STAFF BLOG

#28 You ask, Mr. Adachi answers part 22012.05.11

Let`s get right to it and have a look at the set of next Q&As...

1. Leonidas Kouretas: Mr Adachi, except for the hard work and hard artwork, except for the actual testing and long year experience, we have seen new high tech properties entering lures'/baits' industry every now and then. Such as fluorescent - high visibility colors, heat/warmth glowing, laser graphics, weight moving systems, etc, etc. The question is: What to expect in the next oncoming years from new tech innovations? 

Mr. Adachi: This is a question which interests many people are various opinion regarding the topic. In cases of lures, just giving it a life-like form does not guarantee that it will work well as a lure. At the moment, with the latest technology, it is possible to make a real form of a lure and using the photo print technology give it natural color. 

Introduced more than 13 years ago and being also at DUO, 3D CAD CAM can be used for engraving and getting improved every year, however only design in high-tech machines is something I have never even though of. Initial design of the master image is all done by hand carving. High-teach machines are always just a support, just means, never the end. 

In respect to production, there are various new ways being tried at the moment, but rather than revolutionizing the process, it`s mostly extension of already existing processes which enable to bring the cost down.

 2. Michael Kenneth Dawson: I would like smaller lures in Tide Minnow style also Refina style less than 30mm long so I can fish them for Seatrout on a fly rod.　Do you make or can you design such a lure? 

Mr. Adachi: There is no plan for a lure of 30 mm for now, however if Martin, our overseas sales manager, sees the market potential for it, we will definitely do it. Martin is the guy to speak to.

 3. Francesco Curreli: Mr. Adachi、do you thinks that in a not too distant future, the fish will "learn" to recognize artificial baits? Do you have any solutions in this regard? For example, make the bait more natural looking, or vice versa, very far removed from reality?

 Mr. Adachi: I think rather than fish getting used to baits, the main problem is how to decrease the number of individuals in the natural environment. I feel in Japan there is such a fierce competition between manufacturers, the tackle technique itself is being improved through testing everyday, so I have a feeling that there is much less fish in the waters than in the past.

 4. What lure would you recommend for fishing in muddy waters?

 Mr. Adachi: I think it really depends on the fish that you target, rather than some universal muddy water lure. I believe though that fish in the muddy water has much better ability to perceive than we think, so it`s not so important to worry about the water conditions. Generally it is said though that effective colors are those that stand-out and lures with rattles, in addition to which I would also need to mention retrieve speed and range. One should strive to retrieve the fish above the range.

 5. Corey Rhymer: What fish species do you primarily have in mind when you design your baits, and what goes into choosing the colors and patterns for each bait?

 Mr. Adachi: It is rare to design the image of the lure according to the bait fish although there were several instances of such a design even in Japan itself. However, if you try to focus on the visual part too much the action part suffers and that is why I do not employ that kind of designing.

 6.This is my question for Mr. Adachi : what is the main feature point in your design? Before becoming a designer, were you a fisherman?

 Of course, before becoming a pro designer, I was a fisherman first. As for design, I consider the outline and the body volume the most important points.

 7. Maurel Alex: I would like to know if you ever think to make a lure-that would accept a little camera in the head?

 When fishing from the boat there is commonly a camera attached, however for casting lures, I believe it would be impossible. Since this is outside of my area of profession, I believe for specialists like Sony or Canon, it would be much easier to tackle this problem.

 8. Demaria Florent: What was the fish that inspired you to design the legendary Tide Minnow Slim?

 Mr. Adachi: Tide Minnow Slim was originally designed and developed as targeting hirame(flatfish) and magochi(flatheads).

 9. Yeoh Shim Shian: Good day sir, I'm from Malaysia, but sadly I never had a chance to use a DUO lure before as I can`t find it in Malaysia market. However, from facebook, I trully look forward to cast a DUO lure as it is so beautifully made. As an Angler, with every lure in my box, I truly admired those lure that you designed~

 Mr. Adachi: Thank you very much. I`m also interested in Malaysian nature and fisheries. I wish I would have a chance to go fishing there sometimes.

 10. Athanasios Gorgogianni: Is the color as important as the shape and the movement of a lure?

 Mr. Adachi: While this topic can not be ignored, I do not think there is any need to expand the color range existing at the moment. In my case, I classify colors in four rough groups as “Silver”, “Gold”, “Pearl” and “Clear” and then it`s just a matter of preference. However, as a manufacturer, this shall never be said aloud.

 11. Joel Wade: How old were you when you started designing lures? 

 Mr. Adachi: It was at the age of 23 when I took a job at a lure manufacturer. I worked there for a while as a part-timer before being put in charge of design and development. Of course, I started from the most simple tasks, so I have not become a “stand-alone” designer until the age of 26, when DUO was established.

 We shall be back with the third part in the next couple of week...still a lot of questions to go through.