Jake's field report "Imakatsu Bushido" Oct 28, 2017

Overview

The Imakatsu Bushido is a versatile craw style soft plastic lure. The lure comes in two sizes, 3 inches and 4 inches. The 3-inch model is great when the fish are on smaller bait. It is a very compact and a perfect choice. Even though it is a smaller profile this lure has a ton of action. The four-inch size is better when you want more vibration and movement in the water. The claws have such an erratic action. The plastic is a very soft material which make the claws move with the slightest movement. This is great when you are dragging a jig. Despite being such a soft material the Bushido is very durable and lasts for more than one or two fish.

 Rigging

Since this soft plastic lure comes unrigged there are so many different ways to rig.  My favorite ways to rig the Bushido is as a trailer on a jig or a weighted Texas rig or on a wobble head. There are endless ways to rig this lure which help the angler progress as they have to decision the right way to rig this lure for their conditions for the day to get the bass to strike.

 Testing

I tested this lure on two different days. The first day I went out and was pitching docks as a weighted Texas rig. The bass were sitting under the docks chasing bait fish and craws. Even a bass hit the lure it was on the second or third rod twitch while the lure was sitting on the bottom. Once you twitched your rods it gave the claws movement twitch would draw in the bass. The other day I was testing the Bushido was as a jig trailer. I was fishing in 6-12 feet on a drop off. The bass would hit as I was dragging the jig because despite the actual jig not moving very much the claws still have tons of action.

Equipment

When I was pitching docks, I was using a 7’1” MHXS Daiwa Cronos rod. I like the medium heavy with an extra fast rod tip to get the whip of the rod for skipping the lure far under the dock, but was heavy enough to handle big fish. I would use a Daiwa Zillion SV reel in 7:3:1. I like the faster reel to pull the fish out of the docks as quickly as I can. My line of choice was 16 pound Toray Exthread. I wanted something a little thicker since I am fishing hard cover and line could get frayed easily on the dock posts. When I was testing the Bushido as a jig trailer my rod of choice was a Legit Design 610M. this is one of the most sensitive and light rods I have thrown but surprised me on how much back bone and strong the rod was. I would feel everything on the bottom and knew every time the difference between dragging through rocks soft bottom and the lightest of bites. My reel was a Daiwa Zillion SV in 7:3:1 gear ratio. I wanted the faster gear ratio to quickly reel up the slack fort hook sets. The line that matched this combo up best was 12 pound Toray Exthread. This line is very strong and abrasion resistant. 12-pound test was the best choice because it wasn’t to light for the application and not too thick so you still had good feel with the lure.

 -Jake Gaston