Next project?

The bait finesse next project if i can successfully trade away my Daiwa Alphas R edition for a Revo Aurora or at least an Elite IB. Wish me luck.

Recent catches

With the recently acquired Volkey BFS rod, it have been a constant mission to get out there and put a bend into it. Casting has been good thus far, the action of the rod was faster than the Phenix Recon 712L therefore requiring a slight adjustment at the start but once you get the feel of the blank, casting light plugs was a breeze. At the moment the lighter lures i have casted was a 1/32oz rigged mebaru rubbers and the distance was workable however the 1/16oz rigs were used most of the time. 

The limitation of casting super finesse baits lies in the reel more so than the rod as the pixy have zero upgrades on the spool nor bearings as yet thus the result itself was already impressive.

 I've constantly been bugging myself to pick up the I'ze Factory PX68 Finesse spool however as compared to the aftermarket spool tuning available to other reels such as the Shimano Aldebaran or Abu Garcia Revos i'm left pretty disappointed. There really isn't much specialized aftermarket kits for the PX68 while the other "not as" finesse reels are getting all the attention!!

Daiwa PX68R

Majorcraft Volkey BFS

Duo Tetraworks Pocopoco

 Daiwa PX68R

Majorcraft Volkey BFS

Jackson Athlete 55 Light Salt Tune

 Daiwa PX68R

Majorcraft Volkey BFS

Duo Tetraworks Pocopoco

Nothing impressive was landed as yet on the BFS enough to put a hard bend into it. Frankly, as much as i liked the design and feel of the rod, i was a little disappointed that it was not able to achieve a nice parabolic bend down to the butt of the rod as with many other baitfinesse rods seen on jdm videos. The Volkey BFS's whippy tip locks out about 1/3 down the blank and the stiff butt section gives you that extra strength to handle larger hookups.

 Daiwa PX68R

Majorcraft Volkey BFS

Rapala Ultralight Minnow

 Daiwa PX68R

Majorcraft Volkey BFS

Rapala Ultralight Minnow

Our night luring trip yielded better results with 2 larger Tilapia Buttikoferi aka Zebra tilapias being landed. These aggressive fishes fought hard with hard bursts finally putting a nicer curve into the BFS. Seems we cant seem to break the 35cm barrier for zebras as yet.

Daiwa Alphas R edition

Daiwa Zillion TDZL701MXB

Rapala Ultralight Minnow

Did i say aggressive?? A tiny one hitting lures as big as itself! Landed by fellow lurer Hongyi

New toys

Picked up some new toys =)

First fish on the Volkey BFS ;)

Daiwa PX68R

Majorcraft Volkey BFS

Decoy finesse jig head 1/16oz

Still hunt 1.5"

Holy Smokes!

New Daiwa T3 air!! The latest Bait finesse reel featuring collaboration between Daiwa and KTF!!

Featuring:
-Magforce 3D finesse Tune
-Super Air spool
-Zaion knobs and drag star
-Micro ball bearing system

As much as i didnt fully liked the T3, i guess this looks like a reel i'll most probably be acquiring this year.

Volkey BFS is here

So, i succumbed to the poison and bit the bullet. I can only put the blame on Alex at Lure Haven offering me such attractive prices. Seems the bait finesse force in me is strong. Feedback on the rod to come soon.

KR-X Baitfinesse Custom

Abu Garcia Salty stage KR-X baitfinesse custom!

JDM Abu Garcia Baitcasting Finesse offerings 2012

JDM Abu Garcia has always been offering awesome toys for us fans. The usual offerings from Swedish made Abu Garcia are usually not enough to satisfy that JDM crazed enthusiast. Shiny toys such as the Revo Aurora Elite, the Akatsuki and LTX are some of the reels from JDM Abu that comes with alot of custom parts in the market such as carbon handles, upgrades spool tuning etc. As with most big JDM brands in the market, Abu Garcia is also churning out new products to whet appetites in the latest trend to hit bass fishing, Baitcasting Finesse fishing. This finesse approach to bass fishing using lighter lines, lighter lures, and lighter rods comparable to spinning tackle maximizes the fun of the fight and allows much more delicate presentation of lures in pressured waters by casting weightless soft plastic and smaller lures.

Some of the latest rods to hit the baitcasting finesse market from Abu Garcia Japan is

The new Saltwater Bait finesse rod,

Abu Garcia Salty Stage KR-X Baitfinesse Custom

Length: 6"9

2 Piece Design

Line Poundage: 6-10lb

Casting Weight: 1.5 - 8 Grams

Carbon content: 95%

Rod Weight: 120g

Retail Price: ¥22,500

KR-X Baitfinesse Custom paired with the New Revo LT

The New Revo LT, saltwater finesse custom reel. It seems to be the saltwater version of the JDM LTX baitfinesse reel except with an aluminum body instead of magnesium. This reel features 6 ball bearings and 1 roller bearing, 5.5kg of drag force, high speed 7.1:1 retrieve, line cap of 8lb/100m and weights in at 174g, about 16g heavier than a px68. Even though i'm a huge fan of baitfinesse i believe saltwater baitfinesse fishing might be pretty suicidal as any good pelagics of about 2kg or so is gonna spool in on their first run with such a shallow line cap. Irregardless the prospect of such a fight is mighty appealing.

Check out this ported spool tuning!! 

A super shallow ported spool with a line cap of 8lb/50m

The new Abu Fantasista Studious featuring Nano NR composite blank and micro guides.

As with the Evergreen X Designo Stingray66 this new bait finesse rod features a triggerless reel seat. This apparently allows better wrist action for delicate cast and actions in baitcasting finesse. This rod would look absolute stellar on paired to my px68 except the hefty price tag of ¥47,500 would probably burn a deep hole in my wallet first.

Abu Garcia Japan seems to have alot of appealing toys lets hope more of these amazing stuffs start appearing in our local market. 

More info and images can be found at http://www.purefishing.jp/

The freshwater "Bream"

It has been quite awhile since i've returned to this place. Decided to sacrifice some sleep and woke myself up early on my off day to do a first light session. Reached the spot nice and early with the cool and crisp morning air still lingering.

Upon reaching the first area discovered fishing is gonna be tough today due to the thick overgrowths of weeds everywhere, there goes my lure testing trials. Rigged on a Keitech 3" Pine Shrimp colored Swing impact and started covering the openings of the weeds and eventually had a few chases. Persistency paid off when finally a hookup was secure however the fight was short due to the thick weeds forcing me to "crank em in" usdm style.

The weeds were everywhere so i covered the ground slowly had a few misses and hookedup another peacock.

Nothing huge was landed and the sun was beginning to scorch me up so i decided on retreating into the smaller waterway to try my luck. As i reached a small water outlet i spotted a pair of good size Green Chromides who were guarding a nest. These fishes mildly resembled the shape of breams aka. the Kurodai, Thus we have aptly decided on the term "Freshwater breams of Singapore" to describe this fishes. They fight pretty well on light tackle making quick short bursts and using their wide flat body to generate pulling force. These fishes however, are seldom landed on lures because even though they are omnivorous, their diet consist mainly of algae and will not aggressively hunt down lures and strike em. 

The best chance to land a Chromide on lure is during their mating season, when they are seen in pairs and are guarding their nest. At such moments the Chromides will actively chase away anything they deemed as threat nearing their nest. 

Even though the Chromides are evidently more aggressive during mating, it would take quite alot of patience to aggravate one enough to take a strike at lures as they generally like to exhale water towards lures as an act of defense to prevent it from getting close to their nest.

Today i discovered that getting lures close to them will not trigger strikes the way peacock bass do when presented with a wiggling lure. The secret to landing your first Chromide via sight fishing is to use a slightly heavier lure preferably in brighter colors of about 40mm, the weight will negate the effects of the chromide puffing water at your lure enabling your lure to get close enough to them. Allow your lure to come into contact with the fishes, bumping the lure into them. This makes the fish extremely agitated and in awhile, start taking nibs and charges at the lure allowing a nice firm hookup.

I hope this helps you guys going after this less targeted species and always remember to practice Catch and Release. P.S please refrain from foul hooking these fishes, it cheapens out our sport ;)

Lure Fishing Battle!

This year perhaps??

Starry Night.

An impromptu message was received while i was out shopping and before i knew it i was in my car with my gears all set to roll. The proposition of landing some marbled gobies got the better of me. Tonight, we were out in force with a total of 4 rods swishing in the darkness. Lures were tossed and some lost. Fishes were landed and smiles were made.

While i lost a virgin maria diver to some cleavage rocks, the consolation was, it seems i had the biggest fish for the night. Yattaaaaa!!!!

Hey Sexy Momma!

Spotting some commotions from afar, i approached cautiously from behind some shrubs. Looking closely near the edge of the water i observed a ball of red Haruan fries of about 1cm each, rolling near the surface. Suspecting the parent might be right below thus i shot a cast out along the shoreline and made a straight retrieve into the ball of fries and paused for a split second. Immediately as i began the next retrieve a dust of muck rose from the bottom and a shadow engulfed my tiny Rapala ultralight minnow!

 Taken on a Rapala Ultralight minnow 40mm Clown Color

Say Ahhhhh!

The fight was awesome, with the Haruan making fast short burst and making rounds after rounds in the lagoon. The fish was swiftly landed, mugshot taken and returned to it's babies waiting in the water.

The day ended with another smaller Haruan again taken on a Ultralight minnow but this time a 60mm version. What a pleasant way to end a beautiful fishing day!

Lure Review - Duo Tetraworks Pocopoco F

Bait finesse has been hitting me hard lately, so what better ways are there than to start our first lure review with a finesse hardbait. Today we will be taking a look at the Duo Tetraworks Pocopoco.

Duo Tetraworks Pocopoco

Length: 40mm

Weight: F/3.0g S/4.7g

Floating & Sinking model available

Design: The Pocopoco is a tiny popper with a hollow body, designed for finesse applications in pressured waters where larger poppers might spook the fishes instead of attracting them. There is two models of the Pocopoco, the floating model designed for slower popping to induce bass strikes and the sinking model meant for saltwater pelagics like small trevallys or mackerels. Compared to the usual JDM offerings in the market, Duo offers exceptional value for money with great attention to details. The Pocopoco is available in 15 different colors to match different applications and situations. The test model, color coded TK12, has a nice attractive chrome finishing on each side of the body with bright luminous green streak across the top and the belly of the lure. The lure is very durable and have withstand several casts into rocky embankments without puncturing, however as with most hard bodied lures, the treble hooks are bound to leave scratches on either side of the lure.

Equipped with Duel Stinger X #16 Treble hooks

Casting: Weighting at 3 grams, the pocopoco is used mainly on finesse tackles as the heavier tackles might not be able to hit optimum distance during casting and the action during popping might be affected. In this test, the tackles used were, Phenix Recon PHX-C712 bait finesse rod paired to a Daiwa Pixy PX68 spooled with 6lbs Sufix 832 braided line. The casting distance was hitting 70-80 feet distance consistently which was a highly fishable distance for finesse applications. This is despite the hollow chamber in the body which makes the lure feels lighter than it looks.

Action: The Pocopoco is essentially a conventional popper thus when worked with short jerks of the rod tip the Pocopoco makes a nice cupping splash creating strong surface commotions to bring bass strikes at the surface. The Pocopoco also leaves a little enticing "tail whip" to the side on each pause after the pop. Upon straight retrieval the Pocopoco leaves a wake on the surface resembling a tiny frog or hopper skimming on the surface.

In conclusion: There are many poppers in the market. While each has its own unique characteristic, they all perform the same basic function and the Duo Tetraworks Pocopoco is no different. However when used for its intended purpose, the Pocopoco works like a charm, making splashing pops on its straight and true path during retrieval. This makes the Pocopoco a deadly little popper when used to entice bass from floating covers or along the shorelines. If you're in the market in search of a value for money yet reliable finesse popper bait, don't hesitate to pick one of this little fellas up, they do not disappoint.