[Saltwater Fishing] Go Finesse for Saltwater fishing, too! - FISHING JAPANESE STYLE

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Bass fishing technique for Saltwater - Finesse approach


 I've been into Bass fishing for over 10 years.

 I used to be a saltwater-only angler who's chasing Japanese seabass in Tokyo bay every night. I honestly said I did not have any good image for Bass fishing. At that time in Japan, a HUGE Bass fishing movement had been happening. Lots of young anglers made a long line at the fishing tackle store seeking cool lures like MEGABASS lures. As a saltwater fisherman, I saw it with a cynical smile.


 But in 2008, I moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I spent 3 years there. In Ontario, there was no chance to fish saltwater since no ocean there. I went to lakes, rivers, and canals. I tried my luck with a small spinner and got a surprising catch! It was Smallmouth bass! At that time, Smallmouth bass was a very rare species in Japan. Wow. Cool! I also caught Largemouth bass, Northan Pike, Yellow perch, Crappie, Walleye, etc, etc. Super cool!! Since then, I've been a huge fan of Bass fishing!


 And now, for any reason, I'm living in Southern California. The great pacific ocean along with the beautiful Californian beach welcomes surfers, families, and anglers like me. Now I'm back to the saltwater fishing world with one big difference from the past myself. Bass fishing experience for over 10 years has taught me so many techniques. Now I'm using all of them to catch Spotted Bay Bass, Calico bass, Yellowfin Croaker, and California Halibut!


 In Japan, many fields are under high pressure. Too many fishermen compared to the fields. It's a small country with a big population. And we're living in the Social Network era. The hot field information can be quickly running around Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. Then so many anglers are rushing there. Crazy.

 How to manage such high-pressured fields? The one answer we have is Go Finesse. You can read another article talking about it (link).

  Southern California's coast side is also super busy. So many rivals around. How to make a difference from other fishermen? Yes! Go Finesse. Using my finesse bass fishing techniques, I always caught something! Using a #2000 to #2500 spinning reel, a 6 feet to 7 feet long ultra-light to light power rod, and 8lb fishing lines, I've caught lots of saltwater fish like Spotted Bay Bass, Barred Sand Bass, Calico Bass, and California Halibut. 

 You can check out the video where I caught California Halibut by using Finesse Drop shot rig with Keitech Live Impact 3".

My first legal sized California Halibut caught on a finesse drop shot rig.

  When I use a finesse approach to saltwater fishing, the condition matters a lot. When the wind is strong, it would not be good for a finesse approach. When the current is fast, it would also be unwelcome.

 The best condition for finesse rigs would be calm winds, no waves, and a slow current. Otherwise, fish won't even notice finesse presentations. When we can see the ripples over the surface, the lures that have stronger presentations and higher appeal like hard lures (minnow, vibration, etc.), big soft plastics with a paddle tail would be a better choice than using finesse rigs.

Using light Carolina rig, I caught Yellowfin Croaker!

 Dropshot rig, No sinker rig (weightless rig), Splitshot rig, Neko rig, Light Texas rig, etc.. I've been using so many finesse rigs for Bass fishing and all are proven. I've not yet tried many of them for saltwater angling yet. So many experiments waited to be done! Exciting!





 Thank you!
 Angler Waki.

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