Development Story
An obsession born of
a shock on the Genkai Sea
The development of BALSAM began two and a half years ago, in summer, with a shattering encounter on the Genkai Sea — a monster tuna that struck a popper we had built ourselves.
Three of us took it on and still could not bring it in; the humiliation of the hook pulling free with fifty metres to go. To land “that size,” seared into the back of the eye, an entirely new plug was needed.
Origin
Meeting BLUEHUNTER
Development began with guidance from BLUEHUNTER, a group of expert anglers from the Owari region. The highest priorities were “a clear distinction from every other lure” and “establishing a leave-it method built on a vertical trajectory.”
“I want a plug that holds a vertical posture the moment it lands, and keeps vibrating finely even with no input at all.”
That single remark set the direction of the whole project.
Material
“Selected balsa,” against the grain of the times
Through trial and error across many materials — urethane resins, EPS, paulownia, cedar — the answer we arrived at was balsa. A notoriously difficult material: inconsistent in quality and weak in strength. Yet a meeting with a timber merchant convinced us of the overwhelming buoyancy of selected balsa. This, we were sure, was the one.
Armor Coating
Armour-like durability
At the end of March 2026, we succeeded in a minor change to the top-coat material and method. After forty casting tests against the sharp point of a Big Decoy 10/0, the only damage was where the hook point made contact. No water ingress. An armor coat that surpasses the limits of balsa was complete.
