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Koi fish

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Koi? Whats that?

When I read Nathans' Cow.. post http://www.tackleunderground.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1030&highlight=cow

.. about how well the holstein cow lures were catching fish. I thought I'd give it a try.

Nathan & Jim mentioned about the lures ability to go in bright lit areas and the black would show, then pass under docks or vegatation and the white would catch the fishes eye.

On that concept I decided to try it with a glow-in-dark white paint to enhance the lures visibilty.

Blackjack mentioned that they were popular in japan aswell. Looking at the holsteins I got to thinkin what kind of fish has a pattern like that? Then it came to me, koi fish are indigeonous to japan. Replace the black spots with florecent orange and you have a koi.

I have had giant musky smash the bajeebers outta lures and floats painted flor-orange, black and white.

The photos I've attached are of lures I've designed using featherlite plastic.

They have all done well in field testing. The 3 inch diving lure needs a little adjusting with the balasts and will be ready to leave my shop sometime next week.

The 5 incher preformed exactly as I had planned. It dove, swam, rattled & surfaced just like a koi fish. Well koi don't rattle. At least the last time I shook one they didn't :). ..but I don't think the muskys know that :D.

As long as no one tells them I'll keep on casting.

1. Glo Koi: 3 inch diving, flor-orange on glow-in-dark white

2. Kalico Koi: 3 inch topwater, flor-orange, black on pearl white

3. Freckled Koi: 5 inch diving, flor-orange, black on pearl white

Has anyone seen koi paints on lures anywhere?

I welcome comments and feedback. You guys do awesome work!

Shawn

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the koi are raised as pets in Japan and sometimes escape into the regions lakes. I'm sure the saame thing happens on occasion here in the States. The master painter from Japan(MegaBass Fame) Paints many different varieties of Carp(Koi) for the Japanese market. I have found that many of his patterns are applicable here in the States, Ex. While fishing in the massive weedbeds of the Potomac I have observed large Koi, generic Goldish, and large fantails hanging in the weeds along with the carp. It is a great pattern because I'm sure that those fish are reproducing in the wild. The pic supplied is a megabass Pop-x painted like a koi

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You can check them all out at this address

http://www.daiwaseiko.co.jp/fishing/bass/bass_baitreel/index.html

Mr. Ito is head designer for the Daiwa fishing gear and owner of Megabass:

http://www.nmt.ne.jp/~hanaeda/products/destroyer2003/desindex.html

His reels are a work of art, i must admit...almost a pity to trash them in water...

In my opinion, the price for his reels is excessive. The same goes with his rods, although i own one. I live in Japan and although the fishing gear tends to be overpriced here, there is some exquisite stuff you can find at reasonable prices, stuff that is usually only produced in Japan for the Japanese market and cannot be find overseas.

Just my 2 cents...

Radu

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By the way, the site i gave for Megabass is not the official one. The official one is under construction at

http://www.megabass.co.jp/ - under construction forever, that is.

Some say this is a way and a marketing strategy to maintain the ratity of his own products, keeping the level of information available to potential buyers as low as possible. He himself says that there are so many sites presenting his products, that an official Megabass site is not necessary anymore. In Japan, people wait for months, if not for a full year, for their orders placed for Megabass rods. None is under 350 US dollars. And usually they are bought second hand as they come to the shop, for a new one is a trully rarity.

Whatever the truth and his sins, i think he can be forgiven, for the craftmanship of his products is trully unbelievable. He is a real artist, i think.

Radu

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radu,

It is my understanding that Ito just had a deal with Diawa to do a special edition of reels. Is he a designer for them also? You are correct that the price of the reels are expensive. The one in the picture goes for 410 USD. Since I posted this picture I have found that the M-Ito reels are annodized. They are not painted. However, the Diawa reels are painted with a type of paint that is $6000.00 a lb. Megabass rods are beautiful. Like you said they are too expensive for me. I have bought some reels from Japan. They were expensive also. My instruction booklets for the reels are written in Japanese. They are really fine reels, and I feel they are worth the price. But it seems to me that the Japanese look at their fishing products as a work of art also. I really admire this quality in the Japanese people. They are some of the best bait painters that I have seen.

Skeeter

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Mr. Ito, as far as i know, designs other fishing gear for Daiwa, too (usually in the *Team Daiwa* section, on the official web site). He designes lures for Daiwa, too. He designed the Ito series or reels this year, reels which are hand manufactured entirely, and you must wait a couple of months after placing the order for the reel to be produced. The price for the Ito series dropped in the last 1 month or two, if i remember well, the starting price was more than 450 usd, if not more. What to say, they are so beautiful, actually i believe they are designed to be collector's items due to their exquisite quality and scarcity. Simply too good to fish with them. From this point of view, the price is justifiable, since they are not mass produced. Regard them as one "hot rods car" equivalent...people pay so much to modify them and they rarely take them out of the garage. These reels will probably keep you a whole life, and it is possible that your kids will pass them over next. No joking.

Megabass rods are arguably one of the best bass rods available in Japan, although not at all the most expensive. Curiously, the most expensive rods here are the ones made in USA, like Gloomis, St Croix etc. However, the american fishing products here (rods and reels mainly) are regarded to be (and they are, in my opinion) of an inferior quality next to the japanese ones. Very few people buy american rods here, and this is true especially for the black bass market, where the market is dominated by the 2 giants, Shimano and Daiwa, although not at all negligeable are other manufacturers, like Daiko (probably the best blanks available in the middle price cathegory in Japan, up to 200 usd). Usually, the sales clerks have an expression talking about this : "With shimano or daiwa san, you cannot be mistaken" - i believe this is true. Curiously, Megabass is also regarded strange, since its blanks are produced in the USA and the rods assembled in Japan, and therefore many people avoid them. Simply, there is nothing better than the japanese products (i have bought enough fishing gear here to know the difference, besides what kind of a hobby would fishing be if i didn't overbuy???). What i cannot understand is why the american version of the japanese products has so low quality products comparing to the japanese counterparts (see Caclutta TE ve Calcutta Conquest, Curado and the series of spinning reels like Stradic, Sustain...like completely diferent products!)

And talking salt water, Penn, Abu garcia and and other non japanese products are only too far away from the japanese quality (reels too bulky, not resistant and uninspiring, rods too heavy and so on).

The bass reels made for the japanese market are wonderful, reliable, beautiful, you name it...I have a Conquest 201 and a 400 for salt, man, what to say, almost better than sex! And the new Daiwa Luvias...7 kg of drag in the 2500 version? definitely, Daiwa dominates the spinning reels market here in terms of drag and craftmanship. And just see the Calcutta Conquest 200DC...that is a reel to marry! Although at 600 USD retail price, this is too much ! Everyone's question, although it's not a very new reel, released in the spring-summer in Japan, is how will the reel behave, especially how well protected is the electronic mechanism against water. But i heard the castability is alsome!

And about the last part...japanese look at everything they do as a work of art. It's true with everything from cars to fishing reels to food. This is why the reels are so expensive here, the craftmanship is really exquisite and they are top of the line products.

By the way, there is word that Daiwa will come out with a new spinning reel in the spring.

Sorry for the space taken here. Just my 2 cents.

Regards,

Radu

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By the way,

i found this on another site in Japan, the commentary doesn't belong to me, but i think it reflects my ideas in the last 2 messages on this site:

"Scorpion 1000 came out in 2000, and Shimano will keep it long without modification. now US market has Curado 100BSF as export model.

Scorpion 1000 is far advanced than BSF in performances, and it is not the matter of timing, but marketing. Shimano sells BSF considering it is the best for US market, and Scorpion in Japan for the same reason.

First, average reel prices in Japan and US are different. Many Japanese anglers spend $150-350 for a reel, and average is at about $200, and $300 for serious anglers. In the US, average will be around $100, and $200 for serious anglers. Therefore, list price of the two reels are different. Scorpion is 22000jpy, or $200, instead $150 of Curado. Shimano may put better components on Scorpion for the $50 difference.

Second, line capacities required are different. In Japan many use US 6-10 lb test mono on bait casting reels, and smaller spool is fine. The less line capacity, the lighter spool and better casting performances.

Third, in the rapidly shrinking leisure fishing industry in Japan, Shimano Japan needed more attractive product than previously. And Scorpion was installed with the very advanced brake system, even though it is considered as entry model reel in Japan.

I believe these factors affected Shimano introduce the great product at such low price only in Japan.

"

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Thanks Nathan and everyone for the good reviews. You guys are the experienced masters of building better tackle. This site and it's members are an awesome comunity for us to share our craft. Your feedback and works keep me inspired to do more.

Thanks for all the information about Ito. When I looked at the links to his works I almost experienced one of those herbal essence yes's.

I'll post more pics as soon as I have them completed.

Shawn

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