Finding the Right Color and Action
at a Windy Herb no Sato

On October 30, 2026, I visited Herb no Sato Fishing Area to practice for the November 1 YARIE Cup, a regional qualifier for the Trout King Championship. With strong winds forcing a change of fishing position, I worked through spoons, crankbaits, and bottom presentations to find which actions and colors the fish would respond to without any fresh stocking.

01 / FIRST CAST

Starting with crankbaits on the windy office side.

The wind was strong enough to make casting light spoons from the office side difficult, so I started with crankbaits.

I wanted to try more assertive colors first, choosing T-Crankup Jr SRF in C47 Matsupin Reverse RG and C18 Clear Pink. My hook setup was ST Hook #10 on the front and AG Hook #9 on the rear. With no freshly stocked fish, though, neither color produced a bite, much as I had expected.

Switching to C37 Rikusen RG brought some bites. Even so, the wind made it difficult to keep fishing from the office side, so I moved to the parking-lot side.

02 / SPOON ROTATION

Two fish on Ibushigin, then a switch to Dead Leaf.

On the parking-lot side, I began with a spoon. To start with a slightly flashier color, I cast T-Fresh Evo 1.1g in Ibushigin, a tester-exclusive color, and quickly caught two fish. I was using an AG Hook #9 on T-Fresh Evo 1.1g.

Without freshly stocked fish, that flashier color did not keep producing. I rotated colors and switched to T-Fresh Evo 1.1g in S3 Dead Leaf, which kept the bites coming.

I also tried PiricaMore in 1.0g and 1.5g, but T-Fresh Evo drew the better response that day. A spoon with a more noticeable, lively action seemed easier to catch fish on, even while keeping the color subdued.

03 / CRANK ROTATION

Subdued colors worked well on crankbaits, too.

Next, I tried T-Crankup F to check the response to crankbaits. It was fitted with ST Hook #8 on the front and AG Hook #8 on the rear. Once again, slightly more subdued colors seemed to work better.

C37 Rikusen RG was particularly productive. After its promising response on Jr SRF earlier, the same color also worked well on the full-size T-Crankup F.

For a standard crankbait setup, I recommend ST Hook. In slower fishing, however, AG Hook or MK Hook Sharp can often do a better job of catching the fish's awkward, varied bites. Alongside color, choosing a hook to suit the way the fish are responding is important.

04 / ACTION & COLOR

Akayari was the key with the stronger-action Goat Star.

Because crankbaits with a stronger action often produce good tournament results, I also tried Goat Star. As with Jr SRF, I used ST Hook #10 on the front and AG Hook #9 on the rear. Only C3 Akayari kept producing fish, one after another.

This is something I often notice with crankbaits that put out stronger vibrations. That action can draw fish in, but I feel it can also make them wary. In those situations, getting the color just right can be essential to drawing a bite.

For example, even when our T-Crankup Jr SRF catches fish in a range of colors, the productive choices can narrow considerably with Goat Star or other brands' stronger-action crankbaits. This session was another reminder of the importance of matching the color to make the most of that stronger action.

FIELD NOTE

Think about action and color together.
Rather than relying only on a color that works on another crankbait, it pays to find the colors that draw a response on each lure.

05 / BOTTOM CHECK

A promising response to bottom drags and short retrieves.

Finally, I checked the bottom. Along with slowly dragging T-Fresh 2.4g along it, I tried Access in D9 Green Yamame and D10 Pink Yamame.

I changed the hooks on Access to ST Hook Flat Eye #8 and used a stop-and-go retrieve with short turns of the reel handle, known as deji-maki. The response was quite good, giving me confidence in the bottom approach as well.

HOOK SETTING

Access / D9 Green Yamame and D10 Pink Yamame
Changed to ST Hook Flat Eye #8 and worked near the bottom with a short, stop-and-go retrieve.

From moving to a different bank to cope with the wind, to checking spoon action and color, crankbait vibration, and bottom presentations, this practice session gave me a chance to assess each approach ahead of the tournament.