Short Report

I spent Sunday morning fishing a spot close to home. The purpose was actually trying the new tackle I got. I already knew that the water would be slow and that getting an hit almost impossible.
I was eager to wet the line on a couple of lures and try my new Shimano Elf reel spooled with some Power Pro  Slick 8 braid.

The lure:

I have tried a couple of new lures but I was eager to try the Seaspin Pro-Q 90. This is a very fine WTD lure indeed. It casts very well and it is really easy to give action. Retrieve it slow or fast and the lure comes to life. With a slow retrieve you get a wide WTD action, with a fast retrieve it starts going up and down with some tight movements. It reminds me of the action of the zara spook but you get a far better casting and a more erratic movement on the fast retrieve.

The Line:

I was very curious about the new Power Pro Slick 8 braid. I spooled a 10lb in aqua green color. The line casts very good and smooth. The retrieve was effortless and very easy on the guides. I liked it a lot but the line is too new for a complete evaluation. Right now I can feel the silky surface but only time will tell if it will stay this way for long or start fraying after a couple of fishing trips. For the moment is looks like a bigger improvement over the previous 4 strand lines by Power Pro.

2500 Shimano Elf

The Reel:

The 2500 Elf does not only look good on photos. It is indeed a nice piece of equipment priced at the right range. The casting was effortless and the retrieve silky smooth. It needs some time to see how it holds on heavy and constant use. Definitely a good choice. I didn't see any problems in the winding of the braid. The whole casting-retrieving was done without problems.

The reel spooled with 10lb Power Pro 

My tackle box: Seaspin Pro-Q, Coixedda 100, Maria Miss Carna
River2Sea Valor Minnow , Rapala MaxRap and  K-Ten Blue Ocean HG

Links:
Seaspin 
Shimano Elf (Online Store)

"How it is made" by DUO

This is a great video. I always wished lure companies share some footage of their tooling and all production steps involved in creating those little plastics we all love. I have already seen many rod makers video so this one on lure making was astounishing. The best part is that this is only the first video of more to come. 
Hats off to DUO for this initiative. It is really a great pleasure to watch all the process involved. A great thanks to Martin for sharing it with all the fans in the world. Really looking forward for the next videos.
The more we see videos like this and the more we understand and admire the lures we use during our fishing trip. In a instant, after watching this video, my DUO lures in the tackle box have become more valuable to me.  
Make sure to bookmark the youtube page of DUO (Here)
Great A+

Tony Pena Knot

This is a great knot for PE to Leader connections. It is not difficult to make and this video explains it well.

Lure Gallery

I like taking pictures. My followers would have certainly noted that. I have been a little creative lately and took some pictures. I am sharing most of them. Enjoy

My bench.

Duel Hardcore Minnow

DUO Bay Ruf Manic 115

Manic in the box

Seaspin Mommotti 180

Seaspin Family

Skagit Designs

Skagit Designs

Skagit Designs Match Bait Jet

Duo Tide Minnow Slim

Duo Tide Minnow 90

Smith ULM 115

DUO Tetraworks Yurameki 

Zip Baits

Some thoughts on Japanese Tackle Shops Part I

You probably already know about my trip to Tokyo I made a couple of weeks ago.
I spent some time in some of the famous shops available in the Shibuya and Shinjuku area.
In this post I want to write my considerations about the experience I got visiting this places. I think an experience to a Japanese tackle shop is not just about the quantity of lures you see on the wall but also about the way the store is designed, the atmosphere you find inside and the help and attention the sales assistants give to you.
I can start by saying that I have visited many stores in the US and Europe so I have an idea of what to expect from a fishing store.

Sansui

Sansui store in Shibuya. The most famous one.

Sansui store in Shinjuku.

Sansui is certainly one of the most famous stores in Tokyo. I am aware that they are many bigger store available in the Tokyo area but Sansui is one of the oldest (since 1902) and most respected one.
They sell basically everything from saltwater to fly fishing and perhaps it is the last aspect that has influenced the design of the shop. I can say that once you step in a Sansui shops (regardless of the type) you feel yourself like in a fly shop in Bozeman, Montana. It has that feel of coziness that I saw before only in US fly fishing stores. There is lots of woodwork inside and it definitely lacks that cold ambient made of concrete floors , weak lighting metallic cabinets, and white walls, something that I see often in store here in my country or Europe.
Wooden floors, wooden cabinets, cute fish-themed decorations, soft lighting, tons of tackles on movable wall racks (great idea btw) and great stuff.
This aspect cartainly adds experience to the shopping, at least for me. You find yourself in a place where you feel the "fishing" enthusiasm and tradition. I always consider fishing an art and a shop should reflect that aspect. Whether a GT popper or a midge fly I think it all encompasses the creativity, workmanship and pursuit of perfection. I see this sport-hobby always from this point of view and this is why I have much respect for everything well made (possibly by hand) in this industry.

Shopping

I liked the idea of the small basket you pick up at the entrance. It is very common in Japanese store and I think it is great. You can take a small or medium sized basket according to your needs. No worry about keeping your hands busy holding tons of lures, just use the basket.  I enjoyed the wooden cabinets filled with spool of braids and Meiho boxes.

Sansui Logo.

The checkout

The payment process was entertaining too. They pack everything in some nice Sansui branded paper bags and tape the top of it. They make a nice box with everything in order. Maybe "order" is the key word to express the way a tackle store in Japan is setup.
Too bad I couldn't snap pictures inside the store, maybe this is the only drawback of these store. Anyway I was lucky enough to find a setup of photos on the Sansui blog. Here is the link. Please have a look

As for tackle I saw lots of stuff. I realized that they carry tackle according to the season. I saw more stuff for   light fishing than offshore fishing. I asked to my friend who lives in Japan and he confirmed that the seasons affects the amount and type of tackle a store keeps in stock.
There were many rods on display and some very nice reels (read Stella and Saltiga) under some shiny glass cabinets. Very tempting.

Last for not least, there was a very nice books/video section where I had the luck to get some catalogs for free and some magazines. I wish I could read and understand Japanese. I think I will work on that too.

This ends the first part. Next time I will write about Jumbo and Tackle Berry. These stores were also very pleasant to visit (less for my bank account but who cares).

Coming soon...

Tackle Berry in Shibuya.

Lure Photo 30: DUO Tide Minnow 90

Details here