The sending contained lures that I carried together since September. With the help of my good friend Tsuyoshi, I was able to place an Order at the famous Rotton shop – based in Sennan, Osaka Prefecture. He also supported me getting a few rare and sought-after colors of my favorite lure builders – Record, 2tone and Abdeal – on Yahoo Auctions.

Abdeal – Splat * Size: 80mm, Weight: 16g, Color: OP

I was looking for these highly unique metallic colors long before last year’s visit to Japan and Abdeal‘s “GS” color and Record’s “Mistico” where topping my list of favorites. Since a while I’m looking for small / medium-sized and lightweight plugs with unique characteristics and designs and these latest arrivals are just perfect examples of this direction.

Récord de Ligero – Quebrada * Size: 80mm, Weight: 5/8oz, Color: Mistico

Especially the Récord de Ligero series became one of my absolute favorites. It’s really hard to get hands on these quirky topwater plugs and I was really lucky to add the “Quebrada” and “Mandarina” to my tackle box.

Récord de Ligero – Mandarina * Size: 85mm, Weight: 5/8oz under, Color: Allergia

As mentioned before, another hot favorite is Abdeal – hailing from Nagoya. The “Abstract” caught my eye sometimes last year. I just couldn’t resist and bought different colors, because of this lure’s unique minnow-like shape and gorgeous color patters.

Abdeal – Abstract * Size: 110mm, Weight: 7/8oz , Color: GA

Last but not least I would like to mention 2tone‘s “Acro-at”. Another sweet Topwater minnow coming along in the beautiful “Natural Wood Frog” color. I saw Takeshi Fukuma fishing this lure on our trip to Takayama Dam in August. Really had to add this great lure to the arsenal.

2tone – Arco-at * Size: 105mm, Weight: 3/4oz under, Color: Natural Wood Frog

Thanks again to Tsuyoshi and Nagata-san of Rotton’s fame for their kind help and support! Can’t wait to finally hit the water again an to try my new “toys”.

Don’t miss to browse the gallery of this blog post to see all of them.

Two days ago I received a package from Masahiro Hotta of Abdeal. We got in touch some months ago and had some conversations via email about lure colors and other stuff. Unfortunately we didn’t meet during my stay in Japan. My schedule was just too packed to stop by in Nagoya, but I hope the make up for that next year.

Abdeal’s Mind Game * Weight: 3/4oz, Color: Frog Scale White Head (FSWT)

Masahiro sent one of his lures all the long way to shivering Berlin. The “Mind Game” is a marvelous looking pencil bait and features a very special color limited to 50 pieces – dedicated to the victims of the Tohoku earthquake that hit Japan on March 11 this year. It’s great to have this beautiful lure in my box and at the same time to be reminded of the courage and unity shown by the Japanese in the aftermath of this tragedy.

This fine 3/4oz pencil features some interesting details, such as the deep-positioned front-lug and the additional ring attached to it. Usually I’m not using a snap when fishing pencil lures, so I’m curious to see how this ring will affect movement and action.

Enough talk, time for more pictures. I did some shots earlier today and added my two other Abdeal lures to the mix. It’s great to see the consistency and uniqueness in style and aesthetic direction.

Abdeal’s Mind Game * Front-lug Close-up

From left to right: Abdeal’s Big Bird, Abstract and Mind Game

Thanks again to Masahiro Hotta for his kind support.
Much appreciated.

Like to learn more? Don’t miss to visit the Abdeal website and blog.

Sleepy but happy…

We arrived in time at first light, rented a boat and immediately went out to the lake which was beautifully covered with dense fog. The water of Ashino-ko is incredibly clear while the shallow banks where covered with rocks and overhanging bushes and trees.

Genuine Record’s Julieta (Récord de Ligero)

I tested a few of my new lures and Genuine Record’s “Julieta” quickly became a new favorite. This small popper is not only beautiful to watch, but also produces a compelling and ultra-deep pop sound. Somehow Ashino-ko’s black bass where of different opinion and don’t even thought about striking my new wonder-lure.

Crystal clear water and shallow banks

The amazing scenery and surrounding landscape at the lake where just the right compensation for our no-bite Topwater session. It was first trip without a single bite since arriving in Japan, but we really enjoyed the peaceful and quiet atmosphere at this great lake.

Slowly but gently the fog is lifting…

After just a few hours the sun came out and we finally got a clear sight of Ashino-ko. Unfortunately Mount Fui was still covered with fog and the few photographs I took during the day cannot convey the experience of silence and the incredibly beautiful landscape.

Crystal clear water and shallow banks

Great view…

This beautiful August morning and the time until midday where really a highlight of the trip to Japan. I know, I can count myself lucky to have friends who share the same passion for nature and topwater bass angling.

Vintage reel section w/ classic Pflueger, Shakespeare and Ambassadeur reels

TACKLEtackle is offering a wide range of Topwater gear while having a strong focus on vintage tackle and accessories. Their vintage section is featuring a handful of real diamonds such as rare Pflueger, Shakespeare and Ambassadeur reels as well as some hard to find vintage lures and classic tackle boxes. Heaven on earth for Topwater lovers and vintage tackle enthusiasts.

Well-assorted Topwater lure section

I arrived early afternoon and got a really warm welcome by Hoshino-san’s wife and two members of the staff. Communication was no problem at all and we had a nice chit-chat about Surface Game and other more general topics. I spent a lot of time marveling at their special color lure section featuring rare and hard to find handmade plugs by lure builders such as Paranoia, Local Lure and many others.

TACKLEtackle special colors (Lures: Paranoia)

The shop is nicely done up and their backlit reel and lure cabinets where a feast for the eyes. I was lucky to get 2tones No.13 in a rare Xmas special color and finally got hands on the “Surface Trip” DVD featuring Genuine Record’s Shinichi Hirayama and Nagata-san of Rotton’s fame.

Record’s “Surface Trip” DVD & 2tone’s No.13 Special Color

The people at TACKLEtackle are taking really good care of their guest and I really enjoyed the hours I spent at their shop in Shibuya.

Good vibes… :)

Thanks again for a pleasant afternoon at the shop and some special presents. Your kind support is much appreciated!

Perfect morning at Yodo River

Fishing the shallow banks of Yodo river in windy conditions was tough, but I had a handful of bites on Brightliver’s Chubby and Larry Chopper Stage 3 until midday. Unfortunately I was just too slow (tired) as previous days and short nights had exacted their toll and even Boss Black Coffee helped only little. I struggled to keep my eyes open during the first hours of the day but found back to usual rhythms after a little while.

Typical view at Yodo-gawa: shallow banks covered with bushes and trees

Of course, my two guides where better prepared (in much better shape) and made sure the German guest got a brief glimpse of Yodo-gawa’s black bass population.

Matsumoto-san w/ Yodo-gawa Bass * Lure: Larry Chopper Stage 3

Around midday we stopped fishing and went to the nearby Brightliver Tackle Co. office. After marveling at their amazing reel collection, we had interesting and enlightening talks about handmade custom tackle and I was even able to test some of Brightliver‘s new rods and grip handles. I was amazed by the amazingly low weight of the Chucker grip and Matsumoto-san’s rod creations are simply a class apart.

Testing Brightliver’s “Chucker” grip and the amazing Chambo #2582 rod (©Brightliver)

I also had the honor to visit the Brightliver / Tsunami Lures factory. It was fascinating to see latest productions and of corse the lure and tackle workshop. In the afternoon I went back to the hotel for having a shower and to recreate myself with a little nap before I was picked up again by Fujiwara-san for dinner.

My first ever visit to a traditional Japanese Yakitori grill

We went to a very special Yakitori restaurant in Osaka, met more great people (Yes, I’m talking about you Tamai-san… :) ) and spent almost half of the night talking about the joy of Topwater Bass Angling and the amazing connection between Japan’s lure and tackle builders and this crazy German guy..

Time to say farewell..

Once again a great day & night of Topwater fishing, meeting good people and enjoying tasty Japanese food (and beer). Thanks a lot for perfect hospitality and cheerful talks!

On the 2nd day of the Osaka trip I followed the kind invitation of Genuine Record‘s Shinichi Hirayama. Takeshi Fukuma of 2Tone Handmade Lure Works joined us and did a perfect job as a translator. Around midday we went to Takayama dam – a beautiful reservoir about 70km from Osaka. Already on the way to Takayama we had a lively q&a round – mainly focussing on Topwater angling aswell as favorite lure types and handmade lure builders. Both of my hosts where very obliging and patient. Really enjoyed the good company – the chemistry was just right.

1st impressions from the beautiful scenery at Takayama Dam

After arriving at the reservoir we got our license and started fishing the shallow banks right away. I was finally be able to get some first-hand feedback about lure action and even got some flattering comments about my German casting style and lure presentation. “Alsmost like a Japanese..”

Takeshi Fukuma (front) of 2tone Lures and Shinichi Hirayama of Genuine Record

We continued talking about lure design, fixed some lures and even found the time to create new lure concepts – i.e. The RollingSwisher.. :)

A few hours later Nagata-san – owner of Rotton – and Max who worked for Record in the past, joined us and after a brief introduction round and some jokes at the expense of the German guest, we continued fishing. We had numerous bites in the following hours and one small bass was caught by Fukuma-san.

Max and Nagata-san of Rotton joined the surface trip

Takayama Dam is a beautifully quiet reservoir embedded in a great scenery of green hills and mountains. The water level in summer is quite low, but reveals some interesting structures and sunken trees. Just the perfect place for a relaxed day topwater fishing with new friends. Good times!

Takayama Dam, a beautiful reservoir in Kyōto prefecture

Great place for a relaxed day on the water..

Around nightfall we stopped fishing and went back to Osaka. Not without making a lengthy stop at a cosy chinese restaurant with exceptional food and – of corse – ice-cold “nama”. Tasty specialities and more pleasant talks just rounded up this perfect day.

Delicious food, cold drinks and good talks about topwater style bass fishing

Nothing left to say than:
Thanks for your great support. Really hope to meet you guys again!

Last tuesday I took the bullet train (Shinkansen) from Tokyo main station to Shin-Osaka. Traveling across Japan using the Shinkansen is quite relaxed and convenient for foreigners and I was amazed that most of the Japan Rail staff speaks decent english.

After just about three hours I arrived in Osaka and already one hour later I was on the way to Biwako together with Masami Motoki of Tsunami Lures. We used the one-houre ride for lively talk about Japan’s Topwater scene and it’s popularity across the world. It was really interesting to get more insights into the vibrant microcosm of Tsunami Lure’s handmade lures and custom tackle while learning more about the cultural context of Topwater Bass Fishing.

Typical Biwako weed beds

Arriving at Biwako in the afternoon was a stunning experience. I already saw a lot of videos and pictures from the lake, but it was really impressive to see how huge this water really is. Fishing the lake was quite special. We started exploring the dense and thick weed beds Biwako is well known for and after just a few minutes I had a first strike on a Kaeru weedless frog.

Biwako Bass * Masami Motoki

Between sunset and nightfall we had a few more strikes and Motoki-san caught a sweet bass on a noisy plug. In almost complete darkness we continued fishing the banks and nearby weed beds. Within the next 3-4 hours we had around seven bass and a crazy Blu Gill (see photos).

Lure: Slapphappy Shad Prop, Tackle: Tsunami Lures Sukiyaki 56 & Fishbone Rod Handle, Isuzu BC731SSS, Line: Root Floating Nylon 16lb

Lure of choice for the time after nightfall was a Slapphappy Shad Grande Prop Color: Aztec Fish Fluorescent Pink(AF-FP). This bulky noisy plug was the perfect choice for luring bass out of cover and slow retrieve and short stops worked out perfectly.

Lure: Beat Stick

Topwater bass fishing at Biwako is quite special. You can experience stunning topwater strikes and even from mid-sized bass around 45cm you can expect strong fights.

Lure: Slapphappy Shad Prop, Tackle: Tsunami Lures Sukiyaki 56 & Fishbone Rod Handle, Isuzu BC731SSS, Line: Root Floating Nylon 16lb

We stayed at Biwako until 11pm and completed this perfect and highly exciting night with delicious Ramen and Gyoza at a nearby restaurant. Thanks again to Masami Motoki of Tsunami Lures, Osaka.