Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my friends!!!

2011 Shimano Biomaster

A nice reel like this deserves a 360 degrees video.




Source: Shimano Japan
Video Source : PLAT
Available for sale here

A new lure company: Jumprize

While checking my friends' blogs I ran into a new lure made by a new company name Jumprize. The name of the lure is Rowdy 130F and was developed by Yuki Inoue, a very famous japanese seabass angler and world record holder for the black fin japanese seabass.

The lure looks awesome and it is already a very demanded item in Japan. Apparently Yuji is a legend and at the same time a great lure designer being the creator of the famous IMA sasuke 140 Reppa Lure.

I think this lure has the potential to be a seabass killer in Europe and earn an high reputation among anglers.

These are the specs of the lure:


 + Length: 130mm
 + Weight: 22g
 + Action: Irregular Wobben' Roll
 + Range: 60 - 130cm
 + Hook: Owner Cultiva ST46 #4 x3
 + Price: 2310Yen

The price is quite expensive but looks like the lure is a real winner and worth checking. The lure is in short supply but I recommend to check Cloud Nine Tackle. It had a few colors in stock a couple of days ago. They are already gone but I am sure he will re-stock them soon.





You can find more info about the lure here. 

Smith Line Clipper

I have tried many line clippers. I always found something wrong with most of them. Some were flimsy, other not sharp, others hard to use. After several brands and models I found this one below made by Smith Ltd.
It is a regular clipper but somehow I have been very please so far. The edge is still sharp after many uses and it is easy to press and cut. I can't find it anymore online but if you find it just give it a try.

Some rust after heavy use. Still cuts fluoro leaders with ease.

The engraved Smith Ltd. logo is a nice touch.

DUO Contest Winners

Nelson Rhys from Australia, Xavier Maurin from France and Leonidas Kouretas from Greece. Congratulations, enjoy your new cool DUO Lures.
These three gentlemen have won the latest contest made by DUO Japan this month.
DUO asked to his facebook page fans what are the most preferred lure colors in the DUO range. They received more than 250 answers and now we know that these colors are on the top choices when it comes to DUO lures:

P39 Pearl Chart 

H94 Chigomori Iwashii 

H11 Scaled Iwashi

I would have definitely voted for the H94 and H11. They are also among my favorite colors. Somehow I still prefer natural looking colors when it comes to lures. Perhaps they look more like a real fish. On the other hand I might understand why the chartreuse color got first. I know by experience that in saltwater fly fishing white and chartreuse work very well and this might explain this trend.

Anyway, I enjoy these contest made by DUO and I know that they are more to come. Just make sure you follow the official facebook fan page.



 

Lure Photo 11: Seaspin Mommotti 180

Details here

Cheers from Italy

I love blogging. It opens you to the world and to new friendships. Thanks to my blog I started meeting new anglers from all over the world. One of these is a friend from Italy. He is a skilled angler and he also has a blog, still new but the photos are great. He writes in Italian, but photos do not need any translation after all.

He enjoys fishing from piers and rocky shores where he chases Barracudas, Bonitos, Bluefish and Seabass.

I wish him good luck with his new blog and looking forward for more reports.

Grazie! :)

Nice Seabass

A great sized "gator" bluefish taken with a DUO Tide Minnow 175

Bonito with a Duo Tide flyer 175

DUO Tide Minnow 135 Surf

Windy days,intimidating waves, big swells, strong currents? If you are fishing in this kind of conditions you have to choose a lure specifically designed that will allow you to cast and fish efficiently. One of these lures is the DUO Tide Minnow Surf series. I have a the 135 model, which is 24g. and looks very good.

The lure comes with a moving weight system that is useful for longer casts and better stability in the current.
The 24g weight is ideal for long casts. The bib is designed for shallow diving which is great if you are looking for seabass. The action is wobbling
I took a photo of the lure. Looking forward to use it soon for seabass from the beach.

More info is here at DUO's Official Page.

Lure Photo 10: Daiwa Saltiga Slider

DIY: How to make ultra light assist hooks

I like dealing with small sized jigs, hooks, softbaits and everything that is ultralight. Months ago I found a jig that featured a small micro sized assist hook made the same way as the bigger ones used on 60-100g. jigs.

The principle is the same. The assist hook goes to the top or bottom of the jig and allows a secure hook up to the fish. 

I am interested in tying flies as well so I realized that I should get some fun by tying this small assist hooks for fun. The materials are quite easy to obtain. A wide gap small sized hook (iseama or chinu type are good for me) , some 50lb PE line as assist line, fly tying thread, crazy glue and some flash.

The result is a nice looking micro assist hook. Below is a quick explanation step by step. 

Enjoy :)

I use a small size 8 or 6 wide gap hook. Iseama - Chinu models are fine.

For the assist line you can use a 30ln or 50lb braid PE line.

Red colored thread and bobbin.

Cut the PE at the desired length.

Make a loop and place it on the shank of the hook.

Start wrapping the thread

Add some flash material. I use Crystal Flash.

Drop some crazy glue for a finishing and securing the wrap.

Hook is ready to go.

You can attach it to a small jig with a split ring  or directly to the lure snap.

New Rapala MaxRap 5

If you have checked the 2012 Rapala Catalog, you probably already saw the new 5cm MaxRap introduced for year 2012. Given the popularity of the MaxRap series I am sure that this little lure will be a big excitement for all the ultralight anglers out there. The 5cm minnow weights 2gr. and has the same shape and features of the bigger brothers.
We just need to get one and test it.

New Daiwa Ballistic

Today I had the chance to handle the new Daiwa Ballistic reel at my local tackle shop.
This new reel introduced by Daiwa this year, has many features that have been a trademark for the Japanese company. The design of the reel is very similar to the JDM "Freams" which has been on my radar for a long time.

My impressions:

I liked the design, the dark red metallic trim looks awesome, so does the shiny charcoal colored body.
It feels solid and after a single spin of the handle I realized that it is a very smooth reel, similar to my actual Daiwa Team Advantage.

What I did like:

I liked the dark color and the dark red ruby trims.
The reel is smooth. You can feel the digigear in there.
Waterproof drag.
High Speed Retrieve.
Light reel thanks to the Zaion Body.
Cool looking air rotor
Torx screws for the reel body

What I didn't like:
Somehow this med-high priced reel is made in China. Usually these kind of reels were made in Malaysia.
The body looks cool but on a closer look the painted surface looks a little uneven. Too plastic for my taste.

Conclusion:
Overall a good reel. The Japanese company has improved the looks of the reels and the new features are interesting. The zaion material gives lightness but the paint job looked a little flawed.  The fact that is made in China bothers me a little. Maybe Daiwa has implemented great Q.C. over there.

I would like to compare it with the Caldia and the JDM Freams. I wish I could handle those too.

I have tried the size 4000 which is ideal for some medium-heavy fishing.

Lets check the specs:
Size : 4000
Gear Ratio: 6.2:1
Bearings: 3+4CRBB
Spool Capacity: 240mm 12lb

Main Features:
Real Four

Zaion® body and side cover 
Air Rotor 
Air Bail® 
Oil impregnated fibre seal
Waterproof drag 
Twistbuster II
UTD Ultimate Tournament Drag
Seven Ball bearings including four CRBB 
Digigear 
High speed retrieve 
Machined aluminium handle 
ABS II
Two ball bearings on spool

More info here at Daiwa UK

Merry Christmas!

I wish Merry Christmas to all my friends, fellow anglers and blog followers.

Jackson Pin Tail E Z

Jackson Lures is another Japanese company that produces high quality lures. I especially like their "athlete" minnow series.
I found an interesting lure while browsing their website. It is named Pin Tail E Z and what strikes me is the high weight to length ratio. The small 9cm minnow weights 28 gr. and mounts heavy duty Owner St-56 trebles. The bib is robust and allows the minnow to dive deep.
It is ideal for fishing from shore.

Here is a video:

Top Water Fishing for Bluefish

Great video!

Daiwa Caldia Video

This is a short 360 degree video that shows the 2011 Daiwa Caldia in detail.

New lures

I have been sick lately and didn't have the chance to update the blog as I used to do.
I'll try to recover soon and write some new post soon.

In the meantime I have received some cool lures made by an Italian company named Seaspin.
I realized that Italians can do more than exotic cars and great shoes. These lures look great and I have heard good things from my fellow anglers around the Mediterrean area. Right now I am holding on my desk some of their best selling models. A long jerk named Mommotti, a shallow diving minnow, a long casting minnow and a walk the dog.

I will review them soon.

Fresh lures in the boxes.

Detail of the Pro-Q 120. An interesting WTD lure.

Mommotti 180. A long jerk minnow.

A photo I took a couple of days ago. The Coixedda 100 is a shallow running minnow.

Mommotti comes in three sizes: 140-180-190mm

This color is good for barracudas.

Some topwater action

Again, another nice video from the guys at "Shallow Water Expeditions". Enjoy it.

BULLS ON TOP from SHALLOW WATER EXPEDITIONS on Vimeo.

Book: The Fishermen's Ocean

I have read many books about fishing. Most of them tells stories or explains how to catch fish. However this book "The Fishermen's Ocean" written by David Ross stands apart. The book is written by a oceanographer who happens to be also an avid fisherman. For this reason the book is a guide to fishing written by a scientific standpoint. Ross explains how to catch fish by analyzing tides, currents, rips, moon phases, weather conditions, fishes' biology, fishes' behavior, etc.

It provides with almost 300 pages of useful information about our oceans and it is a book that has to be in your library if you are interested not only in catching fish but understand the environment where they live.
Ross, being a fly fisherman living on the East Coast of the US, focuses the book on mostly fishing situations common to the Atlantic Ocean but it is definitely recommended for all the anglers in the world.

You can find more information on this book on this link.

Shimano Elf C2000S

Finally I have opened the box that just came in from Cloud Nine Tackle Japan.

I already own the Shimano Elf 2500 and I have decided to go ahead and pick the C2000S for my ultralight setup. I am going to make a combo with the Nissin Atlas rod I have purchased some time ago.

The reel has a compact body, hence the designation C, and comes with a shallow spool (S stands for shallow). The reason I went with a shallow spool is that I am planning on using a very thin 0.6 PE braid and this spool allows me to put 150m of it with no problems. A deeper regular spool would need an extra nylon backing to fill the spool,which I find rather annoying. 

The reel is 215g. which will balance perfectly with my 7.4ft rod.

At the price range of 6000 YEN is a very satisfying reel. 

I will review the reel once I'll add the braid and go catching some horse mackerel.

Shimano Elf C2000S

You can check more about the Elf in my recent post or go directly to Shimano's page 

The Spec for the C200S reel is as follows:

Weight : 215g.

Spool Capacity: 0.6PE 150m / 0.8PE 110m / 1.0PE 80m

Cm per handle turn: 66cm

Gear Ratio: 5.0

Max Drag: 3kg.

Enjoy the pics below:

Brilliant orange trim.

S stands for Shallow Spool

C stands for Compact body.

The reel is made in Malasya.

AR-C Spool

Another detail of the Shallow Spool.

Detail of the drag. Less-More Dial.

The Elf comes with a cool looking machined handle. Nice touch.