AREA TROUTSHIGA, JAPAN
Discovering Subtle-Action
Crankbaits at Samegai
Samegai Trout Farm / Kaminyu, Maibara, Shiga / Japan
On October 17, 2026, I visited Samegai Trout Farm to practice for the October 25 tournament. With spoons only in the qualifying rounds, that was where I started. From choosing colors for the stained water to discovering the potential of subtle-action crankbaits in the afternoon, this trip brought a different set of lessons from my previous visit.
01 / FIRST CAST
The usual blue and silver drew little response.
As usual, I started with T-Fresh Evo 1.5g and 1.1g in blue-and-silver colors: AD12 Nihongo and Ibushigin, a tester-exclusive color. For some reason, the fish were not responding well.
Perhaps PiricaMore, with less irregular movement than T-Fresh Evo, would work as it had on my October 12 visit. I tried PiricaMore 1.0g in Ibushigin, but it did not produce a good response either.
02 / COLOR CHANGE
Changing colors for stained water.
The water was slightly stained. Thinking a more distinct silhouette or a color with fluorescent accents might help, I tried T-Fresh Evo 1.5g in E66 Fitz Green and E72 Kids Plum.
As I had hoped, the bites became more frequent. Switching away from the blue-and-silver colors I had started with made a difference.
03 / HOOK CHANGE
MK Hook Sharp suited the stocked fish that day.
When stocking began, I switched again to Dexter 2.5g in E78 Scramble Orange. I started with an FA Hook #6, which had worked well on October 12.
This time, the results were mixed. I changed to an MK Hook Sharp #6, and it gave me better hook-ups that day.
The fish were less active than on October 12 and did not fight as hard before being landed. Both the hook-ups and the way the fish came in suggested that MK Hook Sharp #6 suited this stocking better.
Dexter 2.5g / E78 Scramble Orange
FA Hook #6 → MK Hook Sharp #6
Adjust to the fish on the day, rather than sticking with what worked last time.
04 / SPOON ROTATION
Keeping the morning going with Kids Plum.
Once the post-stocking action settled down, I returned to T-Fresh Evo 1.5g in E72 Kids Plum and started catching again. Dropping to 1.1g then kept the catches coming until around 11 a.m.
05 / CRANK ROTATION
Jr.SS in Crystal Rosso was the perfect match.
Around midday, the fishing slowed, so I switched to crankbaits. Other brands' crankbaits with a strong action, as well as our Goat Star, drew few bites, and those that did come were not solid takes.
Then I tried T-Crankup Jr.SS, and C40 Crystal Rosso proved to be exactly what the fish wanted.
I tried that same C40 Crystal Rosso color on Goat Star and the full-size T-Crankup, but neither drew any response. The same color produced very different results. My impression was that the fish were avoiding a stronger action that day.
06 / FIELD NOTE
An even subtler action worked too.
What about T-Crankup Jr SRF, with an even subtler action? I tried it, and it also caught fish well.
C37 Rikusen RG and C51 Salty Olive SPK were among the colors that worked. Following the success with Jr.SS, Jr SRF also gave me encouraging results.
In the morning, it was about matching colors to the stained water; after stocking, matching hooks to the fish's activity; and in the afternoon, adjusting the strength of the crankbait's action. Even at the same venue, what worked on the previous visit will not always work again. This was a day that showed the potential of subtle-action crankbaits.
