What do the Japanese covet ?

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uljersey
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What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by uljersey » Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:44 pm

Just out of curiosity ... As I look at the big pegboard in my basement stocked with all kinds of new in pack baits by all sorts of manufacturers - Lucky Craft, Yo-Zuri, Duel, Strike King, Bomber, Rebel, XCalibur, Rapala, Booyah, etc. I wonder what, if any, baits of ours do they drool over ? All of this JDM this and JDM that seems to be a bit one sided. Is there more to it ?

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by Hogsticker2 » Tue Mar 31, 2020 8:48 pm

Why have chuck roast when you have prime rib. Not that there's anything wrong with a good chuck roast. Interesting question though. Nothing instantly comes to mind.

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by j2015 » Tue Mar 31, 2020 8:59 pm

Loomis nrx?

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by Polkfish1 » Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:02 am

Berkley powerbait maxscent. All the rage right now. The pro-shops over there advertise when they get new stocks of something hot; kind of like the hook up tackle, etc. do here. It will be like DRT tiny clash one week, obaslive molamola baits the next week, something from Gan craft, and then you’ll see them going absolutely nuts over a big shipment of maxscent generals.

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by uljersey » Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:48 am

It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. I get it about Japanese tackle, but the notion that it’s superior in every way is frankly ridiculous. But this isn’t about that. I’ve often ran across American baits on foreign websites while googling them, so there is something to it. One thing that does come to mind that would limit our bait’s popularity over there is the size of our tackle in general. We don’t do small well at all here as there’s no market for it.

Just a bit of quarantine thinking out loud .... carry on gentlemen and stay healthy.

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by jmb27 » Wed Apr 01, 2020 6:17 am

Anecdotally, I have seen American baits on Japanese stores shelves (I have family that live in Shizuoka). It was a little surreal walking down the aisle checking out OSP, Gan Craft, etc. lures and then seeing a section for Zoom soft plastics and some Berkley stuff. :lol:

While top end made in the US gear is just as "effective" or "good" as Japanese made gear, I do think that the Japanese made gear (like Shimano and Daiwa reels) have caused US brands to make better products over the years to compete (similar analogy to the vehicle markets).

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by goldrod » Wed Apr 01, 2020 6:39 am

I would think that they are just as interested in our gear and tackle
such as Tokar hooks, any reputable bass boat and from my Instagram st. Croix rods seem to be a big deal over there because st. Croix has a Japan store.
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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by Johnny A » Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:08 am

uljersey wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:48 am
It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. I get it about Japanese tackle, but the notion that it’s superior in every way is frankly ridiculous. But this isn’t about that. I’ve often ran across American baits on foreign websites while googling them, so there is something to it. One thing that does come to mind that would limit our bait’s popularity over there is the size of our tackle in general. We don’t do small well at all here as there’s no market for it.

Just a bit of quarantine thinking out loud .... carry on gentlemen and stay healthy.
I don’t think the baits are better, as in more productive, I think they are generally in quality of build. That’s even coming to an end as production moves out of Japan.

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by uljersey » Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:43 am

Johnny A wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:08 am
uljersey wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:48 am
It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. I get it about Japanese tackle, but the notion that it’s superior in every way is frankly ridiculous. But this isn’t about that. I’ve often ran across American baits on foreign websites while googling them, so there is something to it. One thing that does come to mind that would limit our bait’s popularity over there is the size of our tackle in general. We don’t do small well at all here as there’s no market for it.

Just a bit of quarantine thinking out loud .... carry on gentlemen and stay healthy.
I don’t think the baits are better, as in more productive, I think they are generally in quality of build. That’s even coming to an end as production moves out of Japan.
I agree about the quality, no disputing that but how does that apply to the act of fishing itself ? I'll use the old Wiggle Wart cranks as just one example. It's been said multiple times that one of the factors that gave some of them that legendary "hunt" was the fact that the molds were less than precision which led to subtle irregularities in the final product. Factor in different characteristics of the batches of raw materials, different hardware vendors over the years, etc. and it's pretty obvious that the sloppiness unintentionally played a part in the success of them.

We as humans tend to apply OUR sensibilities to the abstract universe of a fish. Nature is not a symmetrical perfectly balanced perfectly painted replica, it's a constantly changing dynamic. Does a fish really care if a jerkbait suspends perfectly level or has a bias toward the front or rear ? Nobody can answer that, but if it matters to YOU than that's all that matters. The act of producing top quality baits in huge numbers with astounding levels of precision, consistency and realism appeals to us and plays into our emotions and tackle buying decisions but how does that translate into fishing success ? We'll never know ...

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by Fishing4Fun » Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:06 pm

They wish they can have Favorites and KastKing. :lol:

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by Johnny A » Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:08 pm

uljersey wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:43 am
Johnny A wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:08 am
uljersey wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:48 am
It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. I get it about Japanese tackle, but the notion that it’s superior in every way is frankly ridiculous. But this isn’t about that. I’ve often ran across American baits on foreign websites while googling them, so there is something to it. One thing that does come to mind that would limit our bait’s popularity over there is the size of our tackle in general. We don’t do small well at all here as there’s no market for it.

Just a bit of quarantine thinking out loud .... carry on gentlemen and stay healthy.
I don’t think the baits are better, as in more productive, I think they are generally in quality of build. That’s even coming to an end as production moves out of Japan.
I agree about the quality, no disputing that but how does that apply to the act of fishing itself ? I'll use the old Wiggle Wart cranks as just one example. It's been said multiple times that one of the factors that gave some of them that legendary "hunt" was the fact that the molds were less than precision which led to subtle irregularities in the final product. Factor in different characteristics of the batches of raw materials, different hardware vendors over the years, etc. and it's pretty obvious that the sloppiness unintentionally played a part in the success of them.

We as humans tend to apply OUR sensibilities to the abstract universe of a fish. Nature is not a symmetrical perfectly balanced perfectly painted replica, it's a constantly changing dynamic. Does a fish really care if a jerkbait suspends perfectly level or has a bias toward the front or rear ? Nobody can answer that, but if it matters to YOU than that's all that matters. The act of producing top quality baits in huge numbers with astounding levels of precision, consistency and realism appeals to us and plays into our emotions and tackle buying decisions but how does that translate into fishing success ? We'll never know ...
I was just saying what they covet. Well designed, well manufactured baits that run true out of the package with quality components. I’ll give the best example most everybody will know. KVD baits are extremely popular and effective. Why does KVD tell his customers tell people to change their hooks to KVD hooks. Why aren’t they already on his name sake baits? Why should someone be forced to shell out a few more bucks to reach his quality standard?
That was my point.

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by uljersey » Wed Apr 01, 2020 6:22 pm

Johnny A wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:08 pm
uljersey wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:43 am
Johnny A wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:08 am
uljersey wrote:
Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:48 am
It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. I get it about Japanese tackle, but the notion that it’s superior in every way is frankly ridiculous. But this isn’t about that. I’ve often ran across American baits on foreign websites while googling them, so there is something to it. One thing that does come to mind that would limit our bait’s popularity over there is the size of our tackle in general. We don’t do small well at all here as there’s no market for it.

Just a bit of quarantine thinking out loud .... carry on gentlemen and stay healthy.
I don’t think the baits are better, as in more productive, I think they are generally in quality of build. That’s even coming to an end as production moves out of Japan.
I agree about the quality, no disputing that but how does that apply to the act of fishing itself ? I'll use the old Wiggle Wart cranks as just one example. It's been said multiple times that one of the factors that gave some of them that legendary "hunt" was the fact that the molds were less than precision which led to subtle irregularities in the final product. Factor in different characteristics of the batches of raw materials, different hardware vendors over the years, etc. and it's pretty obvious that the sloppiness unintentionally played a part in the success of them.

We as humans tend to apply OUR sensibilities to the abstract universe of a fish. Nature is not a symmetrical perfectly balanced perfectly painted replica, it's a constantly changing dynamic. Does a fish really care if a jerkbait suspends perfectly level or has a bias toward the front or rear ? Nobody can answer that, but if it matters to YOU than that's all that matters. The act of producing top quality baits in huge numbers with astounding levels of precision, consistency and realism appeals to us and plays into our emotions and tackle buying decisions but how does that translate into fishing success ? We'll never know ...
I was just saying what they covet. Well designed, well manufactured baits that run true out of the package with quality components. I’ll give the best example most everybody will know. KVD baits are extremely popular and effective. Why does KVD tell his customers tell people to change their hooks to KVD hooks. Why aren’t they already on his name sake baits? Why should someone be forced to shell out a few more bucks to reach his quality standard?
That was my point.
You'll get no argument from me there. Nothing more aggravating than buying a good bait for $6.00 with crap hooks. They could have easily have went with good hooks and it would have literally cost them pennies and I would have gladly paid an extra .50 - .75 cents for NOT having to change the hooks. That is just a glaring example of the difference in our cultures --- they value quality and value above all, we're price driven and quality is just a buzzword.

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by Revofisher » Thu Apr 02, 2020 12:56 am

when the bassmaster classic was in knoxville for 2019 the local shop i go to every once in a while for terminal tackle and some baits i regularly use comes to mind. I stopped in to talk to the owner and grab some stuff i asked him if he had been busy for the classic because he was close by but did not set a booth up at the actual venue. He told me the higher ups from Daiwa stopped by with some of their sales reps and engineers and looked over the store, and bought up all the custom balsa baits and spinner baits lol. theres a few local guys who make some balsa cranks and spinnerbaits which from me being used to them didnt have a super big interest in them, but when they came to the store they bought every single one of them lol.

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by poot04 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:05 pm

Shashimi

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Re: What do the Japanese covet ?

Post by Cristo » Sat Apr 04, 2020 6:50 am

Pachinko

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