[A-PEN68 Development Log] My Encounter with Chining (a type of fishing technique)

Fishing results from the A-PEN68 test fishing trip in Osaka Bay

I think it was around 2022. During an ADUSTA development meeting, we were talking about "creating new products." The topic of "establishing a solid saltwater lure line for ADUSTA" came up. However, I myself had very little experience with saltwater fishing, so when I thought about "what kind of saltwater fishing can be done in Kansai?", I remembered chining, which I had dabbled in a little while ago. I had also tried topwater chinu fishing a little bit about 13-14 years ago when it was popular. But back then, bass fishing was my priority, and I didn't realize the appeal of chining, which is why I didn't get hooked on it at the time. Then, after some time had passed, when I decided to "try saltwater fishing," and considered "fishing that can be done easily" in the Kansai region, especially in Osaka where I currently live, chining naturally came to mind. However, even when it came time to actually try it, I lacked the knowledge and didn't know "where to start." My image of chining (fishing for sea bream) was limited to the old-fashioned methods of "fishing along the bottom with a light jig head" and "topwater fishing with a small popper." So, I started gathering information and looking for shops in the Kansai region that were knowledgeable about chining, and that's when I happened to find "Flagship" online. I stumbled upon a blog post announcing the opening of a specialty chining shop.

Chining Shop Flagship in Tenkachaya, Osaka

I found that article, told Anbo-kun in sales that I wanted to go there, and he made an appointment for me.

I actually visited Flagship.

To be honest, when I went, I didn't know anything about current chining (black sea bream fishing), and I went there intending to ask about "how they structure their fishing." But, surprisingly, Flagship already knew about Adusta.

When I talked to them, they told me that the A-PEN90 (a one-knocker pencil I originally developed for peacock and Amazon fish) was catching a lot of black sea bream. They even said, "I have one," which really surprised me.

The A-PEN90 was originally developed for Brazilian peacock bass, and of course, it's still performing exceptionally well.

My image of topwater fishing for black sea bream was "a type of fishing using small topwater lures or jig heads, lures that are too light to cast easily with baitcasting gear."

So, the idea that you could catch black sea bream with a pencil bait that you could cast with the same feel as bass fishing using regular baitcasting tackle was a complete surprise. I was like, "Is that really possible?"

But after hearing about it, I thought, "That sounds interesting!" and became very interested.

Furthermore, I learned about a shop called Top Butler, which is at the heart of the black sea bream fishing scene in the Kansai region.

Top Battler, the epicenter of topwater fishing for black sea bream in the Kansai region.

This is purely coincidental, but I'd been really interested in Top Butler for a while, having heard about it from a senior figure in the industry. I'd even asked them, "What kind of shop is Top Butler?" It'd been on my radar for a long time, but I hadn't had the chance to visit yet.

Apparently, Top Butler is on good terms with Flagship and is considered a hub for topwater black sea bream fishing in the Kansai region.

Hearing that, I thought, "I want to go there at least once," and decided to visit Top Butler.

While gathering information before my visit, I found something on YouTube. It was a video from Nekovision featuring Bakushin (a brand famous for spinnerbaits), showing them topwater black sea bream fishing in the Yodo River, and Top Butler was featured in the video. I was shocked by the video, thinking, "They're catching them with a pencil bait of that size!"

I was quite shocked when I heard, "You can catch sea bream even with a Zara lure."

Then, when I actually went to see Top Butler and talked to him, he laughed and said, "You can catch sea bream with bass topwater lures."

I heard that Top Butler himself was originally a bass fishing enthusiast and used to frequent the legendary lure shop "Bass Shop Monkey" in Fuse, Osaka, so I was completely thrilled. I also used to visit that shop as a special place during my student days.

I was convinced, "This might be fun."

From then on, while continuing to fish for bass, I started to think, "I want to properly catch sea bream with topwater lures." The Yodo River is nearby, and I've been there for bass fishing, but I had almost no experience with sea bream fishing at the river mouth.

"I just want to catch one." With that in mind, I got advice from Top Butler and Flagship, and from that autumn, I started practicing, deciding to "start with the free rig."

I started around October and continued going until the end of November, but I wasn't getting any results. At the time, I only knew of one fishing spot, so I went there constantly, but I couldn't catch anything. Several months passed with me feeling frustrated.

Next time, I'll share my journey into the unknown world of topwater fishing for sea bream, my first step into the world of sea bream topwater fishing.

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