How many have been bitten by the JDM gear bug panfishing?

[v_fourmax]

I love fishing for actually multi species using ultra light tackle and lines with very small baits. As I have gotten older and developed health issues I prefer fishing smaller waters and slow moving mid size to small rivers and I sit down to fish these days.

I use a lot of jigs in the 1/32-1/64 oz weight range with small finesse plastics.
Due to using these light baits through other forums I have learned about the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) and that when it comes to ultra light the Japanese are much more specialized and specific to say the action of a rod geared towards a certain fishes size and biting characteristics than what we are here in America.

Even reels that are for light weight lines they use a much larger arbor and shallower lipped spools to not waste line, need to use a backing and to generally be better at line management and casting the line off the spool with the least resistance to obtain maximum casting distance with the light baits.

I have just started down this rabbit hole and I can say that as far as the rods are concerned that it is nice to be able to get an ultra light rod that the action is not akin to a wet noodle but the backbone and tip speeds are still designed for lightweight fish and do not behave like broomstick on the other end of the spectrum.

As far Graphite it appears the Japanese again are using much better processes which are allowing the rod blank manufacturers to produce a rod that is 99+% graphite content that will bend into a horseshoe shape and not snap and using quality components can build a completed 7' rod that weighs about 2.0 ounces total.

Of course price ranges run from very affordable for most anglers to out of the range of reality except to the very hardcore tackle enthusiast where money is no object.

So far I am liking the gear I have tried and am trying to limit how deep I go into the rabbit hole but it is nice to fish with gear that really makes even catching smaller fish a lot of fun.

I wish the American market seemed to be as interested in the light gear market as the Japanese.

Anybody else trying out this avenue?

[Hydrasport80]

I'd love to know more. Where do you get these types of rod and reels. Is everything ordered from Japan?

[v_fourmax]

A good source of information for JDM gear is this you tube channel, guy reviews a lot of gear and gives opinions and sources.


Another good source and read is this site which is U.S.A. based and a domestic source for some JDM gear.

Finesse-Fishing.com