The Secret Story Behind the Development of ForceMix ~Episode 3~

Unlocking the FORCEMIX: Tactical Presentations, Tackle Balancing, and Wing Tuning

By: Nakanishi, ADUSTA Lure Designer

Hey everyone, Nakanishi here, lead lure designer for ADUSTA.

In this blog series, I’m pulling back the curtain on the development stories, design concepts, and custom tuning secrets of our heavy-duty topwater catalog.

For Episode 3 of the ADUSTA FORCEMIX design breakdown, we are moving from the engineering lab directly to the water. We will focus on the fundamental retrieving techniques, textbook rod-and-reel configurations, and advanced tuning tricks that will help you transform aggressive topwater blowups into solid hook-ups.

The action of the Force Mix is ​​also influenced by the tackle setting.

1. The Core Action: The "Chugging" Straight Retrieve

True to its foundational engineering blueprint, the most lethal way to fish the FORCEMIX (205mm / 43g) is a simple, steady straight retrieve.

The bait generates a rhythmic, organic "plop-plop-chug" cadence as it tracks through the surface tension. It is an absolute weapon when burned parallel to expansive shoreline cover, laydowns, steep riprap, or weed edges. Think of the FORCEMIX as your premium, large-profile search bait—functioning much like a shallow crankbait or a vibration plug to cover water efficiently and locate active predators.

Pro Tip for Shoreline Anglers: When fishing the FORCEMIX from the bank, never give up on a cast early. Because of its multi-jointed noisy-plug classification, it creates a massive hydro-acoustic wake that draws fish from deep water. Bass will often track this lure from a distance and strike violently right at your feet, just as the bait is about to leave the water column. Commit to the retrieve all the way back to the bank.

Force Mix action. It appeals to fish with flashing and sound as it wiggles its body.

2. The Art of Tackle Balancing

By nature, crawler baits and jointed wake baits are designed to be reeled continuously, making them highly susceptible to missed hook-ups. Predators frequently execute aggressive territorial strikes or swipe at the bait out of pure reflex rather than a feeding response, often resulting in fish slapping the bait without connecting.

While we engineered the precise internal weight distribution of the FORCEMIX to maximize surface suction during a blowup, it remains a giant topwater plug. To overcome the physical limitations of a large-profile hard bait, fine-tuning your tackle configuration is the absolute shortest path to improving your hook-up-to-land ratio.

Force Mix Recommended Tackle Selection

The Rod Matrix

Look for a rod featuring a slow/parabolic to regular-fast taper that cushions the initial explosion and prevents you from tearing the hooks out of the fish's mouth.

• Length: 6’6” or longer (to leverage the blank’s natural bend during deep-water casts).

• Power: Medium-Heavy (MH) to Heavy (H) to accurately steer a 43g payload.

• Taper/Action: Slow (Parabolic) to Regular-Fast (RF).

The Line Physics

• Nylon Monofilament (Highly Recommended): Mono offers the ideal specific gravity and built-in mechanical stretch for this presentation. It acts as a shock absorber during a violent long-distance blowup, ensuring the fish fully turns with the bait before feeling tension, drastically optimizing your hook-up ratio.

• Fluorocarbon: Because fluorocarbon is highly dense and sinks, it is less than ideal for long-distance casting with a wake bait. Over a long distance, the sinking line will bow underwater, dampening the wing response and pulling the nose down into an unnatural diving action. However, fluorocarbon excels for short-distance target fishing in tight canals or heavy shoreline pockets where immediate hook-penetration power and extreme abrasion resistance around wood or rock are required.

• Braided Line: Braid provides zero stretch and exceptional line management for long-distance casting and immediate startup response. To prevent tearing the trebles away from a striking fish, you must adjust your mechanics: either slightly lower your rod tip toward the fish the instant a blowup occurs to feed them slack line, or pair the braid with an ultra-forgiving, purely parabolic (slow-taper) rod.
  

Force Mix crawl action. Line selection is also important to achieve the ideal action.

The Reel Speed

Your reel configuration should be dictated entirely by your target cover. If you need maximum torque and precision control over an ultra-slow, dead-crawl presentation, look for a low-gear casting reel (approx. 5.1:1 ratio). If you are looking to cover vast shorelines quickly using a power-fishing strategy, a high-gear reel (7.1:1 ratio) is ideal. For general versatility, a standard 6.3:1 ratio platform serves as an excellent baseline.

Harnessing Terminal Snaps

While this falls under terminal rigging rather than tackle, always utilize a high-quality terminal snap or split ring to attach your line eye. Tying your mainline directly to the line tie eyelet constricts the bait's lateral freedom, severely dampening the initial startup response of the joints. Conversely, you can use a direct knot as an intentional tuning method when you want to tone down the bait's lateral swing in ultra-pressured fisheries.

My Personal Setup (Nakanishi's Rig)

When I am out validating the FORCEMIX on public waters, this is the exact tournament-ready matrix I lean on:

• Rod: 7'6" Medium-Heavy (MH) with a Regular-Fast (RF) taper.

• Reel: 7.1:1 High-Gear casting reel.

• Line: Premium Nylon Monofilament.

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Because my field testing is heavily focused on bank fishing, I bias my setup toward maximum casting distance and long-line control. A 7'6" MH rod allows me to punch the bait to distant targets while tracing a much longer, uninterrupted tracking path along the shoreline. While an RF-taper MH rod might seem slightly stiff for a topwater plug, pairing it with stretchy nylon monofilament creates the perfect mechanical equilibrium—giving me extreme casting leverage while maintaining plenty of cushion to pin short-striking fish.

When I need to dissect an isolated, high-probability target pocket with a dead-slow crawl, I will pivot away from my high-gear run-and-gun setup and swap over to a high-torque, low-gear 5.1:1 casting reel to flawlessly govern the crawl speed.

Catching big bass from the shore. With Force Mix, it's important to make sure you give it a good action all the way to your feet.

3. Elastomeric Tail Maintenance & Installation

Force Mix Tail

The specialized, high-action tail of the FORCEMIX is molded from an ultra-elastic, highly durable elastomer compound. To unlock its full swimming potential, the tail must be mounted perfectly true to the centerline of the body.

Insert the elastomeric tail deeply and squarely into the rear slot of the jointed body. Take the included retention pin (rivet) and push it firmly down into the mounting channel until it sits completely flush.

Incorrect way to attach the tail to a Force Mix lure

Important Storage Note: Avoid crooked or shallow installation, as misalignment can cause premature tearing or a warped swimming path under heavy retrieval speeds. To ensure long-term performance and prevent permanent warping or material deformation between trips, we highly recommend detaching the elastomer tail from the hard body before storing it in your tackle locker.

4. Advanced Wing Tuning: Altering Cadence and Pitch

Just like the ZACRAWL YAJIROBEE, you can completely alter the swimming cadence and acoustic pitch of the FORCEMIX by adjusting the opening angle of the wings.

By twisting or slightly adjusting the depth of the retention screw eyes (hinges) that lock the wings in place, you can tune the bait's behavior to match shifting environmental conditions:

The wing opening angle of the Force Mix can be adjusted by tightening the eyelets that secure the wings and by bending them.

• The Dead-Slow Configuration: Tune the wings so they flare out perfectly perpendicular (90 degrees) to the hard shell. This increases surface resistance, allowing the wings to trap maximum air and water for an immediate startup response during an ultra-slow crawl.

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• The High-Speed Burn Configuration: Slightly turn or adjust the hinges so the wings sweep back toward the face, closing the entry angle. This streamlines the bait's hydrodynamics, preventing it from blowing out or rolling over during a lightning-fast retrieve. Closing the wings also alters the physical impact point against the body, producing a distinct, localized acoustic frequency that triggers finicky fish.

An example of a Force Mix with a tuning wing currently under development. The sound produced is completely different from the original.

Engineered for Global Success

The development of the FORCEMIX was an exhaustive journey of trial and error. Backed by the unmatched expertise of our global pro staff and field testers, we overcame major structural hurdles to achieve a perfectly balanced multi-jointed wake bait. We officially launched the FORCEMIX in July 2019, optimized to perform flawlessly across diverse global fisheries.

Force Mix Length: 205mm Weight: 43g

ADUSTA FORCEMIX Specs: Length: 205mm (8 inches) | Weight: 43g (1.5 oz)

Topwater fishing represents the absolute pinnacle of excitement in bass fishing. Within that world, heavy-displacing noisy plugs deliver some of the most visual, territorial blowups an angler can experience.

I invite you to tie on a FORCEMIX at your local home waters, lock into a steady retrieve along the shallows, and experience the pure adrenaline of premium Japanese-engineered topwater design.