The A-PEN 68 Development. ChroniclesVol. 2: First Steps into the Unknown World of "Chinu Top"

A few months into my deep dive into dedicated "Chining" (Black Sea Bream fishing), several projects were moving in parallel. One of the most pivotal was collaborating with the shop Top Butler on a custom limited color for the A-PEN 90.

Top Butler was already stacking up results, catching impressive Bream on the A-PEN 90 in the "Rasta" custom color.

Around the same time, we launched custom colors with Flagship, and I began to feel the "Chinu Top" (topwater Bream) movement in the Kansai region truly starting to take shape.

When we were preparing to launch the Neolene in Japan, the team at Top Butler reached out: "I think this lure is going to be a killer for Bream." We decided to run field tests alongside the custom color development. Even before the official release, the results were undeniable—they were hauling in fish after fish.

From Skepticism to Conviction

During our June 2024 tests at Lake Hamana, the Neolene was performing, but I’ll be honest: I was still a skeptic.  Initially, the feedback was, "Maybe we should lose the rear feather hook." But Top Butler kept fishing it stock, feathers and all. When they reported massive numbers of fish coming out of the Yodo River, it finally clicked for me: "Topwater Bream fishing is incredibly close to the world of Bass fishing."

The success Top Butler had with the Neolene was the "hook" that dragged me into this world. I started hitting the Yodo River constantly. I could get the bites—explosive surface strikes that got my heart racing—but I couldn't stick the landing. I wasn't catching them yet.

I had that nagging feeling every angler knows: "Is it the lure? Or is my action totally wrong?" I remember those sessions vividly—clutching the Neolene, staring at the water, and wondering if I truly understood this game.

Opening a New Door

My fascination with the "Chining" scene in the Kansai coastal waters was growing. Meeting the crews at Flagship and Top Butler didn't just give me testing partners; it gave me a gateway into the soul of the sport.

The shock came when they told me: "You can catch Bream all day on standard 3/8oz or 1/2oz topwater plugs." To a Bass fisherman, that was a revelation. Watching the Neolene prove that theory right opened a "new door" in my mind as a developer.

I thought, "If this is real, I need to land one on my own terms." That desire turned into a conviction. This wasn't just expanding a product line; it was a style of fishing I was falling in love with.

The Allure of "Urban Chining"

The excitement was identical to what I felt when I first started Bass fishing. It’s "Urban Chining"—the thrill of a topwater game right in the backyard of the city. The Yodo River became my proving ground.

Everything was "Unknown." I didn't know the spots or the specific patterns. But walking those banks and verifying the science for myself was addictive.

• The adrenaline of the surface explosion.

• The frustration of a missed hookset.

• The constant "puzzle-solving" of how to make them commit.

I was hooked. I was no longer just developing a lure; I was chasing a new passion.

Next Time: How did the A-PEN downsize evolve? I’ll be discussing the early hurdles in "Vol. 4: The Challenges of Shrinking the A-PEN 90."

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