Dock Talk: Sci-Fi Bass Fishing
- Published on Thursday, 20 October 2011 11:37
- Written by Duncan Murfin
- Hits: 129
If the Wild West is to American culture what science fiction is to the Japanese, one can only imagine what would happen if bass fishing meets these two worlds somewhere in between.
Stereotypical Japanese culture has always been depicted as an extremely harmonious and structured society, all working towards one unified goal, and until quite recently their approach to bass fishing has been very much the same. The influence of youth street culture is starting to filter through into bass fishing with an element of futuristic, ultra-modern and extreme cool creeping in.
No longer is tackle from the USA considered top end by the Japanese - they’ve re-invented their own industry instead of following another. Nothing, and I must reiterate nothing, is factory standard, or accepted that way - amongst Japanese bass fishing fanatics tweaking a bait here and there is more than expected, but now they will go one step further. Anglers in the east have no problem purchasing a fully functional top end reel, stripping out all the internal workings and sending only the frame off to a reel customisation company such as I’ZE or Bass Craft to have everything made according to their bespoke requirements. When it comes to rods, many of which we will never see this side of the Atlantic, are more likely to be considered works of art. If rods were compared to luxurious vehicles, many bass rods commonly used by their anglers would be Rolls Royces with the price tag to match, with the average rod being in excess of $500. These are no ordinary rods, with hand carved maple handles, Titanium Composite Guides and blanks made from undisclosed prototype materials – which in most cases are never again reproduced in a specific series of rods. And just like Formula One racing Japan has become the testing ground for extravagant tackle with features that are then included in the production models we see in our products later on. Don’t be surprised if that bait or rod and reel combo you picked up recently popped up on tournament circuits or in magazines in Japan 5 years ago! In all their extravagance Japanese bass anglers are at the forefront of technique and bait development - the reason you might ask? In essence it boils down to fishing pressure and the need to innovate in an already over heated tackle and bait market.
Like everywhere else bass fishing is a lifestyle and to many also a symbol of economic status, and in Japan most angling is done from the shore by thousands of anglers on a daily basis, which is arguably a major reason why most baits are developed for social anglers, similar to the South African bass fishing fraternity. Craftsmanship also plays its part, where ultra-realistic is not the benchmark but the norm - when looking at some of their baits even the real McCoy will feel a out of place, and that’s beside the components used in the manufacturing process. Hooks are sourced from only the best factories and plastics, even for hard baits, are proprietary composites to give each manufacturer its own unique edge. Another big factor is the stance of the Japanese government towards bass as a species, viewing it as a miscreant from the West destroying the indigenous fish populations, so is systematically being removed from the most popular venues. So fewer bass and more anglers can only equate to one thing, namely better baits to fool already spooky bass. And boy - are they effective, even in our local waters!
Fans of Rob Cohen’s 2011 Hollywood box office hit movie “The Fast and the Furious” will understand the term “tricked out”, which is exactly what the Japanese bass angling culture is – tricked out.
Catch you on the water.
