Find the Javallon!

Fortescue Flukin

I went out on Saturday with a friend from work on our yearly fluke trip on the Bonanza II out of Fortescue NJ. Action was slow but steady for the most part on the boat, however my buddy and I didnt have a bite until after noon. Actually, my buddy didnt have a bite all day. I was using some ultra customized prototype D&D saltwater rigs that I tied up that I wanted to try especially for fluke. I think they are big fish rigs. When I finally got a bite, I caught a 23" doormat, on the one that had the 'nockamixon special' chartreuse/purple colored skirt from a smalljaws spinnerbait that i won from the crazyfish contest. I then proceeded to change rig colors and catch a nice 18" keeper, then solidified my pool win with a 24" doormat on yet another rig that i stole the skirts from another of my smalljaws spinnerbaits, this one was a more natural color. They were caught using a tasty sandwich of killie and home cut squid. They were a really nice way to finally break in my new Accurate B197C saltwater reel. I also caught a 50lb piece of rope that must have fallen off a barge or something. What fight. Talk about hauling in a log. It was a great day to be out, and Captain Joe Jr. put us on fish all day. A few of the regulars on the boat that Ive seen from past years caught close to their limits. Some guy on down on the other end of the boat had such a hard hit that the fish pulled his rod overboard, as he wasnt paying attention. Fortunately the drift was right, and a little kid on the other side of the boat snagged the rod, with the fish still on it hehe. I guess the guy who lost the rod owns a sportings goods store and is going to give the kid a new rod and reel, plus he gave him the fish too. By the way, did I mention I won the big fish pool? 155 bucks. Ive been on the Bonanza II three times, and won the pool twice.

Here's a pic of me with them doormats. one was 23", one was 24", they both weighed the same at about 4.25 lbs each.
Heres a pic of the weapon of choice. Check out that shiny sexy reel.

Wading the Delaware for Bronzebacks

A nice Delaware River smallie caught on 4" Yamamoto Senko in the magic color, 3/0 Xpoint hook, Parasite Tungsten weight, Sunline Shooter Defier 13lb test line, G Loomis Bronzeback spinning rod, Team Daiwa Sol 2000 spinning reel.
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JDM Certate 2500R

Well, time to show off some more of my sexy tackle. this time it's not a lure, but a reel. not any reel, but a sexy Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) model Daiwa Certate spinning reel. not only does it have a sexy blue color, but it has many improvements over a regular US model Certate.

For one, it has an amazing 16 lbs of smoooth smooooooth drag! A regular reel of it's size would maybe have 7 lbs max. It is improved by having the heavier duty gearbox of the 3000 size Certate but the rotor of the 2500, which means upgraded power and durability with the same size spool. It also comes with a machined handle as compared to the forged one on a regular Certate.

Here's a few pictures of my Certate:
The bottom of the reel foot:

The front of the spool, and drag knob. 16lbs baby! BTW, it is spooled up with 12lb test Gamma Edge copolymer line.
A side shot of the spool:
The side opposite the handle. Check out the quality of manufacture and attention to detail!
This reel is awesome. Now I just need an appropriate rod to match it up with, as the Crazyfish Custom rod I intended to match it up with isn't working out quite as I had hoped.

Wounded Imitation

If you've ever seen a dead or dying minnow or shad, you'll notice that they are more often than not missing scales. Sebile Lures works this angle with their lures, by filling them with clear liquid, and putting small silver particles in the liquid to simulate the missing scales. It looks very realistic, especially when the lures are in the water and moving. This first lure is a suspending jerkbait in a clear pale blue to imitate a minnow or shad.
This next lure doesnt have any liquid inside it, but it is jointed and has a somewhat similar action to a Imakatsu Javallon, but of course not as fluid. But it still has that sinuous swimming motion. This is in a clear perch pattern.
This last one is a sinking spook in a clear perch pattern, and contains the liquid and silver flecks. .

Jacques Cousteau Presents

Yezz, here ve are, in ze dark blue depths of ze local lake. Vondervul, colorvul schools ov vish svim around me, volloving the zircle ov live and death. Ve catch one, and hold eet een my hand. Eet eez a yozuri zhad, a baitvish zat eez ze main vood zource vor most vish in zis lake. How beeautivul eet eez. Zey svim in mazzive schools, ov manee age classes. I catch another ov zeeze tinee vish. Eet eez a zmall vemale, and zhee vishes to mate with zee larger male. Vee vill leave zeeze two vizhez to pevorm as nature eentended.
Aaaah, yezzz! ve are very lucky today, vor vee zee ze rare albino yozuri zhad. Never bevore captured on vilm, zees zhad is endangered, hunted almozt into egztinczion by ze top predator on ze vood zhain een zees lake...MAN. Az vee look clozer, vee can zee ze scars ov eetz vight to ztay alive een zees harzh, but beeautivul enviroment. Vee vill leave zees vizhes now, to vight vor zurvival in zees, zee vild, untamed blue vaters ov zees local lake.

Alien Invasion!

One of the things that is always a concern when discussing fishing is invasive species, fish that arent native to the environment being placed there (like the northern snakehead), or being introduced accidentally (like the goby), and causing damage to the ecosystem as they native species have no way to cope with it. I have found another invasive species, one so alien and exotic that they are both a beauty to behold, and a beast on the native bass population. they are called Kazlla. An import from Japan, these surface dwelling creatures lure unsuspecting bass to them using bizarre and alien hypnotic movements and flashy actions of such an exotic flair that bass are attracted to them like flies to honey. I've hunted high and low, and finally found a couple of specimens, and was able to catch them on camera.
This first one attempts to lure fish using its resemblance to the colors of the bluegill. This second related subspecies is called a Green Kanabun, and is especially stealthy in the hours just before dusk.
If you see these, or any other subspecies, please contact me immediately so I may take the appropriate actions.

Sexy Asian Succubus!

Some baits are just plain sexy for just simply being themselves. This applies to this bait, the Megabass Z Crank Blue Label crankbait from Japan. A plain but beautifully finished paint job setting off it's mysterious and seductive emerald eyes, the hint of the pure high quality balsa wood grain showing through the tinted clearcoat on the belly like silky, creamy smooth skin hinting at that much more through slinky filmy lingerie, a high tech and functional micarta circuitboard lip for that naughty cyberpunkette edge and attitude, and sexy slithery smooth lines that will sensously draw the fish into it's hooks deadly caress.

Live Lure Porn!

One thing that I really like in fishing lures is innovation. Lucky Craft is a lure company from Japan, that makes higher quality lures. They make your normal hardbaits like crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwaters. They also have a series of baits called the 'live' series, where theyre multi-jointed and have really cool actions as a result.
This first picture is of thier Live Pointer 95 series of jerkbait. I like them alot, and if I find them on sale, I make sure I get some.
This is a lipless crankbait in the 'Live' series. I think the 'Live' series of baits from Lucky Craft are freakin' cool, and I don't care if they never catch any fish, I'll still enjoy them!

Smallie Killer!

It's finally in my hands! Heres what I had made:

a medium-medheavy mod/fast action deadly 6'9" spinning rod for senkos with woven graphite handles, smallie pattern inlay, matching wraps and guides.

Heres some sexy pics:
The handle with my sexy Daiwa Certate 2500R Custom mounted and ready to fish.

A closeup of the smallie pattern inlay.
Another closeup of the inlay.
Check out the sexy guide!
Heres a view of the action of the rod.
It's an awesome rod, and I'm sure it will be catching many fish soon!

Lure Pornography!

I got this idea from my buddy Bart, who let me borrow his digital camera to document my fishing tackle for insurance purposes. I took a few pics of my favorite pieces of tackle, rods, reels, lures, etc, so now I'm going to show you my favorites in the next little while.

This first one is a Norman crankbait, in a crazy weird crawfish crappie trainwreck mixture of colors with purple sparkles and an interference clearcoat overtop. It's so ugly and sexy! the color pattern is fittingly called 'Apocalypse'

Free Stuff

Well, people who know me know I've been stuck at home for 3 weeks due to having foot surgery. 3 weeks off of work might sound like somethng great, but when you are forced to stay at home due to being unable to drive, and can only hobble/hop from one room to the next, it gets old really fast.
Anyways, I'm one of the staff at the great fishing site/forum called Fishin Fanatics, and the site ownwer picked a great time to ask me to come up with a contest to help inspire some more activity on the board, and to generate some new members, and so, with my long layoff at hand, I did. I have to say I came up with an ingenious way to inspire more posting, and make it very fair in picking a winner. To qualify, all you have to do is start one fishing related thread a week, and make 5 posts. Too easy. The prizes are drawn each week, and I have to say the sponsors that I've approached have all come through in mega fashion with some amazingly cool prize packs. So, if you're just happening on to this blog for the first time, or have checked it out before, I suggest checking out Fishin Fanatics, and joining the contest, as not only can you win cool stuff, but the general membership of Fishin Fanatics is ultra cool as well, and a good group of people to learn, and share fishing related stuff. The link to Fishin Fanatics is on the right in the links section, and heres the direct link to the contest so you can see what I mean by ultra cool, ultra easy, and fun:
http://fishinfanatics.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3266&st=0

Bass Candy! (Bugs and Stuff)

Anyone who know me knows I have a predeliction for soft plastics. I have my favorites, like Filthy Fishermen Baits, Gary Yamamoto and others, but I'm always looking for cool new baits in different shapes, colors and sizes. And, since I've been off work due to foot surgery for 2 weeks now, I've had plenty of time to surf the net to find interesting new ones. Here's a couple I've found that are very interesting, and that you might not have seen before.

Imakatsu has some amazingly cool baits, not only soft plastics, but hard baits too. But, as we're focussing on soft plastics right now, here's a couple of their coolest. The first one is the Hairy Hawg. It is the most intricate soft plastic I've ever seen. I've looked to buy a few, but only found them on ebay for 12$ each. I think I'll try to find them a bit cheaper, as I haven't found a review for them yet stating how durable they are.

Another Imakatsu bait that is amazing is the Javallon. It's a jointed soft plastic jerkbait that has an amazing action. They're hard to find also. Amazingly, a few years back I ordered a clearance grab bag from Mr.Twister and got a few lures that look exactly like this. Now of course they're not listed as a product, and they must be discontinued. Supposedly Lake Fork Tackle here in the US makes them too. Heres a link to a video of the Javallon in action. http://www.imakatsu.co.jp/movie/050621_1152193839.asx Sexy slinky moves!!!!!
Stop motion shots of the Javallon in action below. Did I say Sexy?!! Another cool bait is the Bait Breath Dekamix. In the same vein as the Hairy Hawg, it screams both 'buy me!' to the fisherman (me) and 'bite me!' to the fish.
So far, all the baits have been Japanese luremaker creations, but heres a couple of stateside soft plastics that arent slouches either. Case Plastics has been around for a while, and makes some really sexy baits, like the Jack's Worm that I use for catching smallmouth bass with great success. But he has some really cool and really lifelike bugs too. The top one is a Hellgramite, which in nature is a highly sought after entree for the discerning smallie, and the second is a Magic Cricket, which is also very tasty to smallies.

And finally, one more American luremaker's ultra cool creation, Lunker City's Ozmo. How cool is this bait? Buggy, froggy, flappy, creepy and crawly wrapped up into one awesome package. I'm definitely picking up a few!

American Handcrafted Lure Art

Well, those Japanese lures were something to behold, but do not fear, patriotic American fisherman. You CAN get amazing handcrafted pieces of lure art right here in your back yard. The company is Carolina Chips Custom Lures, out of Auburn Hills, Michigan. These lures are of a wholy different style than the Japanese lures, but show no less quality. Comparing them is like comparing Szechuan rice with Jambalaya. Both are made with rice, and spicy as all hell, but are two wholy different entities. I first encountered Carolina Chip's Lures when I won one in that now legendary contest, the Crazyfish Rods/FishinFanatics Multispecies Contest. I was given the opportunity to have the lure of my choice made from Carolina Chip's wide selection. Trying to pick one was impossible, as they were all so enticingly beautiful. So instead of picking one, I left it up to the luremaker himself to give me a "Joel St. Germaine Special", one that is that bass fishing professional's goto smallmouth bass crankbait when the chips are down and the money is on the table. I had no idea what I was going to receive, but I knew it would be cool. And, it was. I received a 3/4 oz medium fat diver in this killer color he called Copperback Shad. Let me say that I have ALOT of crankbaits. at last count, the total was over 125. All shapes, sizes, brands. This lure was above and beyond all of them in terms of quality.
Anyways, let me stop talking, and start showing you what an artist this luremaker is.

This is the lure I won in my contest. notice the signature on the lure, the artist signing off on this unique piece of art.

This next lure is his Deep Bass Raptor in his Tilapia pattern. Notice the diving lip, it's made out of micarta circuit board. It's extremely hard to come by, and to work with from what I've heard, but a perfect material to make the diving lips out of due to its light weight, and stiffness.
This is his Kuba crankbait, painted an amazing bluegill pattern, again using micarta for the lip. Most of his baits are made from ultra high grade balsa wood.
He also does custom lure refinishing. Here, he has refinished a 25 year old Bagley B lure for bass professional Ish Monroe. Looks better than new! Being a small company not only allows for excellent customer service, of which I am a happy recipient, but also to think outside the box without any corporate interference and explore creative avenues or exercise personal design ideas. I've never seen a lure in this specific shape, and I'm positive the fish haven't either. Killer looking.

And finally to my favorite lure creation by Carolina Chip, simply named Unlucky Larry.
As you can see, Carolina Chip does some amazing work, and just goes to show that luremaking creativity and artistry isnt restricted to Japanese design houses, or large faceless corporate comglomerates. And it definitely shows that that if you look off the well trodden path of Walmarts and BassProShops, you can definitely find lures of pure art and genuine handcrafted genious. You can find a link to his site in my links section.

Japanese Lure Art

Theres alot of amazing fishing lures and items out there that you dont see in the stores. One lure company that has impressed me is Vagabond Lures from Japan. Unbelievable craftmanship and attention to detail are what set these lures apart. These lures are sold mainly in Japan, so finding them here is quite difficult. There are some online shops from Japan like PLAT (http://www.plat.co.jp/english/english_top.htm) that sell them, but unfortunately, most of the time theyre sold out, as these are justifiably lures that a collector would want. And, I'd have to say, would catch fish! Heres a few pictures of their lures that i've gathered for your viewing pleasure. Dont forget to cover your keyboard, as you'll drool all over it.

The first lures here are Jointed Arrowanas. They are a topwater slider style lure.
Just amazing detail in the paintwork and finish!

This next lure is a Diamond Tail. This is another topwater style lure mixed with a swimbait, but it also dives a bit due to the protruding lip. I can't tell you for sure, as I don't have one, but it sure looks like it would catch fish. I love this color scheme, Vagabond calls it Chimidoro. look at that blood trail!

This next lure is called a Dovelman. it again is a topwater lure, I would consider this a wakebait as it has a lip, and a propeller on the tail, so it would cause quite a commotion just underneath the surface.

Again, the Chimidoro color pattern with the blood!

This is next one is called a Baby Namazu Crawler. Never used it, so i can only guess that it makes quite a different sound and action than your typical topwater lure. Looks at those antennae!
This one is called a Donco. It looks like a typical popper, except that it has a bowed back, so I'd think it would have a bit of walk the dog action too.

These are killer looking baits called Simson J's. no clue as to how they come up with these names, but these are some beautiful lures.
This looks exactly like a redbreast sunfish that we have around here. I mean exactly. Again, these lures are amazingly beautiful. Next post will be of some amazing lures made closer to home.