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B
ass fishermen are fishing tackle junkies,
collectors, hoarders, however you spin it, or
whatever you call it, it comes down to one thing, bass fisherman not only love catching bass, but they also
love fishing tackle.
One trend that is growing in popularity with bass fisherman, is the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) fishing tackle craze.
EXCLUSIVITY IS KING
JDM is rare fishing tackle, that is highly sought after by fisherman, and for years, and in some cases is only available in Japan. This may mean that a manufacturer only distributes a certain bait in Japan, or it may mean that a bait is only offered in certain sizes and colors in Japan, compared to its full offering of colors and sizes in the United States.
Some of the first examples of JDM Fishing Tacke would be MegaBass, and its widely popular Vision 110 Jerkbaits. Once anglers were introduced and fished the 110 wanted them BADLY and would search the internet high and low to purchase as many 110’s as they could. They would search out exclusive colors that were only available in Japan. Now some anglers in the United States have enough Vision 110’s to fund their kid’s college education, with boxes of 110’s in their boats, and pegboard lined with these collectible fishing lures.
HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER DEPS OPTIONS
Behind that, Deps has been offering JDM tackle collectors a wide range of soft plastic and hard baits to choose from. Two of the very popular and highly sought-after Deps baits include the Bull Flat, a bluegill imitating bait that comes in multiple sizes, and can be fished weightless, or on a Carolina, or Texas rig.
The Cover Scat is another popular offering from Deps and is part of the growing trend of heavy-weight soft plastics, that are fished weightless yet still have a fast horizontal fall. This is a prime example of how JDM tackle innovations has influenced and
changed the way that bass fisherman in the US are able to target bass.
With the success of Japanese anglers on the BASS Elite Series, there has been more interest and focus as to what these anglers are using to catch their bass. Along with the increased access to JDM baits, anglers in the United States are showing more and more interest in filling their tackle boxes with JDM fishing tackle.
A great example of this is Elite Series angler Taku Ito, who has over $780,000 in BASS winnings, most of which has come on JDM baits, and is responsible for the Bite Powder craze. American anglers were desperate to find and get their hands on this powder that Taku was keeping his baits in.
Bass fisherman used to need to have some kind of “in” or source to know where and how to purchase these JDM baits. But now fishing tackle retailers in the United States are doing the legwork for them and bringing JDM baits stateside.
I spoke to Ross Kellermeier, owner of Waypoint Angler Supply, located in Mound, Minnesota about the JDM fishing tackle craze, and he put it very simply, “there is no stopping it, anglers are always after the next big thing.”
One of the main reasons that Ross feels that anglers want to use JDM fishing tackle now more than ever is that it gives them the feeling that they have a bait that their competitors don’t have. This is no different than our predecessors in bass fishing, making their own jigs, and tying their own skirts. It gave them confidence that the lure they were putting in front of the bass was something unique and would help them get more bites.
With the emergence of Forward Facing Sonar (FFS), and the popularity of fishing a minnow, the demand for new and different jig and minnow combinations to use when looking at your FFS, may have sped up the JDM fishing tackle craze.
Popular baits that online fishing tackle retailers worked frantically to keep in stock included the Deps
Fall 2025
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