|
1. What was the Sakamata Shad developed for originally – those wings in particular?
> "It was developed by Deps owner and angler Kazumasa Okumura to be a soft jerkbait. The wings give it a darting action – especially where it will dart up. But the wings also give it that special shimmy when it falls. That's what the mid-strolling guys love most about it.
> "The bait released in 2014 in Japan [and] we started selling it in the US in 2018. In 2014, we were just dabbling in soft-plastics here because the US market was a tough sell for JDM soft baits.
> "[JDM] hard baits were accepted first...in the US. We only had like 10 stores in the country that sold JDM soft-plastics.
> "We had our first success with [the Sakamata] in 2020 when Masayuki Matsushita won a Bassmaster Central Open using it on a Carolina rig at Sam Rayburn. After that, it gained a lot of notoriety – but not for mid-strolling or bottom strolling. It was best known for fishing it like a weightless soft jerkbait on an EWG hook – its intended purpose.
> "We offer it in a heavy version and the normal version. The heavy version did better than the normal version at first because of how it was being fished. But the normal version is what most people use now while mid-strolling."
2. Why do you think it's gotten to be more and more popular for minnow shaking?
> "Because of FFS. Guys started putting them on a ball head and shaking it. As it sinks, the rate of fall slows and the bait shimmies because of the wings. This displaces water. It sends out a special vibration. And fish react to it.
> "Guys started mid-strolling it in Japan in 2018. It became mainstream by fall of 2019. It was so effective that guys tried to guard the secret. But it quickly became very popular in Japan and then made its way to the US.
> "Then Kyoya Fujita won a couple of Elite Series events using the Sakamata Shad on a jighead. Zona kept asking on Bassmaster Live what he was using. When he found out, he kept calling it out over and over. It wasn't well known [in the US] at the time.
> "That was the first big boom – the kickoff. The guys who knew, knew. But suddenly everybody knew and wanted them. The tackle stores sold out overnight. Mid-strolling became the buzzword.
> "The Sakamata Shad is as popular in Japan as it is here. We share the products between both countries. That's a big reason why they are so hard to get."
Follow-Up Q: What does it do that other jighead minnow baits don't?
> "The ease of allowing it to shake is the main thing. But that comes from the material as much as the wings.
> "Deps produces their own hard baits, but their soft baits are poured in different plants in Japan and other countries. These specific factories make the Sakamata Shad with a unique material that no one else can find or source. It's special. And it's secret.
> "We aren't building them in the US because no plants here can make them the same. It won't have the same roll. The fish are telling us something, and we believe it's the material."
3. Is there something about it that allows it to be used with lighter jigheads than other minnow baits?
> "You're onto something that's not talked about as much. It goes back to the material – the plastisol. It lets you use a lighter jighead and still get the right roll and have precise depth control."
Follow-up: What size jigheads do you recommend?
> "For the 5-inch, we recommend a 3.5g [1/8-oz] for shallower depths, and 5g [3/16] for deeper depths. For the 4-inch, use a 2g [3/32] up to a 3.5g."
4. Are guys using the Sakamata for anything other than minnow-shaking?
> "100%. The bigger ones – the 7- and 8-inch – are used on Carolina rigs a lot. Mostly with the heavy material Sakamata. They're being fished around ledges and rocks.
> "The 5- and 6-inch baits are used as a soft jerkbait on an EWG hook. Again, with the heavy material. It's best in the summer months around grass."
5. What was the heavy weight version designed for?
> "Different depths. And lakes with more grass.
> "Lake Biwa [Japan] is similar to Guntersville. Lots of grass. Japanese anglers wanted a heavier soft jerkbait to sink through the grass."
|
