invisible in the water and very abrasion resistant. It takes a lot of rubbing on the reef to get cut off by a fish but it also makes it hard to break off snags. I use Invizx on my trolling reel and inshore casting reel. Invizx only goes up to 25lb so I don’t use it on my plugging setup.

Line – Leader: Seaguar Blue Label fluorocarbon leader. I like that Blue Label is supple and easy to tie knots, and doesn’t seem to kink like some other brands. I use 40lb Blue Label in place of wire leader when kaku are around and don’t think I’ve been cut off yet.

Hooks: When I lived in California, I’d go on party boat trips once or twice a year. The guys would tell me that if you’re gonna spend the money for these trips you don’t want to lose a fish because your hook was too weak or too dull. The “designer” hooks cost a little more but you know they are sticky sharp and won’t break on a fish. I use a Gamakatsu Live Bait hook as the front hook on my double trolling rig because the short shank doesn’t extend out too far and make the bait look funny, and an Owner Flyliner hook on the rear hook because the longer shank will extend out of the fish and be easier to unhook. I pinch the barbs down because I often tag and release and it’ll be easier to pull out of my flesh. I replace my lure trebles with Owner Inline Singles for the front hooks and Owner 4X trebles for the rear hooks. The designer hooks have a corrosion resistant coating and when they begin to rust I toss them. Usually I lose them before that happens. I started using the big VMC Tournament Circle hooks to fish big baits from my kayak’s rod holder. They are strong and sharp and not as expensive as the Owner and Gamakatsu circle hooks.

Update April 2019: I now use VMC hooks in place of the designer brands wherever I can because they perform almost as well and are often close to half the price of the designer hooks. My hookup ratio hasn’t seemed to suffer. Here’s an team review of the VMC 6X circle hooks and 4X treble hooks.

Lure Clips: Tactical Angler Power Clips. These clips make it easy to slide in and out lures very quickly and the wide bend allows the lures to swing more freely than if tied directly to your leader. Haven’t lost a fish due to clip failure yet.

Weights. I do use a special weight to whip and troll. It’s my secret weapon. Maybe I’ll reveal it later.

Swivels. I don’t have a specific brand but I do try to use ball bearing swivels. The bait casting reel doesn’t introduce line twist like a spinner does so I don’t have problems with tangles.

Lures – Whipping. I’m of the belief that the bait fish in Hawaii are small and shifty. Most of the plugs available domestically are larger than I prefer, or don’t cast well in the wind. Friends and I have been using 1/2 to 3/4 ounce, 4 to 5 inch JDM lures that match our hatch, cast well and most float. They are hard to obtain at a reasonable price but I’ll write more about them later.

Lures – Jigging. Since the Japanese invented the Slow Pitch jigging technique it stands to reason that the JDM jigs are the best. The jigs available locally work too, and I’ve had some amazing results with the Live Deception jig by Ahi USA. I love jigging but don’t get to jig very often. Friends and I are still trying to get better at the sport. All but the Live Deception, 4th from the top, are from Japan, but some were sold in the local tackle shops.

Landing Net: Promar ProFloat landing net. It floats, it has tangle free mesh, an elastic lanyard and it’s cheap. What more can you ask for? It’s available in the tackle shops in town.

Gear Lanyards: I use various tethers on my tackle bag and kayak. I really like the T-Reign Retractable Tether because it doesn’t leave loose cords around to get tangled in. So far, after a few years of use, they haven’t corroded. I use Boomerang Snips too and after years of use, if the retractable spring stops working I glue an attachment point and use the T-Reign tether to hold it to my bag. (see photo)

Waterproof Tackle Bag – Patagonia Stormfront Sling. This bag is expensive, and the price has gone up twice since I purchased it 2 yrs ago. But the main compartment really is waterproof and makes for worry-free wade and boat fishing, and easy cleanup. Patagonia honors their lifetime warranty. A zipper tab broke and they gave me a brand new sling bag after 2 yrs of use. This time around I won’t be carrying bait for oama and stinking it up.

Fishing pliers: Rapala aluminum pliers. All my previous “carbon steel” needle nose pliers have eventually rusted out and left corrosion stains in their sheaths. These aluminum pliers shouldn’t rust but they are shorter than the ones they are replacing. Hope they’re long enough to keep my fingers away from sharp teeth.

Poll: How much would you pay for a great nearshore lure?

March 18, 2017 By Scott 7 Comments

Friends and I have been fishing Japan Domestic Model (JDM) lures not sold in the US. They’re a little more expensive than US lures, and we had to pay international shipping to get them. Still, by finding sales on new and used lures, most of the items cost between $10 and $18 including shipping to Hawaii. The “winners” cast further and swam better than the rest, and caught fish at an astonishing rate.

I’d love to know what’s the most you’d pay for a game changing nearshore lure. If you don’t fish with lures, no need vote!

Thanks!
scott

(3/29/17) After 11 days, with 31 people voting, 12 would pay up to $20 for a great nearshore lure, 7 would pay any amount for a game changing lure, and 5 would pay up to $15. I’m guessing that the rest of the readers aren’t nearshore lure chuckers. Thank you to those that voted. I’ll keep the poll opened a little while longer.

Please scroll down to see the latest posts.

Best top water and sub-surface lures?

August 28, 2016 By Scott 6 Comments

I’ve been fishing the top water (floating) and sub-surface (slow sinking) lures a lot, recently. They don’t get hung up in very shallow water and the strikes are often explosive. Whipping these lures doesn’t require much gear, and I’ve been mainly casting from the water’s edge.

The lure bite has slowed dramatically due to the abundance of oama inshore but I still prefer throwing the lures vs. dealing with messy live or dead oama.

The lures in the photo were all manufactured in Japan. Some, like the sub-surface Shimano Waxwings in the bottom row, are sold in the U.S Domestic Market. The others may have been sold in the U.S. at one time but are now only available in the Japan Domestic Market (JDM) in those models or colors.

The 4 light colored ones with green stripes look like they were drawn on because I marked them up to look like oama! The larger Waxwing caught this 16″ white papio (tagged and released) without the bad artwork but I figured it couldn’t hurt to make the lure look like the food the predators are hammering now.

The chubby lure in the 2nd row, left, had been getting hammered by kaku when I threw it in another color scheme before the oama moved in.

The top secret JDM lure in the upper left, has caught omilu and kaku. It’s been so effective that I was asked to never show it online. Sorry. It won’t be in the Best Top Water or Sub-Surface Contest but the other lures will be.

If there’s enough interest I’ll run a poll so you guys can guess which one is deemed the most effective lure.

JDM lure looks great but hasn’t caught a fish yet?

August 2, 2016 By Scott Leave a Comment

I’ve been running a lure comparison pitting a few JDM (Japan Domestic Market) top-water lures against the Shimano Waxwing, my go-to sub-surface lure.

One JDM lure in particular has trounced the competition. The Waxwing had fallen behind until I resharpened its hooks and it made a strong come back the last time out. Another JDM lure has the perfect profile of a chubby baby mullet, and has great coloration. It hadn’t even gotten a boil, however. I was told by my JDM supplier that the chubby lure rides higher in the water than the one trouncing the competition, and because of that, the predators aren’t able to see the lure as well. He recommended weighing the lure down by putting on heavier split rings and hooks.

Because that lure looks so darn cute I ran out and got the heavier Owner hyper rings and Owner 4X treble hooks. Using the Daiwa heavy duty split ring pliers I got from my JDM supplier, sliding thick gauged hooks onto split rings was no longer an exercise in frustration. I did a buoyancy test in an unoccupied oama tub and the lure floated much deeper in the water.

Since this was the only lure in the test that hasn’t even gotten a look, I started with the chubby guy today. The beach was lined with conventional rods as if some tournament was going on. I couldn’t fish my normal test grounds so I cast out about 20 yds from the last rod on the beach.

A few casts later and a 17″ kaku boiled on it and was hooked. I kept the toothy fish hooked so I could leave it in the water, and tagged it. Weighing that lure down really did make it more visible to predators.

I put the Waxwing on and didn’t get a single bump but I attribute that to all the activity in the water.

So at this point of the lure test, the Waxwing and the two JDM top-water lures have all caught fish. Each lure has had its day under different circumstances. Another JDM top-water lure arrived in the mail today. More testing is ahead.

Sharp hooks make a difference!

August 1, 2016 By Scott 1 Comment

After missing fish the last few times out, I sharpened the replacement double hook I run on the Waxwing Baby. One of the two hooks had been sliding off my thumb nail. Now it can pierce my nail, ouch.

Jason, the recent fly fishing convert, joined me on this outing as I continued the JDM lure testing. He waded out onto the shallow flat targeting the papio and kaku I was hoping to hook from shore. Normally he targets oio but wanted to add those species to his fly caught list.

Almost immediately he had a kaku on that battled for a while before cutting his fluoro leader. Ugh! It took his streamer fly (I dunno what it’s called) but that gave us hope.

I started with the black/chrome WW, and had a small white follow the lure onto the sand. A little while later I caught this undersized white with the hook that I had just sharpened. Hmm… could it have been the dull hook that was causing all those misses? Too small to tag, it was released.

A few yards down the beach a kaku stopped the WW and hooked up. My first fish I tagged solo. Hmm, I didn’t miss this fish either…

With a fish tagged, I put away my go-to WW and put on a JDM top water lure I’m still getting used to. I tried to “walk the dog” but there was no interest. Dang, and the lure finish looked so realistic.

Next lure up was the top-secret JDM top-water lure that hasn’t failed yet, either inshore or offshore. On the first retrieve something boiled on it but missed. Then I went through a bit of inactivity until I decided to sweep the rod hard to make it gurgle. Slurp… POP! A slightly smaller kaku jumped on and I tagged it. Man, that lure is really magical.

I walked over to small channel and walked-the-dog. Nothing. I was expecting something to rocket out of the water with the secret lure in its mouth. Thinking the predators couldn’t see well in the waning light I made the lure gurgle and pop. A white papio lunged twice but missed the secret lure’s hooks. Hmm… good test for the previous top-water lure now that I know there’s a hungry fish around. I put on the previous lure, gurgled hard and sure enough a white boiled but missed the lure. Maybe it was just too dark to see? It was raining so was a good time to head back.

I caught up with Jason and he said he had hits and misses but hadn’t stuck anything solid after the first kaku. We started heading back but saw some bait near the shore so we gave it a parting shot. Jason hooked something on his popper fly and this one stayed on. Turned out to be a legal white papio, his first on a fly rod! It had a smushed jaw as if it had run into a wall when it was young. Other than that it looked healthy so I tagged it and Jason set it free.

Not a bad first attempt for Jason to target papio and kaku near the shoreline. And the Waxwing’s catch ratio is back up now that it has sticky sharp hooks. I gotta work on that other JDM lure that has yet to catch a fish.

JDM lure out fishes Waxwing again!

July 30, 2016 By Scott 2 Comments

My Pacfic Islands Fisheries Group (PIFG) boss, Clay, took me for some nearshore tagging training at a heavily fished town spot. The bait fish weren’t around in large numbers but we still managed to get strikes on lures and Clay caught an 11″ FL omilu and a 17″ FL kaku.

I was using the Waxwing Baby in black/chrome and again I missed all of my 3 kaku strikes. Later I noticed one of the hooks wasn’t sticky sharp, gonna have to make that laser sharp! Clay had more strikes on the JDM (Japan Domestic Market) top water lure and was able to land most of his. He even had the kaku repeatedly come back and hit the JDM lure after it slipped off the hook. There’s something about that lure that makes the fish want swallow it.

Clay’s omilu was the first I ever tagged. Hopefully I start landing fish so I can tag my own.

JDM lure testing while the oama trickle in

July 28, 2016 By Scott 4 Comments

The oama are late this year, probably because there were still good numbers of oama around in the early part of the year. The spawning weke must be confused by all this extra warm water.

Some oama have been seen around Oahu over the last few weeks but not in the large numbers that we normally have by the end of July. Hopefully the oama do make it in soon before the traditional season (July to September) is over.

Free from chasing oama, I’ve been field testing Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) lures and comparing them to lures we can buy domestically. In general the JDM lures have a more detailed finish and crisper response. In the top-water testing so far, the JDM lures hold a slight edge over the Shimano Waxwing, which is made in Japan but sold in the US. The top-water test isn’t really an apples to apples test because the Waxwing rides a little below the surface and only has a rear double hook, but the Waxwing was my go-to surface lure. Both the Waxwing and the JDM top water lures have caught fish, but the JDM lures have gotten much more violent strikes and have always caught fish whereas the Waxwing got blanked the last time out.

caught on black chrome Waxwing Baby

Testing has been on shallow flats, mostly casting from the dry sand, targeting the lure happy kaku. Kaku in the past have cut my 15lb fluoro main line but they have yet to cut me off since I’ve been using a 25lb fluoro leader. The leader has been nicked so I know they have hit it, but it’s held. Knock on flourocarbon. On this particular day, I started with the go-to black chrome Waxwing Baby. Over the span of an hour, walking the sand I caught two small kaku.

kaku on JDM top water lure

I double backed and put on the JDM lure. In the same area, within 5 mins, I caught two more kaku that hit with much more aggression. Both shot straight out of the water, shaking the lure in their mouth like a dog would shake a bone.

On another outing, I was surprised to see a 12″ FL white hit the JDM top-water lure 5 feet from shore. It looks like it tried to stun it with its scutes and tail and got snagged on its side.

shibi on JDM lure

We even took the JDM lures off shore for a shibi (small ahi) tagging trip at the buoys and they worked while the larger Waxwing and the Shimano Orca Pop failed to register a hit. Now that’s a pretty versatile lure.

Much more field testing is required but so far, the JDM lures have caught me with their refined appearance and performance in the water. All the test subjects were released with a few holes but relatively unharmed.