Photo source: https://www.daiichiseiko.com/products/5211/
April 15, 2020
New small case from Daiichiseiko
The famous accessory maker Daiichiseiko has introduced a small case for keeping your favorite hooks and sinkers. The circle shaped case comes in 3 different sizes with prices starting from 50 YEN .
Photo source: https://www.daiichiseiko.com/products/5211/
Photo source: https://www.daiichiseiko.com/products/5211/
October 25, 2015
Major Craft Firstcast
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The famous Japanese company has introduced a new entry level rod series. After the success of the "Solpara" series, Major Craft has come back with a cheap series of rod that will definitely catch the attention of many anglers world wide. The company is known for making good value - quality ratio rods and this new beautiful looking rods seems to continue this tradition. As with the Solpara series looks like the Firstcast models will have a wide range of fishing types. For now on the website we can see that the seabass, light game and eging models are already for sale. Maybe in the future they will add the shore jigging and boat models.
What about specs? They come with Fuji Aluminum Oxide "o" rings which are the cheapest options for Fuji guides. Still capable rings of good quality. Eva split handles and fuji reel seats complete the rest. Price is about 6000 YEN and up.
Waiting for more info to share but in the meantime you can check the page and the video below.
October 20, 2015
Seabass Fishing: Q&A with Berk "Legend"
On Monday I was sitting in a nice cafe with a view on the Bosphorus bridge. I went to meet my friend and fellow angler Berk "Legend" Ipek.
After the success of the interview on my blog we decided to talk more about fishing , of course, and we ended up by having a nice chat about seabass. The simple chat turned to a very interesting conversation that I have decided to keep record of and transforming it to a great Q&A.
Here is Berk, sipping his cappuccino and answering my question on a subject that is very important to every sea angler in the Mediterranean Sea: The seabass, the "Queen" of the sea, or the "Grey sea wolf" as Berk says. The fish that is a staple among anglers and that is chased every season throughout the seas. It ended up in a long session. Please enjoy :)
When I say seabass you think of...
A fish of thousand habits...
Sometimes a ghost of shadows...
Sometimes a furious monster of an estuary...
Sometimes so opportunistic doesn't even bother chasing its prey...
Sometimes wise as a fox...
Sometimes brave as a lion conquering the depths...
But mostly I think of shallow waters when i hear sea bass :)
I chase seabass because..
Why I chase seabass hmmm....Well there are many answers to that :).First seabass is the one predator you need to plan your approach, your tactics, your attack plan and your fishing techniques according to the season. "The wolf" I refer to seabass rarely gives up its presence or its secrets. Wind , temperature , season ,baitfish migrations and human activity plays a big part in habits of the sea bass.Newcomers easily get confused by catching small to average (500gr to 2 kg) fish easily on standard spinning lures.
But real story lies beneath the mark of 4kg the first proper catch to welcome you to the world of assassins club sea bass specialists.
From that, every angler wants to catch big fish up to records but catching a record isn't enough and limit is the sky: 6 kg 7 kg then 8 kg and 10 kg seabass angler always dreams of a dark night that reeling his/her lure and reel comes to the juddering halt.
When a big ghost engulfs the lure and rod buckles up they live eat dream for that moments.
"Don't expect big fights". Specimen and trophy sized bass tend not to fight hard.
Most fights end up 40 seconds to 2 minutes but landing and deceiving such a selective predator give such confidence that not many fish can give .......
Mostly two big runs lot of head shakes and kiting to left or right ends the fight..."But the wolf of the dark is beautiful... "
Seabass is a fish...
I mean it is the fish !
When you hear fish you imagine something similar to seabass 5/1 is the head all fins perfectly in the place dark blue to dark green even dark brown back silver sides and a well positioned mouth perfectly proportioned but gapes wide enough to engulf biggest prey fish.
You can see blotches of gold on the gills yellow to dark brown eyes even in some areas tint of orange.Razor sharp small spines on the gills. Both beauty, power and grace in the same animal...
Seasoned sea bass anglers know the hot spots seasons and bait they follow.
But those people have nearly a sixth sense feeling the sinister presence of the silver wolf in the area.Maybe knowledge leads to this, maybe there are tell tale signs i still don't know but we know when there is a big silver wolf around.
I can tell millions of reasons to tell you why we chase sea bass but I cant tell you one to not to !!
As I always say "a really big sea bass is the fish of a thousand casts ". Maybe that's why the challenge can be the answer :)
Day or night?
I can easily tell you big specimen bass are notorious for being nocturnal.Like sharks darkness lets them camouflage their huge bodies.They approach baitfish shadowing the shoals hugging the bottom and behind any obstacle.They can get into pretty shallow waters in dark without being seen even 60 cm of depth is enough "where bait fish try to survive the night "
Man made structures are magnets for big seabass jetties, harbor, walls, ports, piers all provides bait shelter and lurking places to bass to hunt.
If there is a little man made lighting they absolutely love it light contrasts the baitfish against surface easy kills possible for bass.
The day time...
Mostly time for juvenile and average size bass time to master their hunting skills.
They try to co operate and bust the shoals of small mullet or silver sides in river mouths , ports even beaches.
Without worrying about cannibalistic monster specimens they chase bait and roam freely around shallows. But moderate rain and storm conditions change the game.
That is when big bass uses the opportunity to come to shallows and attack in the waves like orcas or sharks. Deep gullies , rocky shorelines, breakwaters all used by big bass as ambush points in this conditions.
Small to average bass tend to avoid this places they hug the rock faces and sandbars in the white surf and get into river mouths or ports even shallow coves both to hide from big predators and feed on sheltering bait in those places.
If storm goes rogue big bass stops feeding and goes deep.They tend to hit shoreline after the storm in murky water and scattered bait dead or dying after huge storm waves.
And lastly a perfect specimen specialist lure fisherman can target specific areas like known snags, deep river mouth sand bars or wrecks for congregating big bass before they go hunting in shallows in the night.
There are some other seasonal and environmental tricks that differ from one place to another but impossible to tell in one answer ;)
When I see an heavy surf .....
I look for deeper gullies both in rocky shorelines and in beaches.In beaches there are wave built sand bars that waves break on.If you see a lack of wave breaks in a beach it the go to casting point.
Why ?
Because those are deep sand canals between sandbars and water pushed by waves flow to open sea from there that creates a out flowing current and a slope on the bottom.
This is the place for big wise bass waits against the current for passing panicked bait and ailing single bait fish or washed crabs to come with out flow :)
In rocky surf story is different rock islands always a place to look for the foamy surf behind them is like shelter from waves. Both big bass and bait loves to hide in these places.Deep coves especially with two headlands with casting distance between them.Prime big bass habitat !
Big bass go into the cove hugging the rocks and deep rock walls beneath the white foam and search for bait fish. When bait try to pass the deep water escaping from the washing surf they hit. If you look carefully into waves you can see the fleeing bait skipping on the surface that is the tell tale sign of a big bass presence :) But I must say after force 4 to 5 storms are not good conditions both for angler and the bass.
Don't risk your life in big waves and don't think bass are super power fish that can hunt in 5 mt high waves :)
Going light tackle or heavy...
I can easily say both. hehehe :)
Some venues like big commercial shipping ports or rocky headlands lighthouses and huge estuarine habitats I prefer medium heavy gear.
Because most of the out sized seabass live in such places also there are other big predators that will test your tackle to the limits in those circumstances.
Species like leerfish, dentex, snappers, big bluefish ,barracudas, bonitos even amberjacks ever present in those venues.
My usual approach is a rod I trust so much "Zenaq Plaisir Answer 99 RG Distance Cracker" one rod still technical but can handle big lures and heavy fish in rough conditions.
And according to the lure size I will use and species present a Daiwa Certate 3012 PE H loaded with Sunline Super PE 1.5 and a Shimano Stella SW 5000 HG loaded with YGK Jigman PE 2.
My leader material choice is of standards for using lower diameters for slim knots and for abrasive resistance the material I choose is fluoro coated copolymer in 0.35mm to 0.50 mm.
For lures choices are endless:
Long jerkbaits of 14/20 cm
Heavy minnows of up to 40 gr
Topwaters up to 21 cm
Softbaits of 12.5/20 cm
Are my main search baits after big bass in rough conditions....
Duo Tide Minnow series (Surf/Advance/Slim)
Daiwa Shorline series (Shiner/SSR/Z)
Jackson Athlete / Pintail tune and EZ
Smith LTD Saruna / Dragon Saruna / Haluca
Duo Realis Jerkbait 120 SP
Ima Gyodo series
Ima Skimmer SW
Ima Barbarossa
Shimano Silent Assassin 150-170
Ima Big Stick
Duo Rough Trail Blazing and Duo Aomasa
Jackfin Stylo 210
Tackle House Feed / Flitz / Vulture
Fiiish Blackminnow / Crazy Sandeel
Savagear Sandeel
Ecogear powershad 3D jighead
Eddystone Sidewinder
Duel Hardcore minnow 170 210
List is long but I named a few here....
For daytime and night fishing in shallow waters I use two different setups. For day and night for small to average fish I go light even into LRF range 7/28 gr. Summer shallows are the places when light tackle comes into its own :) Both for pleasure and presentation of lures.
There you can fight the average fish and play with the small sized bass and other small predator without getting smashed by big predators. First you must know your spot and what it can produce ! Then if its safe go light as you can safely. That's when wading type light range rods are very effective:
Zenaq Astra
Graphite leader Tiro
Jackson Chronotide
Yamaga Blanks Blue Current fitted with a Shimano Stella C2000FI or a Daiwa Exist 2003C is a perfect combination !
PE spool line of PE 0.6/1.0 is ideal and leader material of 4 to 6 lb is safely land any summer fish :)
Softbaits play a big role in this kind of fishing...
Jigheads worm hooks Texas and caro weights all has its place for using them...
For lures:
OSP Mylar minnow
Fish Arrow flash J
Ecogear Grassminnow
Nories spoontail shad
Savagear Sandeel slug
Delalande Lancon
Fiiish Black Minnow
Fiiish Crazy Sandeel
Marukyu Power Isome
Berkley gulp Sandworm
List is endless....
And those softbait will catch almost anything together with seabass.
For harbaits I favor topwaters and small jerkbaits.
Duo Realis Minnow 80
Duo Realis Rozante
Duo spearhead Ryuki series
Duo Tide Minnow Sprint 75
Duo Realis Pencil
Ima Sasuke
Ima Komomo
Daiwa Shoreline ssr vertice 95
Yozuri Crystal Minnow 3D and Longcast
Duel hardcore Lipless
Duel silver dog
Maria Pop Queen
Jackson Artist
Jackson Dead Float
Duo Bayruf Manic
Just named a few again :)
For night fishing in spring autumn and winter I prefer a slightly heavier approach.
There can be bass up to near 10 kg in shallows and also big bluefish and big barracuda follow migrating baitfish to the shallows. "Trouble can be everywhere in those months!"
That is when a light feeling rod with a serious attitude is my real weapon the Zenaq Plaisir Answer 89 RG "the technical surfer" able to cast big lures and handle big fish this rod is perfect for wading and i can still have the technical light element in my setup !
The Shimano Stella C3000FI is the reel fits the rod perfectly.
PE braid choice is crucial must be smooth but abrasion resistant and also must lay good on the spool for casting in the dark. Sunline/Varivas/Fins are my PE preferences for leader again highly absorbing very abrasive resistant and powerful in low diameter fluoro coated co-polymer is my go to material in 0.24/0.28 mm. diameters.
This way connection knots become slim as can be and safe effortless casting in dark is possible.
For lures ahhh again list is huge. Some angler swear their success by softbaits. Some says hardbaits are the key to success. I found my own percentages: %35 on softbaits %65 on hardbaits is my own catch rate!
Hope this helps everyone for their lure selection.
But I will go one step further and make things easier :)
Softbaits are more productive in winter months cold water is the key. Also lighted nights are productive with softbaits either moonlight or man made lights. On the other hand hardbaits work like a charm in total darkness. The rattling and vibrations seems very effective on big bass they easily home in on those stimulants and hit hardbaits with great confidence in pitch black !
Another technique i found very effective is silent slim wake baits especially in spring on venues that has marine worms and slim profile baitfish...
Big bass go ballistic on those lures most of the times I hear the splash before I feel the hit !!
Lets mention a few lures:
Nories Spoontail Shad
Fiiish black minnow and crazy Sandeel with shallow heads
Duel Dolce 125 and 95
Duel Hardcore minnow 110 to 150
Ima Ko 130
Ima Komomo 130
Tackle House Feed Shallow 110
Daiwa Shoreline Shiner ssr140
Duo Tide Minnow 140 surf
Duo Tide Minnow SLD
Duo Bayruf Manic
Duo Realis Pencil 110
Ima x DUO Nabarone 125 f
Tackle House Node
Eclipse Astraia
OSP Bent minnow sw
Duo Terrif DC-12
Jackson Deadfloat
Jackson Nyoro Nyoro
Ima Calm
I can easily make the list longer but let me keep some of my secrets to myself hehehe.
There is no hard retrieving or jerking in night fishing for big bass a steady slow paced retrieve is the best for most lures.
The rules are simple:
Don't cast constantly and to everywhere cast wisely
Don't make sound keep quiet and don't shine light at water
Fish will do the rest !!
When you feel a solid bump and resistance strike fluently but firm your drag must be 3 kg not too light not too tight is rule of thumb.
Fish must be played calm and slow never to be bullied!
And when it gives up victory is anglers hehehe ...
Thank you!
After the success of the interview on my blog we decided to talk more about fishing , of course, and we ended up by having a nice chat about seabass. The simple chat turned to a very interesting conversation that I have decided to keep record of and transforming it to a great Q&A.
Here is Berk, sipping his cappuccino and answering my question on a subject that is very important to every sea angler in the Mediterranean Sea: The seabass, the "Queen" of the sea, or the "Grey sea wolf" as Berk says. The fish that is a staple among anglers and that is chased every season throughout the seas. It ended up in a long session. Please enjoy :)
When I say seabass you think of...
A fish of thousand habits...
Sometimes a ghost of shadows...
Sometimes a furious monster of an estuary...
Sometimes so opportunistic doesn't even bother chasing its prey...
Sometimes wise as a fox...
Sometimes brave as a lion conquering the depths...
But mostly I think of shallow waters when i hear sea bass :)
I chase seabass because..
But real story lies beneath the mark of 4kg the first proper catch to welcome you to the world of assassins club sea bass specialists.
From that, every angler wants to catch big fish up to records but catching a record isn't enough and limit is the sky: 6 kg 7 kg then 8 kg and 10 kg seabass angler always dreams of a dark night that reeling his/her lure and reel comes to the juddering halt.
When a big ghost engulfs the lure and rod buckles up they live eat dream for that moments.
"Don't expect big fights". Specimen and trophy sized bass tend not to fight hard.
Most fights end up 40 seconds to 2 minutes but landing and deceiving such a selective predator give such confidence that not many fish can give .......
Mostly two big runs lot of head shakes and kiting to left or right ends the fight..."But the wolf of the dark is beautiful... "
I mean it is the fish !
When you hear fish you imagine something similar to seabass 5/1 is the head all fins perfectly in the place dark blue to dark green even dark brown back silver sides and a well positioned mouth perfectly proportioned but gapes wide enough to engulf biggest prey fish.
You can see blotches of gold on the gills yellow to dark brown eyes even in some areas tint of orange.Razor sharp small spines on the gills. Both beauty, power and grace in the same animal...
Seasoned sea bass anglers know the hot spots seasons and bait they follow.
But those people have nearly a sixth sense feeling the sinister presence of the silver wolf in the area.Maybe knowledge leads to this, maybe there are tell tale signs i still don't know but we know when there is a big silver wolf around.
I can tell millions of reasons to tell you why we chase sea bass but I cant tell you one to not to !!
As I always say "a really big sea bass is the fish of a thousand casts ". Maybe that's why the challenge can be the answer :)
Day or night?
I can easily tell you big specimen bass are notorious for being nocturnal.Like sharks darkness lets them camouflage their huge bodies.They approach baitfish shadowing the shoals hugging the bottom and behind any obstacle.They can get into pretty shallow waters in dark without being seen even 60 cm of depth is enough "where bait fish try to survive the night "
Man made structures are magnets for big seabass jetties, harbor, walls, ports, piers all provides bait shelter and lurking places to bass to hunt.
If there is a little man made lighting they absolutely love it light contrasts the baitfish against surface easy kills possible for bass.
The day time...
Mostly time for juvenile and average size bass time to master their hunting skills.
They try to co operate and bust the shoals of small mullet or silver sides in river mouths , ports even beaches.
Without worrying about cannibalistic monster specimens they chase bait and roam freely around shallows. But moderate rain and storm conditions change the game.
That is when big bass uses the opportunity to come to shallows and attack in the waves like orcas or sharks. Deep gullies , rocky shorelines, breakwaters all used by big bass as ambush points in this conditions.
Small to average bass tend to avoid this places they hug the rock faces and sandbars in the white surf and get into river mouths or ports even shallow coves both to hide from big predators and feed on sheltering bait in those places.
If storm goes rogue big bass stops feeding and goes deep.They tend to hit shoreline after the storm in murky water and scattered bait dead or dying after huge storm waves.
And lastly a perfect specimen specialist lure fisherman can target specific areas like known snags, deep river mouth sand bars or wrecks for congregating big bass before they go hunting in shallows in the night.
There are some other seasonal and environmental tricks that differ from one place to another but impossible to tell in one answer ;)
When I see an heavy surf .....
I look for deeper gullies both in rocky shorelines and in beaches.In beaches there are wave built sand bars that waves break on.If you see a lack of wave breaks in a beach it the go to casting point.
Why ?
Because those are deep sand canals between sandbars and water pushed by waves flow to open sea from there that creates a out flowing current and a slope on the bottom.
This is the place for big wise bass waits against the current for passing panicked bait and ailing single bait fish or washed crabs to come with out flow :)
In rocky surf story is different rock islands always a place to look for the foamy surf behind them is like shelter from waves. Both big bass and bait loves to hide in these places.Deep coves especially with two headlands with casting distance between them.Prime big bass habitat !
Big bass go into the cove hugging the rocks and deep rock walls beneath the white foam and search for bait fish. When bait try to pass the deep water escaping from the washing surf they hit. If you look carefully into waves you can see the fleeing bait skipping on the surface that is the tell tale sign of a big bass presence :) But I must say after force 4 to 5 storms are not good conditions both for angler and the bass.
Don't risk your life in big waves and don't think bass are super power fish that can hunt in 5 mt high waves :)
Going light tackle or heavy...
I can easily say both. hehehe :)
Some venues like big commercial shipping ports or rocky headlands lighthouses and huge estuarine habitats I prefer medium heavy gear.
Because most of the out sized seabass live in such places also there are other big predators that will test your tackle to the limits in those circumstances.
Species like leerfish, dentex, snappers, big bluefish ,barracudas, bonitos even amberjacks ever present in those venues.
My usual approach is a rod I trust so much "Zenaq Plaisir Answer 99 RG Distance Cracker" one rod still technical but can handle big lures and heavy fish in rough conditions.
And according to the lure size I will use and species present a Daiwa Certate 3012 PE H loaded with Sunline Super PE 1.5 and a Shimano Stella SW 5000 HG loaded with YGK Jigman PE 2.
My leader material choice is of standards for using lower diameters for slim knots and for abrasive resistance the material I choose is fluoro coated copolymer in 0.35mm to 0.50 mm.
For lures choices are endless:
Long jerkbaits of 14/20 cm
Heavy minnows of up to 40 gr
Topwaters up to 21 cm
Softbaits of 12.5/20 cm
Are my main search baits after big bass in rough conditions....
Duo Tide Minnow series (Surf/Advance/Slim)
Daiwa Shorline series (Shiner/SSR/Z)
Jackson Athlete / Pintail tune and EZ
Smith LTD Saruna / Dragon Saruna / Haluca
Duo Realis Jerkbait 120 SP
Ima Gyodo series
Ima Skimmer SW
Ima Barbarossa
Shimano Silent Assassin 150-170
Ima Big Stick
Duo Rough Trail Blazing and Duo Aomasa
Jackfin Stylo 210
Tackle House Feed / Flitz / Vulture
Fiiish Blackminnow / Crazy Sandeel
Savagear Sandeel
Ecogear powershad 3D jighead
Eddystone Sidewinder
Duel Hardcore minnow 170 210
List is long but I named a few here....
For daytime and night fishing in shallow waters I use two different setups. For day and night for small to average fish I go light even into LRF range 7/28 gr. Summer shallows are the places when light tackle comes into its own :) Both for pleasure and presentation of lures.
There you can fight the average fish and play with the small sized bass and other small predator without getting smashed by big predators. First you must know your spot and what it can produce ! Then if its safe go light as you can safely. That's when wading type light range rods are very effective:
Zenaq Astra
Graphite leader Tiro
Jackson Chronotide
Yamaga Blanks Blue Current fitted with a Shimano Stella C2000FI or a Daiwa Exist 2003C is a perfect combination !
PE spool line of PE 0.6/1.0 is ideal and leader material of 4 to 6 lb is safely land any summer fish :)
Softbaits play a big role in this kind of fishing...
Jigheads worm hooks Texas and caro weights all has its place for using them...
For lures:
OSP Mylar minnow
Fish Arrow flash J
Ecogear Grassminnow
Nories spoontail shad
Savagear Sandeel slug
Delalande Lancon
Fiiish Black Minnow
Fiiish Crazy Sandeel
Marukyu Power Isome
Berkley gulp Sandworm
List is endless....
And those softbait will catch almost anything together with seabass.
For harbaits I favor topwaters and small jerkbaits.
Duo Realis Minnow 80
Duo Realis Rozante
Duo spearhead Ryuki series
Duo Tide Minnow Sprint 75
Duo Realis Pencil
Ima Sasuke
Ima Komomo
Daiwa Shoreline ssr vertice 95
Yozuri Crystal Minnow 3D and Longcast
Duel hardcore Lipless
Duel silver dog
Maria Pop Queen
Jackson Artist
Jackson Dead Float
Duo Bayruf Manic
Just named a few again :)
For night fishing in spring autumn and winter I prefer a slightly heavier approach.
There can be bass up to near 10 kg in shallows and also big bluefish and big barracuda follow migrating baitfish to the shallows. "Trouble can be everywhere in those months!"
That is when a light feeling rod with a serious attitude is my real weapon the Zenaq Plaisir Answer 89 RG "the technical surfer" able to cast big lures and handle big fish this rod is perfect for wading and i can still have the technical light element in my setup !
The Shimano Stella C3000FI is the reel fits the rod perfectly.
PE braid choice is crucial must be smooth but abrasion resistant and also must lay good on the spool for casting in the dark. Sunline/Varivas/Fins are my PE preferences for leader again highly absorbing very abrasive resistant and powerful in low diameter fluoro coated co-polymer is my go to material in 0.24/0.28 mm. diameters.
This way connection knots become slim as can be and safe effortless casting in dark is possible.
For lures ahhh again list is huge. Some angler swear their success by softbaits. Some says hardbaits are the key to success. I found my own percentages: %35 on softbaits %65 on hardbaits is my own catch rate!
Hope this helps everyone for their lure selection.
But I will go one step further and make things easier :)
Softbaits are more productive in winter months cold water is the key. Also lighted nights are productive with softbaits either moonlight or man made lights. On the other hand hardbaits work like a charm in total darkness. The rattling and vibrations seems very effective on big bass they easily home in on those stimulants and hit hardbaits with great confidence in pitch black !
Another technique i found very effective is silent slim wake baits especially in spring on venues that has marine worms and slim profile baitfish...
Big bass go ballistic on those lures most of the times I hear the splash before I feel the hit !!
Lets mention a few lures:
Nories Spoontail Shad
Fiiish black minnow and crazy Sandeel with shallow heads
Duel Dolce 125 and 95
Duel Hardcore minnow 110 to 150
Ima Ko 130
Ima Komomo 130
Tackle House Feed Shallow 110
Daiwa Shoreline Shiner ssr140
Duo Tide Minnow 140 surf
Duo Tide Minnow SLD
Duo Bayruf Manic
Duo Realis Pencil 110
Ima x DUO Nabarone 125 f
Tackle House Node
Eclipse Astraia
OSP Bent minnow sw
Duo Terrif DC-12
Jackson Deadfloat
Jackson Nyoro Nyoro
Ima Calm
I can easily make the list longer but let me keep some of my secrets to myself hehehe.
There is no hard retrieving or jerking in night fishing for big bass a steady slow paced retrieve is the best for most lures.
The rules are simple:
Don't cast constantly and to everywhere cast wisely
Don't make sound keep quiet and don't shine light at water
Fish will do the rest !!
When you feel a solid bump and resistance strike fluently but firm your drag must be 3 kg not too light not too tight is rule of thumb.
Fish must be played calm and slow never to be bullied!
And when it gives up victory is anglers hehehe ...
Thank you!
October 17, 2015
The Interview: Berk "Legend"
Hello Berk, can you please briefly introduce yourself?
Hello RC,
As I must say some about myself I am a man of many interests.
I was born in Amasra in a little town at shores of the Black Sea "where waves always hits the shoreline hard" .Then i grew up in Bursa a town of Marmara sea and Istanbul "the city that sea runs through". From my early ages fishing was in my life my grandfathers my father my uncles all were abbot anglers.
But I also did many sports in my childhood to name a few free diving, football, martial arts, swimming and list goes on :)
Then I practiced fine arts in high school but also studied different academic genres.
Now my profession is concept design and stage design but my real profession is industrial designing ....All this time travelling to different countries and fishing is a part of my life (a very big part) I consulted brands in Turkey.
I have introduced many new techniques to fishing community of Turkey and also I gave many interviews to the fishing magazines of other countries being a pioneer of lure angling in my country is my main reputation I guess.
But from freshwater bait angling to surf-casting I did every type of fishing I can get my hands on in my native waters ...
I also studied academic aqua-biology and behavior habits of fish all those years like a license student. I guess my nick name comes from knowing too much :)
When did you start fishing?
I can't really remember ...
Sounds cliche but my father says they even changed my diapers on the boat ahahaha
But I remember catching huge wrasse and bream from rocks in very early ages like 6 or 7
And my first lure fishing memoir is at my 8 or 10 trying to throw a table spoon with treble behind from the rocks with a hand line :)
My mother was very upset about me stealing a silver spoon of her collection but the huge foul hooked bluefish saved me that day.
At that age my father didn't told me what is a spoon ahahahahaha so I improvised my own :)
Those are sweet childhood memories that always makes me smile ...
What type of fishing do you prefer?
Lets see...
Light tackle spinning is one of my favorite especially when medium size predators and some opportunistic species that turn predatory at times are the quarry.
Shore jigging is an addiction for me especially when hits come from big bad ass pure blood predatory fish.
Topwater fishing tossing poppers and walkers sticks etc. Is a must for me explosive strikes make my heart beat faster.
Tactical ultralight spinning is also one of my essentials that's when spinning comes very close to fly fishing standards.
Vertical jigging both light and heavy for muscle aches and big fights...
Softbaits for winter months.
Jerkbaits for finicky predators.
Sometimes bait fishing stalking big carp sea bream even sea bass on live baits sightcasting at them is fun.
Rock fishing/iso game/bolognese you name it for huge bream, corvina and snappers at night.
But as you can understand from the list I love fishing no matter how and where :)
Yes there are less enjoyable ways to fish for me but if I can improvise if I can feel the contact with the fish be sure that I will be the one smiling there.
But if you ask me one thing that I am good even perfect at it would be casting hard baits I think :))
Favorite places to cast a lure?
My favorite places to cast a lure .....
Heheheee
I think no one can answer this question simply by saying here and there.
It depends on the fish that im after or the size of the fish that I'm after.
I can happily throw mini jerkbaits softlures tiny topwaters at small seabass in a shallow estuary or a harbor wall or a port in summer.
But if I am asking for trouble of 5 kg or more I will be on a deep estuary a big port mouth or a headland where currents meet and plenty of bait migrates.
In those circumstances I will use different lures up to 200 mm. Both soft and hard !!
If I am after big Mediterranean predators deep rocky shores are the answer mostly jigging and topwater lures makes my day sometimes big softbaits for groupers :)
Or on a huge estuary will hate me after throwing big topwaters on its face after big bluefish or leerfish.
Rivers lakes streams oceans canals sea ways (Bosphorus/Dardanelles) and even some swamps all has its place in my fishing life and each one of those has its special hotspots for your selected quarry.
What is your favorite fish to catch with lures?
Now you killed me there ...
List is long very long haha
But I can make my way into an answer like this;
I like catching mythical ghosts :)
Big seabass
big jackmackerel (aji)
Big leerfish
Big barracuda
And likely....
I favor fighting angry devils...
Dorado
Amberjacks
Skipjack tuna
Bluefish
Sea trout
Bonito
Big houndfish
Huge sea bream
Dentex
Snappers
And I like a meaty opponent on my selected environment facing the devil himself challenging the odds...
Tuna
Giant trevally
Broadbill swordfish
Huge amberjacks
Red bass
Dogtooth tuna
King mackerel
YFT
Wels catfish
Huge pike
Mulloway
Even sharks are on my list when I'm furious about challenging the Poseidon ahhahaha
I like fish that has many identities. I want them to play cat and mouse and make me go extremes after one specimen ....
That is the proper answer to this question for me I guess :)
What is your best catch ever?
I can't put one a side of others but to list a few...
10 kg + seabass I managed a few of those big ghosts ..
6 kg + barracuda I landed some of those crocodiles
50 kg + king mackerel
20 kg + dorado even managed 2 of those on 8 pound braid after 1 hour fight with each :)
I have some big dentex from shore up to 6 kg+
Trevally up to 15 20 kg even managed some double strikes on one lure...
But most of my specials are fish from Bosphorus ...
Why because landing big fish in a megacity is something every angler will say impossible ...
6kg corvina nearly 3 kg jackmackerel (aji) 7kg bluefish 10kg + seabass (and one biggest sea bass of nearly 18 kg years before)
And sea bream up to 5 and 6 kg
Those fish are special for me because they were impossible catches from city of Istanbul ...
For freshwater:
Catfish of 30 kg
Pike up to 11 kg
Zander of 7 kg range
Perch up to 2 3 kg
My chub fishing is exceptional I guess fish up to 8 kg visited my lures :)
And list goes on in freshwater too.
As you see I can't put one over another every catch is special best isn't a word enough to describe those memoirs.
What kind of tackle do you use during your fishing trips? Rod and reel
preferences?
I used nearly every brand you can imagine in my fishing history....
Daiwa/Shimano/Penn/Quantum/Van Staal/Tica/Mitchell/Tubertini/Ryobi/Okuma/Banax/DAM for reels.
As listed some above and other than the list: Zenaq/ima/Apia/Anglersrepublic/Jackson/Graphiteleader/Lamiglas/Gloomis/Fox/Wright&Mcgill/Jigging Master/Tenryu/Trabucco/Megabass for rods.
If I have to list lures I use I need to write down all known brands and some hand made masters even my own self designs ahahaha.
But the perfection in tackle comes in two brands for me.
Zenaq and Shimano !
Stella is a reel that is indestructible and works like a charm against every condition !
As Zenaq the pa (Plaisir Answer) series is a must for every serious lure angler around the globe.
So strong yet so light and the RG guide system is like magic casting without effort and hesitation is perfection to my opinion...
And the legendary DM (Defi Muthos) series in RG guides versions there is a rod for every fish that swims in this selection and I still find myself surprised on how much punishment those rods can take.
For braids and PE 3 brands made my fishing easy
Sunline/Powerpro/Ygk
Hooks and accessories i always trust
Smith/Decoy/ima/Gamakatsu/Owner
Those are essentials for my tackle as I try to list shortly as i can.
If you had to choose only three lures to put in your lure box, which ones would
you pick?
If I had to choose only three lures himmm...
1. It will be a popper for sure but not any popper the Maria Pop Queen will be the one depends on the situation you can work it as a popper or a walker and from my memories with it I know it can catch just about any fish eager to rise to top.
2.It will be the Daiwa Shorline Shiner SSR the longest casting shallow hardbait ever ......
3. Is the must other lures can change according to the circumstances but this one is going everywhere with me the DUO Realis Jerkbait 120 SP !
If there is a fish...
If it swims and breathes...
And if it has predatory inclinations...
I can deceive it with DUO Realis Jerkbait 120 SP the masterpiece of Masashiro Adachi !!
Lets make it one lure world tour ahaha the lure will be DUO Realis Jerkbait 120 SP for sure :))
Where do you see lure fishing in 10 years?
Lure fishing is almost dominant way of practice around the world today ...
And as every anglers know every year brands and designers make better products for serious angler all around the globe.
But we cant just catch fish and use the best doing it we need to become an organized legal community worldwide to ensure our future sport and future generations sport eco tourism plays a big part on this process also angling clubs community social media and blogs.
Distributors and brands must help those organizations against commercial poachers and over fishing and raise their voice for lure angling community.
That is a global problem with all of us lure anglers around the world.
We need to go to extreme places to find un-depleted predatory fish stocks and most of us practice catch and release.
Yes we do have right to keep our table share of fish but killing all you catch even this is a problem that must solved.
And also there is cheap equipment problem new starters buy the cheapest present brands and lose lures on fish rock you name it that's a pollution that keeps killing after they leave fishing spot. Think like that you lose a lure on a bass the ailing hooked bass will be eaten by a bigger predator say an amberjack but dissolving metal and hooks eventually kill the aj and even a shark can eat it ....
Now a new angler killed a shark by using cheap equipment think like that and teach everyone why we spend tons of money on gear we use today ...
So many thing must change but I have hope 10 years is a long time for the industry and the anglers and from my point of view there is no other community worldwide bigger than lure anglers we just need to realize this crowd is the power itself ..
"As all of us man and woman that loves the art of fishing lures and deceiving the nature with something man made we put our souls in those plastic and metal and one way or another we are like each other that is why i keep lure anglers in a different category...
We are all brothers and sister playing with our toys and with the water :)"
What do you think of catch and release?
C&R.....
Catch and release must be controlled by regional guards to my opinion anglers are perfect hit and run poachers if you think properly.
But I am not a fan of no kill policy. We put our money our effort even risk our life and limb to catch those specimen fish we do have the right to take fish for our family friends and our own table share.
But there must be regulation on that for example:
For species near extinction serious anglers must pay a good tax for keeping the catch and those taxes must go to conservation projects for this species of fish like they did after disaster freeze on snook population of Florida
For others limits for fishing technique must differ.
Bluefish for example or seabass other techniques are less effective and less productive on those species but for a lure angler catching average size of this species is very easy and we can easily have a huge blow on those species local populations if we kill all we catch.
So keeper size for lure anglers must be 50 cm or bigger for those species I guess..
Bait anglers and other techniques can stay at a 40 cm average size.
Regulations like these can save fish stocks and future of our sport and, as I mentioned before in my interview, distributors and tackle brands must have their support on this type of process too.
As an angler I keep fish that is too old to breed or turned cannibal and sometimes if table quality is good average trophy sized one or two according to species others released by me to fight another day !
All lure anglers must kill cleanly a foul hooked or badly injured fish by our lures ....
Its common sense an ailing fish is a dead fish in aquatic environment I can't let my practice to make a living things life a torture !!!
Anything you want to add?
I wish to all my brothers and sisters tight lines lucky days good weather and challenging fish of their dreams hahahaahaaa.
What more to say from a veteran lure angler :))))
Again, thank you very much for your time!!
Thank you!
Hello RC,
As I must say some about myself I am a man of many interests.
I was born in Amasra in a little town at shores of the Black Sea "where waves always hits the shoreline hard" .Then i grew up in Bursa a town of Marmara sea and Istanbul "the city that sea runs through". From my early ages fishing was in my life my grandfathers my father my uncles all were abbot anglers.
But I also did many sports in my childhood to name a few free diving, football, martial arts, swimming and list goes on :)
Then I practiced fine arts in high school but also studied different academic genres.
Now my profession is concept design and stage design but my real profession is industrial designing ....All this time travelling to different countries and fishing is a part of my life (a very big part) I consulted brands in Turkey.
I have introduced many new techniques to fishing community of Turkey and also I gave many interviews to the fishing magazines of other countries being a pioneer of lure angling in my country is my main reputation I guess.
But from freshwater bait angling to surf-casting I did every type of fishing I can get my hands on in my native waters ...
I also studied academic aqua-biology and behavior habits of fish all those years like a license student. I guess my nick name comes from knowing too much :)
When did you start fishing?
I can't really remember ...
Sounds cliche but my father says they even changed my diapers on the boat ahahaha
But I remember catching huge wrasse and bream from rocks in very early ages like 6 or 7
And my first lure fishing memoir is at my 8 or 10 trying to throw a table spoon with treble behind from the rocks with a hand line :)
My mother was very upset about me stealing a silver spoon of her collection but the huge foul hooked bluefish saved me that day.
At that age my father didn't told me what is a spoon ahahahahaha so I improvised my own :)
Those are sweet childhood memories that always makes me smile ...
What type of fishing do you prefer?
Lets see...
Light tackle spinning is one of my favorite especially when medium size predators and some opportunistic species that turn predatory at times are the quarry.
Shore jigging is an addiction for me especially when hits come from big bad ass pure blood predatory fish.
Topwater fishing tossing poppers and walkers sticks etc. Is a must for me explosive strikes make my heart beat faster.
Tactical ultralight spinning is also one of my essentials that's when spinning comes very close to fly fishing standards.
Vertical jigging both light and heavy for muscle aches and big fights...
Softbaits for winter months.
Jerkbaits for finicky predators.
Sometimes bait fishing stalking big carp sea bream even sea bass on live baits sightcasting at them is fun.
Rock fishing/iso game/bolognese you name it for huge bream, corvina and snappers at night.
But as you can understand from the list I love fishing no matter how and where :)
Yes there are less enjoyable ways to fish for me but if I can improvise if I can feel the contact with the fish be sure that I will be the one smiling there.
But if you ask me one thing that I am good even perfect at it would be casting hard baits I think :))
Favorite places to cast a lure?
My favorite places to cast a lure .....
Heheheee
I think no one can answer this question simply by saying here and there.
It depends on the fish that im after or the size of the fish that I'm after.
I can happily throw mini jerkbaits softlures tiny topwaters at small seabass in a shallow estuary or a harbor wall or a port in summer.
But if I am asking for trouble of 5 kg or more I will be on a deep estuary a big port mouth or a headland where currents meet and plenty of bait migrates.
In those circumstances I will use different lures up to 200 mm. Both soft and hard !!
If I am after big Mediterranean predators deep rocky shores are the answer mostly jigging and topwater lures makes my day sometimes big softbaits for groupers :)
Or on a huge estuary will hate me after throwing big topwaters on its face after big bluefish or leerfish.
Rivers lakes streams oceans canals sea ways (Bosphorus/Dardanelles) and even some swamps all has its place in my fishing life and each one of those has its special hotspots for your selected quarry.
What is your favorite fish to catch with lures?
Now you killed me there ...
List is long very long haha
But I can make my way into an answer like this;
I like catching mythical ghosts :)
Big seabass
big jackmackerel (aji)
Big leerfish
Big barracuda
And likely....
I favor fighting angry devils...
Dorado
Amberjacks
Skipjack tuna
Bluefish
Sea trout
Bonito
Big houndfish
Huge sea bream
Dentex
Snappers
And I like a meaty opponent on my selected environment facing the devil himself challenging the odds...
Tuna
Giant trevally
Broadbill swordfish
Huge amberjacks
Red bass
Dogtooth tuna
King mackerel
YFT
Wels catfish
Huge pike
Mulloway
Even sharks are on my list when I'm furious about challenging the Poseidon ahhahaha
I like fish that has many identities. I want them to play cat and mouse and make me go extremes after one specimen ....
That is the proper answer to this question for me I guess :)
What is your best catch ever?
I can't put one a side of others but to list a few...
10 kg + seabass I managed a few of those big ghosts ..
6 kg + barracuda I landed some of those crocodiles
50 kg + king mackerel
20 kg + dorado even managed 2 of those on 8 pound braid after 1 hour fight with each :)
I have some big dentex from shore up to 6 kg+
Trevally up to 15 20 kg even managed some double strikes on one lure...
But most of my specials are fish from Bosphorus ...
Why because landing big fish in a megacity is something every angler will say impossible ...
6kg corvina nearly 3 kg jackmackerel (aji) 7kg bluefish 10kg + seabass (and one biggest sea bass of nearly 18 kg years before)
And sea bream up to 5 and 6 kg
Those fish are special for me because they were impossible catches from city of Istanbul ...
For freshwater:
Catfish of 30 kg
Pike up to 11 kg
Zander of 7 kg range
Perch up to 2 3 kg
My chub fishing is exceptional I guess fish up to 8 kg visited my lures :)
And list goes on in freshwater too.
As you see I can't put one over another every catch is special best isn't a word enough to describe those memoirs.
What kind of tackle do you use during your fishing trips? Rod and reel
preferences?
I used nearly every brand you can imagine in my fishing history....
Daiwa/Shimano/Penn/Quantum/Van Staal/Tica/Mitchell/Tubertini/Ryobi/Okuma/Banax/DAM for reels.
As listed some above and other than the list: Zenaq/ima/Apia/Anglersrepublic/Jackson/Graphiteleader/Lamiglas/Gloomis/Fox/Wright&Mcgill/Jigging Master/Tenryu/Trabucco/Megabass for rods.
If I have to list lures I use I need to write down all known brands and some hand made masters even my own self designs ahahaha.
But the perfection in tackle comes in two brands for me.
Zenaq and Shimano !
Stella is a reel that is indestructible and works like a charm against every condition !
As Zenaq the pa (Plaisir Answer) series is a must for every serious lure angler around the globe.
So strong yet so light and the RG guide system is like magic casting without effort and hesitation is perfection to my opinion...
And the legendary DM (Defi Muthos) series in RG guides versions there is a rod for every fish that swims in this selection and I still find myself surprised on how much punishment those rods can take.
For braids and PE 3 brands made my fishing easy
Sunline/Powerpro/Ygk
Hooks and accessories i always trust
Smith/Decoy/ima/Gamakatsu/Owner
Those are essentials for my tackle as I try to list shortly as i can.
If you had to choose only three lures to put in your lure box, which ones would
you pick?
If I had to choose only three lures himmm...
1. It will be a popper for sure but not any popper the Maria Pop Queen will be the one depends on the situation you can work it as a popper or a walker and from my memories with it I know it can catch just about any fish eager to rise to top.
2.It will be the Daiwa Shorline Shiner SSR the longest casting shallow hardbait ever ......
3. Is the must other lures can change according to the circumstances but this one is going everywhere with me the DUO Realis Jerkbait 120 SP !
If there is a fish...
If it swims and breathes...
And if it has predatory inclinations...
I can deceive it with DUO Realis Jerkbait 120 SP the masterpiece of Masashiro Adachi !!
Lets make it one lure world tour ahaha the lure will be DUO Realis Jerkbait 120 SP for sure :))
Where do you see lure fishing in 10 years?
Lure fishing is almost dominant way of practice around the world today ...
And as every anglers know every year brands and designers make better products for serious angler all around the globe.
But we cant just catch fish and use the best doing it we need to become an organized legal community worldwide to ensure our future sport and future generations sport eco tourism plays a big part on this process also angling clubs community social media and blogs.
Distributors and brands must help those organizations against commercial poachers and over fishing and raise their voice for lure angling community.
That is a global problem with all of us lure anglers around the world.
We need to go to extreme places to find un-depleted predatory fish stocks and most of us practice catch and release.
Yes we do have right to keep our table share of fish but killing all you catch even this is a problem that must solved.
And also there is cheap equipment problem new starters buy the cheapest present brands and lose lures on fish rock you name it that's a pollution that keeps killing after they leave fishing spot. Think like that you lose a lure on a bass the ailing hooked bass will be eaten by a bigger predator say an amberjack but dissolving metal and hooks eventually kill the aj and even a shark can eat it ....
Now a new angler killed a shark by using cheap equipment think like that and teach everyone why we spend tons of money on gear we use today ...
So many thing must change but I have hope 10 years is a long time for the industry and the anglers and from my point of view there is no other community worldwide bigger than lure anglers we just need to realize this crowd is the power itself ..
"As all of us man and woman that loves the art of fishing lures and deceiving the nature with something man made we put our souls in those plastic and metal and one way or another we are like each other that is why i keep lure anglers in a different category...
We are all brothers and sister playing with our toys and with the water :)"
What do you think of catch and release?
C&R.....
Catch and release must be controlled by regional guards to my opinion anglers are perfect hit and run poachers if you think properly.
But I am not a fan of no kill policy. We put our money our effort even risk our life and limb to catch those specimen fish we do have the right to take fish for our family friends and our own table share.
But there must be regulation on that for example:
For species near extinction serious anglers must pay a good tax for keeping the catch and those taxes must go to conservation projects for this species of fish like they did after disaster freeze on snook population of Florida
For others limits for fishing technique must differ.
Bluefish for example or seabass other techniques are less effective and less productive on those species but for a lure angler catching average size of this species is very easy and we can easily have a huge blow on those species local populations if we kill all we catch.
So keeper size for lure anglers must be 50 cm or bigger for those species I guess..
Bait anglers and other techniques can stay at a 40 cm average size.
Regulations like these can save fish stocks and future of our sport and, as I mentioned before in my interview, distributors and tackle brands must have their support on this type of process too.
As an angler I keep fish that is too old to breed or turned cannibal and sometimes if table quality is good average trophy sized one or two according to species others released by me to fight another day !
All lure anglers must kill cleanly a foul hooked or badly injured fish by our lures ....
Its common sense an ailing fish is a dead fish in aquatic environment I can't let my practice to make a living things life a torture !!!
Anything you want to add?
I wish to all my brothers and sisters tight lines lucky days good weather and challenging fish of their dreams hahahaahaaa.
What more to say from a veteran lure angler :))))
Again, thank you very much for your time!!
Thank you!
October 15, 2015
Japan Fishing Stores
After my post about fishing stores in Tokyo (see here) I have received many comments and emails from anglers looking for more information and some advice.
After my visit to Tokyo I had the chance to go to Osaka and Kyoto as a tourist. As usual I spent one full day looking for the best fishing shops available in the area. I will write a report about those stores very soon here on my blog. I can recommend two stores in Osaka and one big in Kyoto. This would be a great start :)
Keep tuned
After my visit to Tokyo I had the chance to go to Osaka and Kyoto as a tourist. As usual I spent one full day looking for the best fishing shops available in the area. I will write a report about those stores very soon here on my blog. I can recommend two stores in Osaka and one big in Kyoto. This would be a great start :)
Keep tuned
October 14, 2015
Shoreline Shiner Z LH (LUNKER HUNTER) 150F-HD
Daiwa's shoreline shiner minnow is without doubt one of the best selling minnows that has been around for many years. I read somewhere that millions were sold during the last decade and that continues to be a very demanded lure that with many followers all over the world.
Now I see this new version on the Daiwa official website and I am already eager to put my hands on.
The new model is an "Heady Duty" version of the Shiner Z that will target the famous Hira Suzuki seabass or other types of pelagic that scout the shore.
What is so special about the HD? Well basically is a beefed up version with 1.2mm thru wire , strong ST-56 hooks, 150mm of length for an hefty 35.5g weight.
The product page states (according to my trusty Google Translate) that thanks to the HGS system it has a casting range of 66 meters.
This is a very nice looking and robust minnow that can be used on all those situations where we need some distance and security in case we chase some big seabass or pelagic.
For more information you can check here.
Source: Daiwa Japan
Now I see this new version on the Daiwa official website and I am already eager to put my hands on.
The new model is an "Heady Duty" version of the Shiner Z that will target the famous Hira Suzuki seabass or other types of pelagic that scout the shore.
What is so special about the HD? Well basically is a beefed up version with 1.2mm thru wire , strong ST-56 hooks, 150mm of length for an hefty 35.5g weight.
The product page states (according to my trusty Google Translate) that thanks to the HGS system it has a casting range of 66 meters.
This is a very nice looking and robust minnow that can be used on all those situations where we need some distance and security in case we chase some big seabass or pelagic.
For more information you can check here.
Source: Daiwa Japan
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