As you can see JDM tackle has really taken it’s toll on us. Today we’re going to review/reveal another Japan hardbait. Most of us have tried, or at least heard about Yo-Zuri brand. Their variety of lures can actually blow you mind, and the price is not as premium as you’d expect from a JDM. Duel is the mothership brand, and sustains both brands, Duel and Yo-Zuri. Duel has been making lures in Japan for more than 40 years now, and still have some of the most demanded and accessible (pricewise) lures on the JDM market.

Yo-Zuri is a worldwide brand that sells, it probably sounded better than Duel, when introduced to the US market. Duel is the actual developer, that’s always improving, and coming up with new technologies, like they came up with the Magnetic Long Cast System, making some of the top rated lures in the world.

Hardcore is one of the brands most sought after lures, with a large variety of lure types, starting with minnows, both regular and deep diving, up to crankbaits and vibe baits such as the Hardcore Drum.

The F736 SH-50 is a suspending deep diving finesse minnow most suited for reservoirs and deeper river areas.

Packing:
The lure’s packing is Yo-Zuri standard, simple and effective to keep your lure safe until you manage to fish it.

Finish: Hardcore series are made out of durable plastic, with detailed gills and scales with both MAT and clear gloss finish. They’re really attractive to both fish and fisherman. They all are provided with the most realistic 3D eyes, but tend to “escape” the sockets after a few toothy predators. I tend to fix this problem with a drop of super glue upfront so I don’t loose the eyes.

This lure was clearly ment for something other than bass fishing, considering it’s size and “low profile”.

Terminals: I still don’t now what trebles are used on Duels and Yo-Zuris, but they are as sharp as they can get, even though they aren’t the toughest ones out there. They’ll hold  as long as you don’t get really excited about using them on a heavier than 6-8lb line.  If you intend on using them on larger fish I strongly recommend replacing them with tougher ones. I don’t replace them only if they get used, but other than that I am pretty confident about them for what I use them for. And I like they chose a dark, black, color for them.

Harder fighting fish need tougher trebles

Split rings are standard quality, and I believe they will never let anyone down.

As most of plastic lures it doesn’t have thru-wire construction, and, unfortunately I’ve had trouble in the past with the lip pulling of a lure while fighting a fish. I don’t have the pics to prove that, but have had friends with the same problem with some of the heavier lures in the Hardcore series, like the SH-60 and the 75-SP, which should be able to hold up to some strong fighting fish. Hope Duel will acknowledge this problem, and take some attitude about it in the future.

Casting: Little lure, lots of features. Tungsten weight and the proprietary Advanced Magnet Weight Transfer System, patented by Duel have a lot to do with the good casting abilities of this lure, considering it’s light 1/8 oz. weight. The Advanced Magnetic Weight Transfer System will work on most of the casts, but it takes a little power into the cast, to make the magnet “click”. You get the hang of it in a blink of an eye.

It casts like a charm for a 1/8 oz. lure. The further you cast it, the deeper it will get. The tungsten bb’s act as a rattle as well, so be prepared to call fish from a distance.

Action:The looks of the bait will win you in a millisecond. The patterns are as deadly as they get, being able to get both MAT, translucent and flashy patterns.

What about the action? How will the Yo-Zuri Hardcore SH-50 run? Is it worth the trouble? It definitely is. It has a deadly tight bobble that will start vibrating at the slowest retrieve speeds. I actually prefer tighter wobble over wider, but as you must all know: every lure will catch you fish eventually you just need the right conditions for that lure. I’m not talking about this lure though… you can catch fish almost every day of the week with it. You can use it as a suspending jerkbait in colder weather as well. It really suspends, as you can see in the video. We kept it motionless for a few moments so you can get the general idea of how suspending this lure really is. I’m putting accent on this detail, because most of the lures that are sold as “suspending” really aren’t. Most of them are a very slow floating lure. I won’t give names for now, but I’ll keep you posted on the suspending ability of lures in the future as well.

Video:

Application: This is definitely a finesse bait, most likely to be used for species like trout, perch, chub, asp and barbel. Bass is on the menu, but it’s not really considered to be a bass finesse bait. I especially like to use it on clear water reservoirs and in deeper river areas. I even went the extra length of painting a few of them in trout patterns for really clear waters. The action on these is amazing, and you have to consider they can be used with high efficiency in very powerful currents as well, as they are utterly stable.

Due to the Advanced Magnetic Weight Transfer System you will be able to use it on a baitcaster if ever needed. Don’t expect long casts though.

I caught almost everything from chub to perch with this lure, and like to use it on trout lakes and rivers. They seem to especially like it when hanging to depths of 4 to 10 ft.

I usually fish it with up to 6lb rated line ( 0.18mm diameter-tops)

Hardcore 50-SH – Ratings (?/10)
Design	Really dynamic shape. It won’t keep you wondering weather to buy it or not. Hardcore lures are known worldwide for their incredible fish catching abilities. I like the sharp, black trebles, but if you want to hang on larger or harder fighting fish you need to change them for tougher ones. The trebles are well spaced, in such a manned they won’t ever tangle. The finish is tough.	8.5
Features	This lure is packed with features: great patterns, tungsten weighting, Advanced Magnetic Weight Transfer System, all in a 2 inch bait that suspends whenever needed.  Could you ask for more? I could… Please keep on manufacturing them . I won’t give it the highest grade though, because the lip seems to come off (I had it happen once) in some cases, and it’s not an isolated case, unfortunately.	6.5
Application / Performance	They run true right out of the box. Due to their tight wobble they are really versatile, and can cover a lot of fishing situations. It’s a finesse bait that will catch you fish, and catch your eye. It will start vibrating on the slowest retrieve speeds, and will keep on running true even in the fearsome currents.	9.5
Price	It’s on the premium side, but for a JDM I consider them to be lightly priced. I can swallow a 10-12$ bill, but for a lure of this size, most of JDM have a price tag that hangs well over 12$. It a good deal if you ask me.	7.5
Overall	Final Grade	8

Trouty lure:D

Conclusion: If you like finesse fishing, this lure has to make it’s way in your tackle box. You won’t be able to buy them for a long time from now on, because Duel/Yo-Zuri has stopped producing this model.. to think I just came to like it:). It’s a really small bait packed with tons of features.

The lip it’s not it’s strongest point, and is prone to come of on some of the Hardcore baits. Don’t ask why, but it happened to other people besides myself. The price is excellent for a JDM, but would love to be able to take it out full of confidence. The broken lip gets my heart pumping, and not in a good way, every-time I have a fish dangling at the end of this lure. I’d expect more from a lure in this price range, but unfortunately I can’t just throw them in the garbage, due to their unique action. I have no other lure with a similar action as the Hardcore 50-SH, not even close.

Other than that it has impeccable action, and will catch you tons of fish. I wish they had more match the hatch patterns though, and with all finesse deep diving baits… a sinking version would blow me off.

About Andrei

Professional angler, rodbuilder, lurebuilder, if it's about fishing you name it, he does it. He hates "relaxing", and takes each day as a challange. Whenever he's got a spare moment he's either fishing, cycling, hiking or training his ass at the gym. He's fishing for more than 20 years now. Strictly on artifficial baits from the age of 7, he's always on the look out for the newest stuff and techniques out there.

View all posts by Andrei →

Today we’re going to focus on a US based company with a long and successful history, founded by two anglers-turned-lure-designers about 65 years ago. They started producing different lure models which soon became favorites amongst anglers throughout the world, all this under the brand name Bomber.

Bomber lures are well known for their fish catching abilities and increased efficiency in bass fishing. They cover a wide range of crankbaits, minnows, jerkbaits, plugs, even spoons, in order to prepare you for every situation you’re about to face on the water.

One of the models that really got my attention is the Bomber Pro Long A – B15AP, Bomber’s ultimate jerkbait designed by the BassMaster professional Tim Horton. This lure features great action and exceptional components.

The B15A model, Bomber's professional jerkbait

Packing:

When it comes to packing, Bomber likes to keep it simple.

The lure’s packing is quite simple, nothing eye-catching, just the company’s logo and colors. It doesn’t stand out, but it keeps the lure safe and your fingers away from the sharp trebles, which by the way are not secured. The B15AP packing also displays the lure’s diving depth and the hooks brand, Gamakatsu in this case.

Now let's see what's behind that package...

Finish: Bomber lures are all made of plastic. This doesn’t mean they lack good looks. The first thing I noticed before putting the lure to work was the neat translucent finish and details on this lure. The Pro Long A model features some impressive details like 3D eyes, carved gills, carved and painted scales. The plastic finish has a top coat which is used for back and belly painting.

Two deadly pattern for clear waters.

When designing the Pro Long A, the guys at Bomber went for the classic minnow shape, but with incredible proportion and balance in mind. This lure is all about premium hardware. It has an internal bearing system designed to provide stability, great casting abilities and noise for attracting fish from a distance. You’ll hear in the video footage below just how noisy these lures can get underwater. I for one, couldn’t believe my ears.
The coating is pretty tough and resists well at all the hitting and dropping a fished lure can get. In time, it will get scratches, but nothing serious to affect the overall looks.

3D eyes, gills and carved scales make up a great realistic finish.

Terminals: Normally the Pro Long A model comes equipped with Excalibur Tx3 hooks, but the Tim Norton’s series went for nothing but the best components. They replaced the trebles brand with Gamakatsu, and attached a highly resistant Excalibur tear drop split ring to the front eyelet. These trebles are extremely sharp and resistant, so there’s no chance you’ll loose any fish.

Premium terminals, sharp Gamakatsu trebles and tear drop Excalibur split ring.

Even though I’m a fan of dark colored trebles, I still have to mention the sharpness and difficulty to bend these ones. Having a lure equipped with three trebles gives the fish less chance to escape. Also on the Pro Long A this thing has no downsize when it comes to casting or the lure’s swimming action. You can remove the middle treble for better snag resistance.

Casting: Bomber Pro Long A showed his excellent casting capabilities starting from the very first cast. It makes accurate casting sound easy. I was fishing a jerkbait that could be easily placed at impressive distances in specific spots. How’s that for perfect presentation? It is exactly what I need from this type of lure, especially if I want to keep it in the “hot zone” as long as possible.

Even though it doesn’t posses an actual long cast system (weight transfer system), the ingenious engineering of the internal bearing system stands behind the Pro Long’s A impressive casting abilities, this along with it’s actual weight. The bearings are positioned to provide balance and great horizontal posture when the lure is suspending underwater. If this posture isn’t right, and the lure suspends at a wrong angle, it may loose you many fish. Not the case for this beauty.

Bomber's internal bearing system, the key to perfect balance and great casting.

Action: OK, so I liked the looks but in the end it’s all about the action, right? Cause great action will give you confidence in a lure, and that’s what brings fish to the boat. Let me just start by saying that this isn’t a lure you want to fish using a linear retrieve. It will land you fish even so, but you won’t discover it’s true potential until you start fishing it like a true jerkbait, using a combination of jerk, twitch and suspend moves. This is when you start getting really impressed by it’s erratic and appealing action.

Looks and action, all packed in one efficient lure.

After just a few days of fishing, the B15A model climbed up significantly in my jerkbaits top. I noticed that the Pro Long A is also a really permissive lure, taking little practice until you master most of its moves. It will deliver magic even in a beginner’s hands. I think the video footage below speaks for itself.

Video:

Application: Bomber Pro Long A is a jerkbait primary designed for bass fishing. You can fish it near underwater structures or work the top of weed areas in shallow waters. It will definitely outperform it’s predecessors. I recommend using medium or medium-heavy baitcasting gear when fishing this baby.

I find it extremely efficient for bass and pike (musky), but I’m sure that if used properly it will land many other species. Some bass fishermen also use it as a wake bait, just to get an idea of it’s versatility. Just use your imagination and it will make fishing really fun.

Conclusion: I would say that if you’re into this type of fishing than the Bomber Pro Long A is a must have in your jerkbait tackle box. It has an excellent price and brings appealing moves and great looks to the table. Due to it’s amazing action it soon became one of my favorites, a lure with which I find myself fishing quite often. Good job Bomber on this one!

And away he goes...

About Adrian

Professional angler, web enthusiast and tackle fanatic. Always in search for new things that can improve his fishing.

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Poland is no stranger to lurebuilding manufacturers. It probably has as many lure production companies as Japan does. They all seem to be fitting in the same category: foam crankbaits. There are of course some rare sightings of hard plastic hardbaits. As I said…. Rare!

Dorado Triada company has a very vast array of hardbaits, ranging from the very small, as the Dorado Magic 1.8cm, which is probably the smallest production crankbait I own, to big cahona pike jerkbaits, that are very popular in Europe.

For this review we chose Dorado Invader I4, which is a very versatile lure, and can be found in either floating and sinking version, which is a plus in my book.

I say it’s a very versatile bait, because it can be easily fished really efficient in both flowing water and still waters. This lure is stable in very fast flowing currents, and it can be fished at a very slow pase in lakes for e.g.

Packing is as simple as it gets… Nothing fancy, just what it takes to keep the lure safe.

Finish: As you’d expect from a Polish foam lure there’s nothing spectacular about it at first sight, but it has some really interesting detailed patterns, probably the best minnow patterns I’ve seen on a lure. No 3d eyes, and no detailed carved scales, but that’s just for the fisherman to notice. The fish will never notice these details. I’d have to say I’d love a few highly reflective metallic patterns amongst their actual colors. Other than that, the coating is as tough as it gets. Much tougher in time compared to much higher priced JDM lures I own. I have some Dorado lures for more than 2-3 years now, and even after lots and lot of fish caught they still looks like new, which is a real bonus.

Dorado invader 4cm - a very nice array of patterns

This is a shad type of crankbait, which has a typical shad design, nothing fancy, just the essentials for catching fish. The lip seems to be polycarbonate, and is as tough as it gets.

Terminals: At this price I didn’t expect high quality trebles, but Mustad has trebles much better than these, at the same price-point, like the 3551 , I would certainly prefer the other, as they are heavyer wire construction, sharper, and I wouldn’t probably go to the trouble of changing them. They have the same trebles as the Krakusek, and they bend quite easily. I’ve lost a good sized trout because I was lazy changing them. Other than the trebles, the split rings look to be tough, and … you guessed it: it has thru’ wire construction, which make them ideal for saltwater fishing as well. Saltwater is probably the ultimate battering test a lure can get. I’ve had some plastic lures fail on me even in freshwater… So you understand where all of this is coming from.

Mustad produces much better trebles at the same price point.

Casting and diving depth: Even though they don’t feature long casting system, 8 out of 10 casts they fly like they had the system, without tumbling through the air. It’s most likely because the line tie is in front of the lure, considering it’s a deep diver. The 4 cm invader is really castable on a light to medium-light outfit. You’ll be able to fish the sinking version on finesse baitcasters if ever faced with the challenge, but you’ll be limited in casting distance. You’ll most certainly be able to cast the 5cm one, and very well for that matter.

Notice the polycarbonate lip is stamped with the Dorado name

Dorado makes the invader in lengths up to 14cm, with which they brag of catching lots of double digit pike and catfish. The 4 cm version dives up to 1.6-1.8m on a very long cast.

Action: They got me on the first cast. I instantly knew they would be killers. They have a medium-tight wobble: not to tight, but not to wide either. I’d say just perfect. I would love if they all ran true straight out of their packaging, but I would be lying if I told you so. Some of them need a little twitching, but in the end you’ll get them running.

Video:

I mainly use them for lake trout, chub, and have to mention zander (walleye) and asp as well. It’s a good lure, that I don’t leave home without, especially when fishing those finicky wild lake trout. It certainly does the trick for me. Try them out, they might work for you as well.

They also have really good match the hatch patterns for what trout and other fish are foraging upon.

Trout seem to like them

Conclusion: Invader is a cheap lure, for every pocket. I prefer action over the lure’s actual outer-looks in any given day of the week. They’re a must have in my tackle box. The more patterns the merrier. As Dorado mentions on their website: “These lures are designed to catch fish not anglers!”. I would have to agree with that saying.

About Andrei

Professional angler, rodbuilder, lurebuilder, if it's about fishing you name it, he does it. He hates "relaxing", and takes each day as a challange. Whenever he's got a spare moment he's either fishing, cycling, hiking or training his ass at the gym. He's fishing for more than 20 years now. Strictly on artifficial baits from the age of 7, he's always on the look out for the newest stuff and techniques out there.

View all posts by Andrei →

One of the reasons we decided to switch to a tackle review blog is that we felt there are a lot of lures that don’t get the attention they deserve. Extremely efficient and affordable lures, that people have no clue about. Now that got your attention, right?

Behind them usually stand small companies or even individuals that didn’t make it to the big markets, like US or Asia.

Krakusek is one of them. They design great hand made lures at a very good price. The polish company has 6 models of small to medium sized lures, targeting species like: trout, chub, asp, walleye or pike.

Our focus for today is the Krakusek No. 1 model, the first Krakusek lure to be produced.

Krakusek No. 1, the first one to make it to the market

As you can see it comes in 3 different sizes and you can choose from a wide range of 28 appealing patterns.

Finish: Krakusek lures are all made of foam. The No.1 shape was initially inspired many years ago by one the first lures out there, the legend called Rapala Original.

Legendary shapes that last... Krakusek No. 1 makes no exception.

Even though there’s nothing spectacular about the shape of these lures, the big difference is in the positioning of their lip, very close to the line tie, at a very sharp angle. Besides, the lip is concave, not flat like you would normally expect. I’m quite sure this is responsible for the lure’s aggressive action.

The lip shape and positioning is the key to Krakusek's incredible action.

The bill, concave shaped and very close to the line tie.

Krakusek lures come with two types of patterns, foil and photo finish. The photo finish features lifelike patterns, on top of which resides an appealing glitter layer. And as you will see in the video footage, the glitter really adds some sparks to the lure’s action.

Different models of Krakusek lures, with a wide range of lifelike patterns.

Foil is also nicely combined with carved gills and some back and belly paint, ending up in some nice flashes when this one dives in. Unfortunately, no 3D details on this lure.

Terminals: These lures come equipped with Mustad trebles and the old fashion round split rings. Even though their size doesn’t recommend them for big predators, I would totally suggest an upgrade on the trebles. They tend to bend quite easily. I had some unpleasant experiences with this type of trebles, fishing for asp, when after a powerful strike all my Mustad trebles became straight. The color is good though.

Mustad trebles, not the best option if you're planning to land a trophy fish.

Casting: Distance is one important aspect, especially when you are after cautious fish, like trout. Krakusek lures have a good weight/length ratio, and they cast quite well. Their shape and eyelets positioning make it pretty hard for the trebles to tangle with the line while aiming for that perfect cast.
Although, I think coming up with a sinking version will add some extra weight, which can be a big plus in casting distance. I’ve always been a fan of the sinking/suspending versions, especially when it comes to small sized baits.

Krakusek lures cast well, but a sinking version will definetely outcast the actual floating one.

The biggest model will dive up to 2m on a normal cast. Of course trolling will get them deeper, but normally you can get them easily around 1-1.5m.

Action: This is what I love about these lures. Their aggressive action and incredible stability.
I discovered these lures three years ago, while trout fishing in Norway. We were fishing in a pretty wide stream, around 30 meters and about 1-1.5 meters deep. I was using a small spoon, because it casts big time and you can explore every inch of water with it. One of my friends was using a Krakusek lure, and while taking a short lunch break he showed it to me. I loved the shape and colors on that one, so I decided to make a few casts.

All lures perform impecable right out of the box.

The lure’s action was incredible. It worked like a charm with or against the current. As you will see in the video it has a fast and aggressive swim, not wide at all. And it’s extremely stable even in the most powerful streams. I got about a dozen of them, and they all work like a charm, right out of the box. No exceptions. How’s that for a 5$ lure?

Video:

Application: I think these lures are just perfect for stream fishing. Forget spinners and spoons for a second and put these on. You might be impressed, most of the times they turn out to be trout catching machines.
I’ve also successfully used them for chub, perch and asp, and heard they tend to be quite effective on barbels, pike and walleye.

They look kind of hot, don't they?

Conclusion
If you can forget about the design details and features JDM lures accustomed us with, and want a lure that performs impecable at a very good price, than you definitely need some Krakusek lures in your tackle box. I guarantee they won’t let you down.

About Adrian

Professional angler, web enthusiast and tackle fanatic. Always in search for new things that can improve his fishing.

View all posts by Adrian →

Jackall is amongst the fastest growing tackle companies from Japan, one of which have made it to the US market. They always seem to amaze us with radical design, and last but not least the newly established collaboration with Shimano.

Jackall has all lures listed as bass lures. Of course that Japanese fisherman are known for their finesse tactics, but a crank so small will more likely get used in a trout, chub or even perch fisherman’s tackle box.

As you might already know, or know not, there are probably a handful of small crank-baits that get to the diving depth of this one. I know only a few, at least a few that I like: Jackall Diving Chubby of course, Lucky Craft Deep Cra-Pea, HMKL Crank 33 DR (This is the smallest of the lot). These are the ones I know of. If you know of any other small deep divers, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll make sure it gets reviewed.

Packing: Not the most impressive packing we’ve seen so far, but it’s enough to make it stand out on the shelf, especially with that BIG FAT Chubby logo. It’ll keep the lure safe during transport, even though it might get some treble scratches, as they are not secured. You know what they say: “It first needs to catch the fisherman in order to catch the fish”.

Sturdy enough packaging for transoceanic flight

You have to love that BIG CHUBBY LOGO

Finish: Most of Jackall lures are plastic, with a highly intricate inner and outer design. Diving Chubby are equipped with ultra-realistic 3D eyes, and they even added scales to the lure’s body. They feature very lifelike patterns both natural and stand out of the crowd patterns.
Jackall even went the extra mile to design the Chubby’s gills, which are carved like. They feature both hi gloss coat finish and matt finish on their lures.

The finish holds up pretty well for a Japanese lure (the finish is not the JDM lure’s strength), and after fishing them for a season they look amazingly good.

3 must have collors. The MAT Chartreuse is blinding.

Terminals: Jackall chose a non-traditional way of placing the treble attachment rings. Use oval split rings, these are normally 50% more powerful than the same material round split ring.
Trebles seem to be Owner Stinger, definitely not cutting corners, not even on the smallest of lures.

As Owner accustomed us to… trebles are needle sharp, and will not straighten out easily. This is all I need in my trebles. What I had trouble getting used to was the color of the trebles. I actually hate silver trebles. I sometimes have the impression they scare fish away, and go the extra mile and change them. I guess they are salt water proof trebles, by the looks of it, probably with the growing popularity amongst bream fishermen in Australia.

Better view of the trebles

I almost forgot to mention they feature Tungsten weights, and a long cast system. For this size it’s quite impressive of the amount of features they managed to squeeze in.

The split ring is a detail not to be forgotten... Oval rings offer up to 50% more power than traditional rings. Don't really know how much that would count when fishing with lines up to 8lb

Casting&diving depth: Our casting tests put them in front of their class, straight A’s all the way. You can easily cast them on a bait-casting equipment if ever needed. I’d like to mention that if you throw them down wind you’ll be amazed how far they will go. The Tungsten weight and the long cast system make it worth the price, especially when fishing clear bodies of water, and it helps keep the trebles of the line while casting. You’ll make it run every cast.

They dive up to 2.3-2.7m on a cast, and much deeper on a long troll.

The bill is thick enough to pass the test of time, and long enough to keep it deep

Out of the box performance: I have 4 of these lures, and all of them swim true. You’d be amazed of how i’ve got the first one:).

It’s actually a funny story: Was fishing on a nearby lake with Razvan for perch. He got hung up on something, and after a harder pull it got unsnaged. 2 seconds later he was fighting a fish. The fish wasn’t hooked on his lure, but on another, the one he unsnagged . You couldn’t even tell the lure’s color, that’s how covered in algae it was. And upon all of these it had a very thick wire leader attached to it (on a lake with no pike).  I didn’t say anything:D… but when I saw the split rings were oval I instantly knew it was a JDM. Of course I didn’t tell Razvan, until he offered me the lure…  which looked awful. He thought it was some unworthy crankbait, considering it almost didn’t have hooks on it and was all covered with greenish-black algae.

This is the lure Razvan caught. It takes a lot of time to scrape the finish of a Jackall Diving Chubby

After cleaning it up, and searching for it for a good couple of hours in the Internet I finally found what it was. One year later when I started catching good sized chub and trout with it of course I had to order some more.

They all perform perfect right out of the box, no twitching needed for them to run true.

Application: I’ve mainly used them for chub, perch and trout. Had success on all of them species. Especially when they hung deep. This is my deepest diving small crankbait so far. I’m still on the lookout for deeper small stuff (if you know of any deeper don’t be shy on leaving us a comment).
As you’ve seen it has a nice aggressive, but tight wobble on both vertical and horizontal axis. It delivers a lot of flash, and the tungsten weight along with glass rattles incorporated make a lot of noise, calling fish from a distance.

Video:

Action: As you can see from our video it has an appealing action. I can vouch for it’s fish catching abilities, and have caught some really large chub over the last year.

Conclusions: All the possible and impossible features a crankbait could have in a really small package. Good attractive action and design, long cast system, good trebles that don’t cross paths, and deep diving at this small size. Could you ask more from a small deep diving crakbait? I certainly couldn’t …. except… MAKE IT DIVE DEEPER ( a sinking version would suffice – hope Jackall hear my prairs). I give the Thumbs up to Jackall on this one, as it’s one of my all time favorites.

About Andrei

Professional angler, rodbuilder, lurebuilder, if it's about fishing you name it, he does it. He hates "relaxing", and takes each day as a challange. Whenever he's got a spare moment he's either fishing, cycling, hiking or training his ass at the gym. He's fishing for more than 20 years now. Strictly on artifficial baits from the age of 7, he's always on the look out for the newest stuff and techniques out there.

View all posts by Andrei →

The title says it all. Even though there are a lot more lure manufacturers out there, the JDM market has it’s own, proprietary jerkbait category, unlike no other.

One of the most spectacular fishing techniques, of course if you remove topwater from the equation, is jerkbaitin’. I’m sure you won’t argue with me on this one.

The Battle of the Japanese Jerks is dedicated to the downsized jerkbait family, conceived specially for Area fishing. I’m in love with finesse fishing, no matter if it’s trout, chub, perch or whatever. The sheer elegance involved in light and ultra light fishing wins me every time.

Introduction
I’ll expose the competitors for this shootout. More lures would actually fit into this test, but I believe 4 is in perfect balance to get real results, right at the border of not getting superficial. You’ll notice some of them can be found all over the internet, while others are quite rare pieces of furniture. All of them are made from plastic and all are in the 10-15$ price range, in the premium lure category.

When spending money on these small baits I always question my sanity, mainly because it doesn’t really take a long time to lose one, considering I fish them with 4-6 lb line (maximum 0.18mm diameter).

Lucky Craft Pointer 48SP We all know about the notorious Pointer 78 SP. Yup! The one with the “bad reputation” of the best jerkbait on the planet. Not far fetched, but its 48mm child is up for the challenge.

Lucky Craft is always up for the challenge, in this case with the downsized version of the most popular jerkbait on the planet Pointer 48SP

Yo-Zuri Pins Floating Magnet Minnow 50mm.Due to the success of the Pins Minnow, Yo-Zuri has now added the Pins Magnet to the family. It benefits from the patented Yo-Zuri Magnetic Weight Transfer System, making them highly castable and precise for their size. I’ve had a few over the years, but this is the one that never failed me. You can tell from the injuries that never healed.

Yo-Zuri Pin's Magnet an old general that's been scarred in many battles. I can almost call it the Red Barron.

Smith Luna 47SP is among the rarest pieces from my tacklebox. It's as rare as natural diamonds these days.

Duel Sea Fox 50mm. A bit deeper diving than the rest of these jerkbaits it’s a fish catcher as well as an eye catcher. Even though meant for saltwater use I couldn’t resist it.

DUEL SeaFox, even though meant for saltwater use it's freshwater catching abilities are outstanding.

Lucky Craft Pointer 48SP
You can find them at about 14$ all over the internet now, even though they were really hard to find prior to 2010. As you would expect from a Lucky Craft product, the finish and detailing is impeccable. You just can’t resist those deep dark eyes. High quality trebles, very sharp, even though they can be easily bent. I don’t get that hung up on this detail, as I don’t really get to fish them with higher rated than 6lb line. The eyes, as on most JDM lures are 3D, even though they lack the holographic finish. They even went to the extent of adding scale like detail to the lures body.

The regular Pointer 48SP models don't want the holographic 3D's

Yo-Zuri Pins Floating Magnet Minnow 50mm. 10.95$, the cheapest of these four jerkbaits it came in an impeccable, but not very high gloss finish. It felt it had lesser protection than the Pointers. Yo-Zuri didn’t leave any details to chance either. Very well designed gill plates, bit more on the aggressive side, and as well as all JDM lures they are paired with 3D holographic eyes. The trebles even though very sharp, I had to exchange them with tougher ones. At the time I bought Yo-Zuri Pins Magnet Minnow I could only find them in the floating version. Interesting enough since I’ve had my first Pins Magnet they added both sinking and suspending version, which means the public loves them, considering they only cost 11$.

My Red Barron seems a bit upset

Smith LUNA 47SP and 47SP SH
I payed 36$ for 2 used Luna’s, shipping included. That makes them the most expensive on the list. Finish is impeccable, even though stated as used lures. Very sharp and durable trebles. Much harder to bend. They compensate in flashy action what they lack in detail. Smith has a more classic approach to detailing their lures, compared to the other Japanese manufacturers. Finish seems to be durable at first glance, but we still have to wait and see.

Smith Luna has got it perfect with the golden holographic in the eye.

Duel SeaFox 50mm
In the cheaper premium baits range, the Sea Fox can be purchased for about 12$. The same detailing is as on the Pins Magnet, but heavier wired trebles, and sharp as well. I just could not notice the pixels in the paint job. I would’ve probably never noticed them if I wouldn’t have taken these pictures.  The color of the trebles don’t seem to bother me or the fish, so I didn’t feel like changing them so far. It also presents 3D holographic eyes.

Sea Fox seems to be in the same details as Pins Magnet Minnow.

These are the preliminaries. We’ll have to wait and see the results from the field tests. Stay tuned !

About Andrei

Professional angler, rodbuilder, lurebuilder, if it's about fishing you name it, he does it. He hates "relaxing", and takes each day as a challange. Whenever he's got a spare moment he's either fishing, cycling, hiking or training his ass at the gym. He's fishing for more than 20 years now. Strictly on artifficial baits from the age of 7, he's always on the look out for the newest stuff and techniques out there.

View all posts by Andrei →

As a second captain and media representative of the Romanian Team at the Trout World Championship from Shore in Croatia in 2010 I just couldn’t be passive and not notice the lure that brought Alexey Shanin to the podium. It took me a while to find the exact lure, but with persistence I managed.

From the look of it I knew it was 100% Japan Domestic Market stuff, so I narrowed my search a lil’ bit. I had to go through whatever Japanese tackle manufacturers i could find. After searching for a few hours  I remembered one in particular, from my 2008 visit at EFTTEX in Rome. It’s SMITH lures we’re talking about. They probably have the most complete set of trout lures amongst all lure manufacturers not only in Japan, but probably in the entire world.

The actual winner lure is SMITH Luna(R), a 47mm suspending jerkbait, that creates a lot of flash when twiched in the water.  I supposed it was suspending, as i didn’t see it fall when stopped. I watched Alexey closely in the last 2 rounds of the competition.

I really have to say Smith lures are among the rarest lures ever. I’ve already been searching for a few years for some exact models, that even today i wasn’t able to find, so this was definitely not the easiest search to buy one exact model. I couldn’t believe my luck when I stumbled upon 2 of these lures, after 3-4 days of searching. Even these were stated as used.  Just my luck! I couldn’t take a chance and ordered them instantly. Payed 34$ for 2 lures, transport included. Not the priciest so far, but certainly the rarest.

After a 2 week wait I finally got them. They were the most exquisite small jerkbaits i’ve ever seen. What I loved about them was their size. A tad smaller than the 48SP Pointers, and less bulkier, and felt much much smaller than Yo-Zuri’s 50mm Pin’s Magnet. Two more lures I couldn’t leave home without.

First impressions. There’s not much to say about the packaging of the lures, as they had none. They were stated as used. Very well finished, not  even the slightest scratch on the paint job, so I don’t really get what “used” was supposed to mean in this case. These are plastic jerkbaits. You will definitely not get trout wooden jerkbaits at this price. For realism they all have holographic 3D eyes, but this aspect is more for the fisherman than for the fish.  They are equipped with high quality components as far as I can tel. One of them has Owner Cultiva barbless trebles, while the other has regular trebles (barbed). I can’t really tell who their manufacturer is, but they seem the same as on the 48SP Lucky Craft Pointers. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Application. I intend to use it especially in rivers for both chub and trout. I prefer trout, but chub is what I got closer by. I especially like to throw these type of lures in the shade, under tree branches, and start with short twiches, reeling in very slowly (mainly to get the slack of the line). It gives the fish more time to notice the flashes of my lure.

When fishing on fast flowing trout streams I may use a steady retrieve with short twiches from time to time when casting directly down stream, and when casting upstream or sideways I do a lot of twiching to make sure my lure gets noticed from a distance.

We’re eager to get them tested, but the weather is against us this weekend. We’ll have to see what happens when the waters clear.

About Andrei

Professional angler, rodbuilder, lurebuilder, if it's about fishing you name it, he does it. He hates "relaxing", and takes each day as a challange. Whenever he's got a spare moment he's either fishing, cycling, hiking or training his ass at the gym. He's fishing for more than 20 years now. Strictly on artifficial baits from the age of 7, he's always on the look out for the newest stuff and techniques out there.

View all posts by Andrei →